American country-rocker Marcus King has bowed out of his first Ottawa appearance, a move that freed up a spot for a local band to join the opening-night lineup on the CityFolk main stage .
With King’s team citing “unforeseen travel issues” as the reason for the cancellation, CityFolk organizers shuffled the main-stage lineup, moving Australian sensation Steph Strings into the spot vacated by King, and adding Ottawa funksters Blakdenim.
The main-stage headliner on Sept. 16 remains the same: It’s the soulful U.S. rock band Alabama Shakes, who are touring behind their first album in a decade, I Must Be Dreaming.
The lineup swap also gives Blakdenim the honour of christening the festival’s new home at the RA Centre , 2451 Riverside Dr. After a decade at Lansdowne Park’s Great Lawn, CityFolk was bumped by construction associated with the city’s $420-million Lansdowne 2.0 renovation project. A new arena is being erected at the festival’s former site.
The gig marks Blakdenim’s second high-profile festival appearance of the summer, following a great showing at the Ottawa Jazz Festival where they opened for their hip hop hero, Wyclef Jean.
For King, who’s 30, the CityFolk cancellation comes on the heels of pulling out of an Australian tour in the spring, a withdrawal that was prompted by this year’s demise of the long-running Byron Bay Bluesfest. It was to be King’s first overseas tour.
At the time, the fiery, baby-faced guitarist issued a message on Instagram: “Hi everyone, there’s nothing in the world we hate more than having to cancel a show, let alone an entire tour,” he said. “But sometimes the business side of things just doesn’t line up with our desire [and] need to play for as many of you amazing folks as possible.”
He added that the Byron Bay Bluesfest gig was the “anchor” of the international tour, and “without that, it just isn’t possible.”
In this case, the CityFolk date was a Canadian one-off for King, sandwiched between shows in Burlington, VT on Sept. 15 and a headlining appearance on opening night of the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival in Colorado on Sept. 18.
King fulfilled two Canadian dates, in Vancouver and Toronto, earlier this summer.
On social media, fans from Ontario and Quebec expressed their disappointment at the cancellation. One said he had 10 friends who bought CityFolk passes specifically to see King, while others chimed in with hopes for a rebooking.
Due to the multi-artist nature of the festival, refunds will not be issued, CityFolk organizers said.
Meanwhile, there are also concerns for another act booked at CityFolk on the rock-centric final night. Punk stalwarts Sex Pistols are on tour with singer Frank Carter, 42, and booked to appear at CityFolk before rock legend Alice Cooper, who’s 78.
However, the Sex Pistols appearances in Nashville on Sept. 15 and Kansas City on Sept. 17 were cancelled when Carter came down with laryngitis.
Observers hope he makes a full recovery by showtime on Sept. 20.
This year’s edition of the CityFolk runs Sept. 16-20, rain or shine, with the main stage hosting a slate of pop and rock acts, and a secondary stage full of folk artists housed in a huge tent.
