The hottest ticket Friday night is at Ottawa Bluesfest. Tens of thousands of fans packed into Lebreton Flats for what’s expected to be the biggest night of the festival this year with a sold-out crowd. Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine is now playing to huge crowds after getting their start in smaller venues about a 10-minute drive from the Bluesfest stage. “I had my tickets in April as soon as Bluesfest tickets went on sale,” says Daniel Hamelin who was one of the first people in line hours before the gates opened to see the group take the mainstage. He and many other fans at Bluesfest were decked out in a black and white polkadot outfits. “It’s part of the mystique around them. They have polkadots, dice, they have these hand signals, and pyramids,” explains Hamelin. “You got to see it. You can’t even describe it. I mean, you can’t!” says music expert Eric Alper. “They’re kind of like a bass and drum loop. Somewhere between techno and acid rock…and they are time traveler explorers that wear costumes, mostly in polka dots.” The Quebec duo is blowing up and now playing to huge crowds across the globe. Last month, the band played at the Montreal Jazzfest, attracting the largest crowd the event has seen since 2009. It’s an incredible jump from playing to around 200 people at Minotaure in Hull, Que. in April. Also sharing the mainstage on Friday, rock legend Sheryl Crow, and rising country music superstar Ella Langley. “There’s no bad word that you can say about Sheryl Crow,” says Alpe. “She’s going to be playing for the rest of her life. She’s always going to have a fanbase. She’s always going to be headlining. I’m so happy that Ottawa gets to see her again.” “I’ve loved Sheryl Crow for years,” says Natalie Aubin attending Bluesfest for the second time with her daughter Kaley Carins. “The plan was to get here early so we can run in and make it to the front row.” “We were mostly here for Ella Langley,” says Carins, “but my mom has been listening Sheryl Crow forever so this perfect for us to see together.” Langley has had a strong-hold on the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for13 weeks and counting. Friday night’s artists are also bringing a big economic boost to the Ottawa area, with fans coming to capital from near and far. Alper says that bodes well for music festivals like this going forward. “Get them all in there, build the community, sell out the hotels, sell out the restaurants and the parking and all of the other benefits. It’s a huge economic value for these music festivals that have to survive…and the local government should do everything they can to make sure that they do.”
