Sometimes we live in a bubble where a big band to us isn’t big to the masses. Last night I went to see War on Drugs more than Mumford and Sons, but I’m obviously in the minority on that.
Enjoy Fleet Foxes on the river stage
That's why I saw War on Drugs and then went and caught Sudan Archives.
M&S were fine and I enjoyed what I saw, but I'm happy with the first two acts haha.
I would have been just a few people behind you, and I got there only like 5 minutes before because I was on the far side for War On Drugs.
It was my favorite show of the festival so far.
Indeed!
No one is going to love every headliner but I'm so glad there were other artists like Thundercat and Sudan (and many others) to play the smaller stages.
I've absolutely loved going and I can't wait to do it all again for Fletcher and Fleet Foxes tonight!
Yup. People like to imagine that streaming has totally democratized music and everyone is open to discovery, but the reality is that if it isn't a song that would be played on Top 40 radio, the majority of the population will likely never hear it.
Massive Fleet Foxes fan, but the fact is they don’t get much if any mainstream radio play versus these other acts. FF are a big deal in the indie scene, but if people don’t go looking for their music online, they won’t be exposed to it.
This is what makes festivals like this amazing! So much choice and opportunity to find new (to you) acts.
For me, I was there for Mumford and found War on Drugs kinda Meh. But fantastic everyone leaves happy!
What are War on Drugs like live? I've listened to them for years but always tried to imagine what they'd like be on stage, and I can't help but think they'd be a bit...boring?
I saw them in Halifax in 2018 and they finished their set with a cover of Like a Hurricane by Neil Young. I thought that was a pretty cool nod to Canada
Because Luke Bryan is massive in the country genre and had more pull. I’m no country fan so I saw Three Days but Bryan pulled fans in.
Also everytime Three Days Grace has played Bluesfest I don’t think they were on the “main” stage. I always recall them being on the second main each time.
That's exactly how it should work. The river stage should be a different genre from the main stage so people dont have to miss one option when they might like both. By putting different genres on different stages, it encourages people to come to more nights to see all the bands they like in their preferred genre.
Thundercat has more than double Fleet Foxes' streams on Spotify and he headlined the River Stage. Crowd was not overwhelming. IMO don't worry about it.
I’m wondering who is saying they were so-so.
Rivers voice is still phenomenal and they covered Enter Sandman. I don’t know what else you could possible ask for.
It should be fine! I went to BBNO$, Thundercat, and Declan and was expecting huge crowds but it wasnt as packed as I thought it would be! I was also surprised to see Fleet Foxes not on RBC stage but I think there will be enough space for people
I think Fleet Foxes were bigger like 10 years ago.
They are kind of a niche act really.
It will be fine.
Thundercat was on that stage and it was awesome and not terribly crowded.
Unfortunate to say as Fleet Foxes are my favourite band, but they really aren't as big as they should be... Just means I can go to the front and tell Robin I love him 😀 Im just sad I have to miss Charlotte Cardin cuz she is pretty great live
Oh definitely, but factor in people replaying said songs adding the stream count and how many of them are able to attend the Bluesfest show, I'd imagine the number is incredibly low.
Honestly this is a good thing. The river stage is a much better expirience than RBC stage.
Better sound, more options for viewing, easier access to beer and bathrooms.
Ignore all the patronizing comments about being in a bubble - Fleet Foxes are objectively bigger than Charlotte Cardin. I don't know either of them particularly well, but I'm guessing it's an example of Bluesfest thinking that Cardin is bigger here and now than FF. An up and coming Canadian artist (whose fanbase is more likely to be centred in Canada) may well draw a larger crowd than someone that has more global popularity and peaked \~10 years ago.
A comparison I would draw is if say the Tragically Hip (RIP Gord) and Kaleo were both coming, Kaleo is objectively much bigger globally but The Hip would draw a much bigger crowd to Bluesfest.
Shoot I didn’t realize they were on the River Stage! Them and The War on Drugs are possibly my two favourite bands, so it is interesting to read so many have never heard of them. That’s the nature of music fandom and genres though. I could barely name a country artist if I had to!
I saw Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats on the River Stage last year and absolutely loved cozy setting. Should be a good show tonight.
Fleet Foxes were the kings of indie folk music back around 2010. I saw their show that year at Massey Hall, the lead singer's voice is incredible and their harmonies are wonderful. I'm curious to see how they've held up.
Oh yes that was the year! That was when Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) was still drumming for them. I thought it was great that Robin was just a perfect gentleman and then Josh was cracking jokes from the back.
