The good times kept on rolling at the 29th installment of Bluesfest Byron Bay. It was business as usual for the five-day festival whose promoters have perfected their signature formula; big tents, big sound, great food, great artists, minimal decorations, minimal gronks, and damn good organisation. If you haven’t gone. Go.
Bluesfest is a festival in the truest sense; a gathering of all ages and origins, unified through music. Amongst the headliners is an endless pulse of blues, roots, folk, country, pop, reggae, hip hop and jazz and world music that generates the cliché Bluesfest comment, “the best bits are the acts you’ve never heard of!” Here’s why you should’ve bought a ticket to this year’s fest:
What worked for millennials…
Bluesfest’s marketing and line-up generally speaks more to the boomers, but the 18-35 bracket is very well represented on ground. Many enjoying the logistical ease and civility generally not on offer at more youth focused events. And a few who were just born old.
Photograph: Evan Malcolm
Ms. Lauryn Hill was of course the act this crowd was waiting for. And already anxious punters were forced to wait a bit longer as quite possibly the world’s worst hype DJ played trashy hip hop and yelled “Brisbane! Make some noise, one time!” One time became many times. The boos started up and the exodus began. Half an hour later, Lauryn Hill finally took the stage with a full live band and launched into memorable hit ‘Everything’. Sweet relief. She did keep referring to the Byron crowd as Brisbane, though…
What worked for families…
The Tyagarah Tea Farm was teeming with baby carriers, strollers, homemade neon rickshaws, and revved up juveniles jumping and dancing about in the corner of their parents’ eyes. Heavy rains in the lead up made the grassy patched a bit swampy to sit on, but thankfully the bluestone ground and sheltered grass inside the main tents made life easy for families.
Photograph: SomeFX Lachlan Davis
What worked for the older crowd…
The boomers are out in full flight at Bluesfest. Camping chairs, Panama hats, giant sms text, original 1980s Led Zeppelin merch, it’s all there. There is a bit of a generalised view of this generation; antifun, anti-festivals, anti-volume. We call bullshit! You only had to see the thousands of melting faces as Robert Plant rocked out, or the rhythmic hips grooving to Lionel Richie’s epic festival closing set, to realise that we really all can party together. And we should.
Photograph: orlandosydney.com
The best entertainer goes to…
Sheryl Crow. Nailed her tracks to studio perfection and still feels like your neighbour.
The best boogie went to…
Nile Rodgers and Chic. As well as ‘Freak Out’, he actually wrote and produced most of your favourite pop funk hits (he makes this very clear on stage). ‘Like a Virgin’, ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Get Lucky’ went off, obviously.
It's near impossible not to have a good time at Bluesfest. The travel, ticket and accommodation costs can feel like a big commitment, but there is a reason thousands of music lovers from all over the country have made it an annual tradition. Oh, and next year is number 30, so don't be surprised if it's the biggest line-up ever.
Next year’s Bluesfest takes place from Apr 18-22. One year and 14 days to go!
Find out about Bluesfest 2019.
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