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July 7th was day one of the 2016 edition of Ottawa’s Bluesfest, a festival I had at one time attended with an almost religious fervour, whereas this year I would only show up for, what, three nights? And if not for the complimentary festival pass I received in return for playing a set on the final night would I have gone this night? The answer is a large, resounding “maybe”.
One of the (many) great things about festivals is how they tend to take a bunch of acts that you would never buy a stand-alone ticket for and bundle them together into a surprisingly attractive pile of almost-worth-its. Which is an apt way to describe the entertainment I was presented with on the main field at LeBreton Flats on this night.
First up was Joe Jackson*, whom I was pretty festival-excited to see (which means I almost would have bought a ticket to see just him, so long as the price wasn’t too high). I wouldn’t say I was a huge fan of his at all – in fact I know almost none of his work – but man-o-man, am I a big, big fan of his song Is She Really Going Out with Him?.
I mean big.
There exists in the world perhaps fifteen or twenty songs that I can (and have) listened to over and over and over again without ever waning my sonic pleasure. Like, I mean in a row. Geez, I remember the first time I ever heard Destroyer by The Kinks. I found myself alone at my aunt’s house and I randomly put the Kinks album Give The People What They Want on her turntable. Somehow, some way I put on Side 2 first, where Destroyer is the lead-off track, and I mean I. Was. Completely. Blown. Away. I must have listened to that song for the next ninety minutes straight. I was still playing it when the family arrived home and I swear I never even got to the second song on the side.
Anyway, Joe Jackson’s Is She Really Going Out with Him? hit me the same way (as did Johnny B. Goode, Billy the Mountain, Let’s Twist Again, Industrial Disease, and so many others); when I first heard that song coming out of my radio (doubtlessly tuned to CHUMFM back then) I lost my bananas. Just like the rest of the songs on Give The People What They Want, I remain ignorant of the rest of Joe Jackson’s songs (except Steppin’ Out, which is okay), but man, that song really, really got me.
Now, would I shell out good money just to hear Joe Jackson play that one song? And what if he didn’t (I have, after all, seen Steely Dan twice and they did not play Reelin’ In the Years either time, so there’s that)? Probably not, but maybe…hearing him play it live was a pretty big musical itch to scratch.
Anyways, he did play it (of course) and like I say: thank goodness for festivals, because the experience wouldn’t have been worth a sixty dollar ticket (which I’m sure would be the minimum Joe Jackson would charge on casino-tour), but I’m glad I was there.
Following in exactly the same wouldn’t-pay-for-it-but-glad-to-be-there category was the evening’s headliner, Billy Idol. And while Mr. Idol never wrote anything that hit me anywhere near the way Is She Really Going Out with Him? did, I was much more familiar with his overall output, from the Rebel Yell stuff right through his Mony Mony era (which describes a career span of what, maybe three years or so?). But again, there was no way I would have paid to see a standalone Billy Idol concert. Would anyone?
Come to think of it, I’m guessing that guys like Joe Jackson and Billy Idol and their ilk draw their current paycheques primarily from festivals (and the very similar casino gigs). And to think that I’m a fan of festivals! If not for them a lot of famous people would be bagging groceries.
The Billy Idol set was fine, and I guess I was happy enough to have been there. I’m assuming Billy felt about the same.
*Okay, first up was actually about a dozen acts I’ve never heard of that were scattered about the five stages filling the unenviable early timeslots on a summer weeknight. And while I realize that the opportunity to discover new music is another one of the great things about music festivals it can sometimes get tedious and it certainly doesn’t always pay off. Have you ever walked a beach with a metal detector? It’s like that – lots and lots of standing around going through the motions hoping for an exciting little beep, and even when you manage to get one a bit of digging usually turns up nothing very special at all.
Todd Man Out 