The Mississippi musician known as Hardy hosted a Saturday-night bash with the heart of a campfire singalong at Ottawa Bluesfest on July 11, drawing a youthful crowd that was thick with cowboy hats and denim.
But they were noticeably fewer in numbers than the previous night’s turnout to Limp Bizkit , when it was next to impossible to get through the thousands packed onto the plaza in front of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park.
Of course, Hardy is an up-and-comer, while Bizkit are legends, so there was that. But even though it wasn’t the biggest or loudest night in Bluesfest history, the weather was fine and it’s always fun to catch hot new artists like Hardy.
In his first Bluesfest appearance, the country-rocker and his killer band cruised through a set that ranged from solo acoustic singer-songwriter fare to thrashing rock explosions.
“It’s a Saturday night in freakin’ Ottawa,” hollered the 35-year-old who wrote songs for Florida Georgia Line and Morgan Wallen before pursuing his own career as a recording artist.
“I heard about this thing for a long time,” he added, referring to the festival. “It’s really cool to finally be able to play it. I love you guys, man.”
The attention of Saturday’s Bluesfest audience was divided between atmospheric Can-rocker Patrick Watson on the Hard Rock Stage and Hardy on the main stage. The main-stage plaza held thousands of lively and devoted fans, all eyes on Hardy, who started out in coveralls, but soon stripped down to cutoff shorts and a Sens jersey.
Musically, he came out of the gate with an emphasis on the country end of his country-rock spectrum. Alternating between electric and acoustic guitars, he seemed far more sincere than some of his beer-drinking odes suggest, demonstrating his depth with tender versions of Bottomland, McArthur and Be Her, a Hardy song made famous by Ella Langley .
One highlight of Hardy’s set was a cover of the old Mott The Hoople/Bad Company song Ready for Love, dusted off and polished up for a new generation. The singer said he likes to include a cover song in the setlist on every tour, and tries to pick one that reflects his passion for classic rock.
Earlier in the evening, there was a hint of tension between artist and crowd during the main-stage performance by BigXThaPlug, a 28-year-old rapper from Texas who played before Hardy. The plus-sized producer faced an audience primarily comprised of young country fans, some of whom kept yelling at him to take his shirt off.
At first he insisted the only people he would take his clothes off for were Ella Langley or Bailey Zimmerman, two darlings of the country scene. What the heck, he took it off anyway, displaying a web of tattoos on his generous torso.
Backed by a DJ/hype man, it seemed Big X was overly focused on the action in front of him, instead of engaging the wider crowd. He was determined to instigate a hip-hop mosh pit, perhaps to distract the hecklers, and made sure the beats got heavier as the bodies collided in fake aggression.
I much preferred the vibe at the LeBreton Stage, where Hawaiian guitarist Ron Artis II satisfied the folks who were thirsty for blues with his wild and wonderful playing, backed by the crunch of a tight rhythm section. He also showed his chops on acoustic guitar.
Along the way, Artis had a message of love, for others and oneself. “Every one of us is made of love,” he said, noting that the world would be a better place if people kept that in mind.
It was a sentiment shared by Ottawa phenom Aspects during his main-stage performance earlier in the evening. The Ottawa singer-songwriter-rapper proved he was the perfect person to smooth over the tension between rap and country fans, largely because of how easily he can slip between genres.
Performing with a band that included his daughter Illiyah Rose on vocals and Ottawa guitar wiz Robbie Rigg, as well as a solid rhythm section, the tattooed singer-rapper was great, conjuring a mix of haunting blues, punchy rock and a precise rap-vocal style into one slick package, with a guest appearance by a good friend with an amazing voice, Ottawa singer Nambi.
Bluesfest continues Sunday with The Lumineers, Leif Vollebekk and summersets on the RBC Main stage.
Lynn Saxberg is the arts reporter at the Ottawa Citizen. For years she has been covering music festivals like Bluesfest, performances at the National Arts Centre and Canadian Tire Centre, as well as art exhibitions, comedy shows, the club scene and more. Sign up to receive weekly updates from Lynn Saxberg.