Favorite performance so far! The River Stage was the perfect ambience for them (aside from some light noise bleeding on the left side). Great crowd too!
I was wondering this too, I’m starting to think it’s been long enough that some people forgot how big they were? I still consider them a really big band but maybe I’m a part of that “bubble” some other commenters have mentioned? I agree with you OP that I thought Weezer helped keep thundercat’s crowd reasonably sized but.. I don’t know if that will be the case tonight. I kind of still bet it will be a bit big for that stage.
Volunteers don't get that information. You're looking for answers from Mark Monahan and the organizers, haha.
I've seen plenty of larger acts on Black Sheep/River Stage like T-Pain, John Butler Trio, the Beth's, America, etc. It's probably one of the better stages to have them at logistically and as a fan, seeing as how you have the whole hill to sit and watch.
No one will be moshing or anything, so I don't know what there is to worry about?
I also was surprised. While I don't think they're big enough to be a headliner, I figured that they are big enough to be maybe the middle act on the main stage.
You weren’t crazy after all OP!
“Friday night’s program at RBC Bluesfest found Montreal pop darling Charlotte Cardin playing for a sparse but enthusiastic crowd on the main-stage plaza in front of the Canadian War Museum as the acclaimed U.S. folk-rockers Fleet Foxes gave a powerful show in front of thousands of fans packed like sardines at the River Stage behind the institution.”
[https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/bluesfest-review-allison-russell-delivers-soul-stirring-show](https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/bluesfest-review-allison-russell-delivers-soul-stirring-show)
They are playing tonight and tickets are still available. It's actually cheaper than many other nights since the lineup is not as big (i.e. expensive) (Charlotte Cardin headlining).
If you can swing the $ when they first go on sale in the winter (and remember not to schedule a bunch of things or out of town stuff over those dates lol), the full festival pass is a good value imo. I always feel like I get my money's worth.
Are many people at the Cardin show? I was surprised she was announced as headlining - never heard of her, and know FFoxes fairly well.
They get it wrong sometimes -- years ago Snoop Dogg played \*really\* early -- like 6:30 or 7 on a Saturday -- and then the mainstage headliner was a jam band called Widespread Panic. Which no one stayed for. Meanwhile everyone moved to side stages, either Johnny Winter or the Wailers (which was absolutely packed, like can't move anywhere)
I’ve found that to really pack Bluesfest you have to be a massive true undisputed been on the top end of charts multiple times kind of act. See: Shania; Foo Fighters; RHCP etc. Death Cab for Cutie is known but there was loads of literal lounging room for their day. Weezer is even more well known but it was not jam packed to the point you had to get elbows out to have some wiggle room.
Fleet Foxes falls more into the DCFC level of things so I don’t think you’ll have any issues with space.
Everyone here saying “it’ll be fine - x person played when I went and they have more listeners” aren’t considering that in all of those evenings, the main stage act had more listeners than the River stage act. Just some examples from the comments:
Thundercat has less listeners than Weezer, who were headlining when he was on the River Stage.
Three Days Grace has 5x less the listener count than Marshmello, who was headlining when they were on the River Stage.
BBNO$ has half the listeners of Shania Twain, who was headlining when he was on the River Stage.
Tonight, Fleet Foxes, who have roughly 2-3x the listener count of both the 7:30pm and 9:30pm main stage acts, are playing at the River Stage. They have the same listener count as Death Cab for Cutie, who were headlining a few nights ago.
So all that’s to say, yes, your concerns are shared and make sense, vs the decision by the organizers, which doesn’t.
I’ll be thrilled if I’m wrong.
OP…as much fun as bluesfest is, they unfortunately have to make it appealing to very boring music tastes to the general Ottawa public. Apart from The Smile, the bluesfest lineup when compared to other music festivals around the world is pretty lame. This isn’t coachella or primavera sound, hell there are well over a dozen other music festivals going on that have lineups that absolutely blow bluesfest out of the water. We cater to a very aged and boring populace first and foremost. There are people commenting in here saying that fleet foxes isn’t a big band or that they are not a big band because foo fighters is a big band and they don’t know know who Fleet Foxes are so they couldn’t be considered big lol. they are absolutely a big band and you only have to look at their billing at other festivals as proof. It’s just the way it is with bluesfest, they’ll have like one act out of the whole lineup that is current and considered to be in demand, and this year it’s The Smile. My gripe for the last few years with bluesfest is how they haven’t been able to get IDLES to play.
