Festival season has begun

 

Well that was the show of a lifetime. I have loved Shania Twain for about 25 years now, and I finally got to see her in person, at Ottawa Bluesfest. The lovely surprise was that this megastar is so down to earth, you feel like you are watching a smalltown musician’s performance on a school auditorium stage. She just exudes “Ontario girl” when she performs, giggling along and never taking herself too seriously. She brings a touch of Vegas to this show, however, with her impressive light show and graphic video special effects that transform the stage into Twain Town Saloon.

I love that this 57-year-old mega superstar is just like me – reinventing her look at every opportunity to play dress-up. Heck, if I was on stage 5 times a week I would wear a different outfit and a new wig each time too. It doesn’t mean she isn’t happy with her looks. She just likes to have fun. And I love that she created all of those costumes herself, by just going through her closet and redesigning pieces that she already had.

The songs were right on point too. Every tune was just as recorded, just as expected. Yes, Shania has in recent years lost some of her singing ability due to trauma in her vocal chords from Lyme disease and she may have been singing along to her own vocal track at some points but that doesn’t bother me. It’s still Shania. And she has been performing live, several times a week, in different cities each time. That has got to put some strain on the voice, and the body.

All in all, it was a good show – and it more than lived up to my expectations after reading so many harsh reviews. What I wouldn’t give a good review to, however, is RBC Ottawa Bluesfest itself in its handling of this oversold event. With a capacity of 30,000, the LeBreton Flats space had trouble accommodating the extra 5,000 people that were sold tickets on opening night for Shania. About an hour before the 9pm show began, the gates flew open, security stopped checking tickets and bags, and they even allowed people to scale the fence, because there were so many people inside, you could barely squeeze in past the electronic turnstiles.

You’ve got to do better, Bluesfest. I am glad you are bringing in these big names but you have to move to a bigger venue, just on the edge of town, where your happy crowds can spill out into the surrounding fields without issue. Maybe partner with the Hard Rock Café on the south edge of town. Your fans deserve to be safe and comfortable.