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Perth MusicWest Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots Festival - Day 2 Review
Day 2 of The West Coast Blues N Roots Festival saw a massive crowd descend upon Fremantle Esplanade Reserve. It was quite easy to spot the people that had only bought a Sunday ticket and looked fresh and ready for a full day of great music and the people that had bought the weekend ticket and were still recovering from the previous day. It was also quite nice to see the grounds looking so clean even after Day 1 of the Festival. This was most probably because of the great Green Money incentive that was introduced on the weekend where anybody could fill up a bag with crushed cans and water bottles and get $5 to spend at the festival.
Up on the Big Top Stage early in the day was Ben Kweller who had to be moved from playing on Saturday due to some complications with flights. The New York pop-rocker mentioned how much he likes Western Australia and seemed quite genuine which comes across quite easily on stage. Songs were played from albums Sha Sha, On My Way and Ben Kweller.
Fremantle locals The Waifs had a large crowd at the Harbour Stage and seemed really happy to be playing in their home town. Old favourites London Still, Fisherman’s Daughter and Lighthouse were all played as well as songs off their new yet to be released album. To prove how much they felt at home they even brought their small children on stage with them to sing along to a few tunes.
Not many people moved far from the stage as it was getting set up for Missy Higgins and she did not disappoint. Missy mentioned that she had spent some time in northern WA getting inspired and seemed as appreciative as the crowd was of her. Playing a bunch of songs off The Sound Of White and new songs the young songstress connected with the crowd in a way that not many acts before her had done. Unlike previous shows where Missy had played all piano/keyboard parts, this show saw an extra keyboard come on stage to help out. This made many of her songs sound great but with nothing to do with her hands at times, Missy seemed a little bit awkward singing and dancing.
The air of excitement was electric as the crowds built to see John Mayer who was next on stage. Just listening to the crowd talking, one could hear all the girls chatting about how much they love Mayer and all the guys wondering where his girlfriend Jessica Simpson was. Mayer played a variety of songs including No Such Thing, Your Body Is A Wonderland, Why Georgia, Clarity, Split Screen Sadness and Waiting On the World To Change. The only thing that distracts me when Mayer sings is the way his face distorts but the crowd didn’t seem to mind and everybody thoroughly enjoyed his set.
Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals were next up and with a 2 hour set the crowd were ready for marathon of great songs. Harper’s latest album Both Sides Of The Gun has 2 discs, 1 of rockier songs and 1 of bluesy songs so he has the repertoire to fit into this Festival perfectly. My Own Two Hands opened the set and Diamonds On The Inside, Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing and Better Way were all played. Harper tours Australia quite a bit and his music does have a connection with crowds here so for many this was the perfect end to the day or the weekend.
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Bo Diddley played at the same time as Ben Harper on the Big top Stage and crowds for Diddley grew as his set went on. He has been called one of the most influential men in musical history and has been playing music for 52 years so for much of the crowd this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Diddley had a charm and influence over the crowd that no other band or artist had over the entire weekend but he also had some of the sharpest wit. What other American musician can come to Australia and say “If you want your woman to treat you right - you gotta get her some Vegemite” and get the crowd quoting it for days to come?
Thanks to Noodlez for the photos.
April 6th, 2007 at 5:36 am
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