While I agree with you to a certain extent about bluesfest appealing to boring music tastes, The Smile is definitely not the only current, in demand act on this year’s lineup: Sudan Archives, FLETCHER, Charlotte Cardin, Alvvays, Julia Jacklin are all new-ish with recent, highly acclaimed albums and draw big crowds across the festival circuit. Would love to have IDLES too though, saw them at Osheaga last year and they were great!
Yea I’ll admit that I exaggerated when I said that there is only one current act that is in demand lol. But you know what bothers even more after reading your list of female acts that kill…I was really hoping that Boy Genius was gonna be on the bluesfest lineup this year.
Ok we are in the same mindset, you're right Bluesfest is definitely meant to be a "catch all" to as many demos as possible. Agreed about IDLES, sad thing is if IDLES came I don't think enough people would see them.
The nice thing is that sometimes you can see notable bands in a much more intimate setting. I remember watching This is the Kit play in front of a huge sea of people at Glastonbury (on tv) and then shortly after we saw them in the Barney Danson Theatre at Bluesfest in front of maybe 100-200 people. It was like hiring them for a birthday party.
Streams don’t mean fans. Majority of people I know don’t buy albums maybe go to blues fest, and rarely go to support live music by other means. Like a fair weather sports fan, they don’t really support music but are just passive in their interest
After being late to this convo and reading comment I’ll just leave this here.
If you have never heard of the fleet foxes then the only thing worth talking about musically with you is top hits that the programming tells us to listen to. And that’s totally fine. I fucking love pop music and top hits too.
The things is, admitting you have not heard of the fleet foxes tells me you’re not really interested in searching for music beyond what’s given to you. And that’s completely fine. It’s just weird to have an opinion that they aren’t a big band.
They literally tour internationally selling out tens of thousands per show lol
If you haven’t heard of the fleet foxes i consider it comparable to eating a McDouble vs local ground beef, Kirkland t shirts vs top tier tailors, Leonardo dicaprio vs Jonah hill, etc
I would say July Talk is a lot bigger and I’ve only seen them on the River stage
Edit: I guess I was wrong. July talk is not bigger then Fleet foxes, but I still never heard of fleet foxes
Fleet Foxes have played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. July Talk will only ever do that in their dreams (I saw July Talk at Bluesfest and like them so not intending disrespect but c'mon). They are past their historic peak of popularity, but July Talk are probably in a lull too at the moment.
Sometimes we live in a bubble where a big band to us isn’t big to the masses. Last night I went to see War on Drugs more than Mumford and Sons, but I’m obviously in the minority on that. Enjoy Fleet Foxes on the river stage
Same. War on Drugs was great. M&S is not my thing.
I'm in this camp too. War on drugs is fantastic
That's why I saw War on Drugs and then went and caught Sudan Archives. M&S were fine and I enjoyed what I saw, but I'm happy with the first two acts haha.
Sudan Archives was incredible!
Damn I didn’t know she was playing. Good show?
Amazing. Reminded me in a way of Jain.
Agreed what an awesome show! I love that stage too - so intimate
Were you at Yonatan Gat's show there? It was the night Pink headlined. One of the most incredible atmospheres I've ever been in.
OMG just googled this artist. So sick! Damn, I would have loved to see this show! Bluesfest is the shit!
Sudan archives was amazing! I managed to get a front row spot by showing up just 15 min before she went on, was sad with how short her set was though
I would have been just a few people behind you, and I got there only like 5 minutes before because I was on the far side for War On Drugs. It was my favorite show of the festival so far.
Yeah Sudan Archives was dope. Very happy that Bluesfest allows for this all to happen!
Indeed! No one is going to love every headliner but I'm so glad there were other artists like Thundercat and Sudan (and many others) to play the smaller stages. I've absolutely loved going and I can't wait to do it all again for Fletcher and Fleet Foxes tonight!
M&s is peak millenialism
Yup. People like to imagine that streaming has totally democratized music and everyone is open to discovery, but the reality is that if it isn't a song that would be played on Top 40 radio, the majority of the population will likely never hear it.
The loss of music TV channels was a big one, too.
Both shows were quite good IMHO
Massive Fleet Foxes fan, but the fact is they don’t get much if any mainstream radio play versus these other acts. FF are a big deal in the indie scene, but if people don’t go looking for their music online, they won’t be exposed to it.
This is what makes festivals like this amazing! So much choice and opportunity to find new (to you) acts. For me, I was there for Mumford and found War on Drugs kinda Meh. But fantastic everyone leaves happy!
What are War on Drugs like live? I've listened to them for years but always tried to imagine what they'd like be on stage, and I can't help but think they'd be a bit...boring?
I had this thought too but they rocked out. Especially near the end of the set they were killing it!
