Bluesfest resumed July 15 after a two-day break, rising back to life with a slice of emotional pop fare headlined by Conan Gray, a 27-year-old musician who’s already an icon to his devoted following.
The thousands of fans in the crowd sang, bounced and clapped along to Gray and his luscious-sounding band. Young women in sailor hats, which were available at the merch booth, shrieked with excitement, while parents held kids on their shoulders, the littlest ones sporting noise-dampening headphones.
Also spotted enjoying the music that day, separately, were former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Ottawa Senators’ player Erik Karlsson, with his wife and a brood of children.
As for Gray, the Gen-Z phenom delivered his songs with a dramatic physicality, big voice and steamy passion, stepping into the spotlight like he was born for it. A California native who grew up in Texas, the 27-year-old was a Youtuber before focusing on a recording career. His full-length debut came out in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a see-through top and high-waisted black trousers, Gray demonstrated a command of stagecraft that went well beyond the small screen. On a big stage pulsing with beams of light, he took charge with his soaring tenor, the songs ranging from soft and delicate to impassioned and intense, all of them eliciting the same squeal from the crowd.
“Ottawa, what a beautiful crowd y’all are,” said Gray, noting it was his debut in Canada’s capital. “My name is Conan, and I’m so happy to be here. I feel like a lot of my people are here tonight!”
Warming to the scene, Gray was chatty as he inquired about relationships, wondered who had an ex in the audience, then went on to express the complicated feelings in songs like Wish You Were Sober, People Watching and The Cut That Always Bleeds.
From My World to Cranberry Vodka, Gray delivered a show full of heartfelt summer hits, to the delight of his legions of fans, who spared no glitter and knew every word.
Earlier in the evening, Myles Smith surprised me with the number of familiar songs in his set. The velvet-voiced Brit, who’s 28 and just released his first album, has been building his name through viral hits on social media. Tunes like NIce to Meet You and Stargazing were immediately recognizable, even if his name didn’t ring a bell.
Armed with his lilting melodies, laidback stage presence and a talented band, the soulful singer led the crowd through some joyous sunset singalongs, doing his part to create one of those magical summer nights when everything has a warm and happy glow.
He felt the magic of the evening, too: ”I woke up today feeling down,” Smith said at one point. “Being with you guys brings me up.”
The feeling was mutual, especially after Smith played a cover of Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and the audience responded by singing every word.
The feel-good vibes actually began during Natasha Bedingfield’s main-stage set. In a catsuit and chunky shoes, the British pop star of the early 2000s was in fine form, full of energy and words of praise for her band.
Her voice was impressively powerful, too, and she never sang anything at less than 100% power. The peak was her breakthrough hit song, Pocketful of Sunshine.
Bedingfield, 44, gave shoutouts to Canadian artists Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion and Jessie Reyez for their influence, and to the federal government for its support of the arts, saying that Canada is the envy of the world.
