After a fraught lead-up that saw several big names pulling out for reasons ranging from illness to a boycott, the 34th Bluesfest has gone ahead under blessedly clear skies, but with significantly fewer festivalgoers than last year.
Some 70,000 music fans attended over the weekend at the site outside Byron Bay, compared with about 100,000 last year. The often monumental peak-time queues at bars and food outlets were noticeably reduced this year, as were audiences for the smaller acts earlier in the day.
Eighty-six-year-old Buddy Guy delighted the huge crowd.Credit: Edwina Pickles
However, festival director Peter Noble remained characteristically upbeat.
“To me this is one of the best bills we’ve ever had,” he said. “This is what it used to be like before COVID. I guess it’s fair enough to say we haven’t got as many people as we had last year, but we’re not dying and we’ll be back next year.
“I prefer to be upbeat and say, ‘Look, people, Netflix gets boring after a while. Get your phone out of your face and enjoy some live music because that’s our culture and that’s our country.’ ”
Earlier this year, Bluesfest dominated headlines for all the wrong reasons following a backlash after Sydney band Sticky Fingers was included in the line-up. The band’s lead singer, Dylan Frost, has long faced allegations about his behaviour towards other artists.
In February, headline acts Sampa the Great and Melbourne crowd favourites King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard both pulled the pin in response to the controversy. Faced with the possibility of losing more acts, festival boss Peter Noble dropped Sticky Fingers from the line-up, after initially standing by them.
More recently, headliner Elvis Costello pulled out due to illness, as did (for unspecified reasons) multi-Grammy-winning American pianist and producer Robert Glasper, as well as Joe Camilleri and The Black Sorrows.
Crowds for the 34th festival were down on last year, but at least the sun shone.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Noble remained philosophical. “These things happen,” he said. “I’m not here to cry the blues, I’m here to present the blues.”
He also doubled down on his defence of Sticky Fingers.
“I do have a strong belief that everybody’s got a right to salvation,” he said. “Everybody’s got a right to show that they want to do better.”
Even with its slimmed-down roster of artists, Bluesfest continues to draw some of the biggest acts from Australia and overseas, including Bonnie Raitt, Femi Kuti, Beck, Mavis Staples, Tash Sultana and Gang of Youths.
Folk-rock superstar Jackson Browne played to a packed audience, as did the veteran American bluesman Buddy Guy, who put on a virtuosic show that belied his 86 years. Legendary singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams battled through the effects of a recent stroke to deliver a compelling performance, and quirky Kiwi favourites Dog Trumpet, helmed by brothers Chris and Pete O’Doherty (Reg Mombassa) didn’t disappoint a modest crowd.
Elsewhere, perhaps the most moving moment of the festival was a show called “A Heartfelt Tribute to Uncle Archie” in honour of the late Archie Roach. Featuring a roster of Indigenous talent new and old, it was an emotional tribute to the legendary Gunditjmara and Bundjalung songman.
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