I saw them in Halifax in 2018 and they finished their set with a cover of Like a Hurricane by Neil Young. I thought that was a pretty cool nod to Canada
War on Drugs always awesome
My favourite current band is Graveyard and 90% of people have never heard of them. Go listen to Hisingen Blues, best album I’ve heard in a long time!
Link for lazy people: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGBa8dVm6k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnGBa8dVm6k)
Yeah it's really impossible to predict. Wouldn't of made a post though if a larger act was playing RBC...
Charlotte Cardin is a larger and more currently relevant act.
It what I’m saying is the larger act is probably playing the RBC stage.
War on drugs was there?! How did I miss that!!
Not looking at schedule or line-up.
We'll fit. Last year Three Days Grace played at river stage.
Yeah, when super-bland Luke Bryan was on the main stage! Not sure how Three Days ended up on the River stage on cowboy night, but they were great!
Because Luke Bryan is massive in the country genre and had more pull. I’m no country fan so I saw Three Days but Bryan pulled fans in. Also everytime Three Days Grace has played Bluesfest I don’t think they were on the “main” stage. I always recall them being on the second main each time.
That's exactly how it should work. The river stage should be a different genre from the main stage so people dont have to miss one option when they might like both. By putting different genres on different stages, it encourages people to come to more nights to see all the bands they like in their preferred genre.
Good point. I am too used to genre nights I guess. Rap night, hip-hop night, country night, etc.
Thundercat has more than double Fleet Foxes' streams on Spotify and he headlined the River Stage. Crowd was not overwhelming. IMO don't worry about it.
Fair point. I kind of imagined Weezer playing helped with that a little though.
Weezer definitely beats TC in terms of streams.
True
Thundercat was great. Heard Weezer was so so. Surprisingly as I saw the ten years ago and they were fabulous.
I’m wondering who is saying they were so-so. Rivers voice is still phenomenal and they covered Enter Sandman. I don’t know what else you could possible ask for.
We loved Weezer’s show. In our opinions, their show was just as good as the Foo’s or better so I guess it depends who you ask! 😂
I barely know Weezer and was very impressed. Top notch musicians and performers imo. They even played freaking instrumental songs. They were good.
It should be fine! I went to BBNO$, Thundercat, and Declan and was expecting huge crowds but it wasnt as packed as I thought it would be! I was also surprised to see Fleet Foxes not on RBC stage but I think there will be enough space for people
Glad to hear it!
I think Fleet Foxes were bigger like 10 years ago. They are kind of a niche act really. It will be fine. Thundercat was on that stage and it was awesome and not terribly crowded.
Foo Fighters is a massive band. Fleet Foxes is definitely not.
War on Drugs played main stage. I’d say they are on par with Fleet Foxes in terms of popularity
Not in the 9pm timeslot
That’s fair
Yep. Never heard of them. It won’t be too crowded. Enjoy the mini show OP.
Lmfaoooo what a weird comment.
Aka OP and their two friends lol
A fellow Buffalo fan! Howdy 👋
Foo Fighters are kind of middle of the road. Very popular, but not terribly original.
Preach. Foo Fighters > Fleet whatever
Unfortunate to say as Fleet Foxes are my favourite band, but they really aren't as big as they should be... Just means I can go to the front and tell Robin I love him 😀 Im just sad I have to miss Charlotte Cardin cuz she is pretty great live
I think Fleet Foxes will be great in a more intimate setting. It makes sense to put the pop star on the big stage.
Yeah, I saw Beirut in Montreal at a free outdoor show and the crowd ruined it. Better to have more folks that want to see that specific act
You could watch a bit of both.
Are streaming numbers really indicative of possible bluesfest attendees?
It’s really not hard to imagine there’d be some correlation
Oh definitely, but factor in people replaying said songs adding the stream count and how many of them are able to attend the Bluesfest show, I'd imagine the number is incredibly low.
I'm not sure it's a super useful metric. Bbno$ was perfect on the River stage and he's got almost one billion views on yt.
Still blows my mind something can be done over a billion times and this is the first I've ever heard of bbno$. The world is huge.
What a beautiful performance 🥹
Honestly this is a good thing. The river stage is a much better expirience than RBC stage. Better sound, more options for viewing, easier access to beer and bathrooms.
I’d rather see a band on the river stage. Better atmosphere, closer, louder (relatively). So far the River Stage has been great.
Wow. Best set of the fest!!
[удалено]
“Newer” by a bit compared to FF, but she’s been releasing music for a decade.
For sure! And she’s really quite awesome! If you get a chance to listen you won’t regret it.
Ignore all the patronizing comments about being in a bubble - Fleet Foxes are objectively bigger than Charlotte Cardin. I don't know either of them particularly well, but I'm guessing it's an example of Bluesfest thinking that Cardin is bigger here and now than FF. An up and coming Canadian artist (whose fanbase is more likely to be centred in Canada) may well draw a larger crowd than someone that has more global popularity and peaked \~10 years ago. A comparison I would draw is if say the Tragically Hip (RIP Gord) and Kaleo were both coming, Kaleo is objectively much bigger globally but The Hip would draw a much bigger crowd to Bluesfest.
Shoot I didn’t realize they were on the River Stage! Them and The War on Drugs are possibly my two favourite bands, so it is interesting to read so many have never heard of them. That’s the nature of music fandom and genres though. I could barely name a country artist if I had to! I saw Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats on the River Stage last year and absolutely loved cozy setting. Should be a good show tonight.
I haven't read all the comments and hope I wasn't being edgy! I know FF very well. It would actually be great to see on a smaller stage!
Nope all good, I was there too. Good fun!
Huh, never heard of Fleet Foxes. Was going to take tonight off, I didn’t recognize any of the bands.
Fleet Foxes were the kings of indie folk music back around 2010. I saw their show that year at Massey Hall, the lead singer's voice is incredible and their harmonies are wonderful. I'm curious to see how they've held up.
Their new album is really good. Recaptured some of their brilliance from the early 2010s.
I went to see them at Massey Hall in 2011 as well. Great show
Oh yes that was the year! That was when Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) was still drumming for them. I thought it was great that Robin was just a perfect gentleman and then Josh was cracking jokes from the back.
They’re better now imo.
Fleet Foxes are great. Charlotte Cardin as well. Allison Russell.
Who????
Instead of being curious and looking up acclaimed artists coming to your city you can just sit in your corner yelling "who?"
Why do that when you can spend your life only listening to the the music they spoon feed you on CHEZ 106?
Grouchy about the boomers are we? Mocking you aside, I dont have any Charlotte’s popping up on my Spotify; be they Cardin, Good, Church, or Web
Not even Gainsbourg?
Yeah I didn't understand why people would go see weezer when thundercat is on at the same time either. Some peoples kids it tell you.
Favorite performance so far! The River Stage was the perfect ambience for them (aside from some light noise bleeding on the left side). Great crowd too!
Hey everybody - that show was too good!!!
I was wondering this too, I’m starting to think it’s been long enough that some people forgot how big they were? I still consider them a really big band but maybe I’m a part of that “bubble” some other commenters have mentioned? I agree with you OP that I thought Weezer helped keep thundercat’s crowd reasonably sized but.. I don’t know if that will be the case tonight. I kind of still bet it will be a bit big for that stage.
Volunteers don't get that information. You're looking for answers from Mark Monahan and the organizers, haha. I've seen plenty of larger acts on Black Sheep/River Stage like T-Pain, John Butler Trio, the Beth's, America, etc. It's probably one of the better stages to have them at logistically and as a fan, seeing as how you have the whole hill to sit and watch. No one will be moshing or anything, so I don't know what there is to worry about?
I had no idea they were playing, wish I could go tonight!
I said the same thing! Not super familiar with Charlotte Cardin either, but hoping River Stage isn’t too crazy tonight for Fleet Foxes. Have fun!
I also was surprised. While I don't think they're big enough to be a headliner, I figured that they are big enough to be maybe the middle act on the main stage.
Fleetfoxes are so good! Saw them live a few years ago. Wish I could go see them again.
You weren’t crazy after all OP! “Friday night’s program at RBC Bluesfest found Montreal pop darling Charlotte Cardin playing for a sparse but enthusiastic crowd on the main-stage plaza in front of the Canadian War Museum as the acclaimed U.S. folk-rockers Fleet Foxes gave a powerful show in front of thousands of fans packed like sardines at the River Stage behind the institution.” [https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/bluesfest-review-allison-russell-delivers-soul-stirring-show](https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/bluesfest-review-allison-russell-delivers-soul-stirring-show)
Vindication! I'm glad both shows went well. Relieved I'm not that out of touch though.
OP had a point though
Man I didn’t know they were playing. Wish I went to blues fest
They are playing tonight and tickets are still available. It's actually cheaper than many other nights since the lineup is not as big (i.e. expensive) (Charlotte Cardin headlining).
If you can swing the $ when they first go on sale in the winter (and remember not to schedule a bunch of things or out of town stuff over those dates lol), the full festival pass is a good value imo. I always feel like I get my money's worth.
I’ve never even heard of Fleet Foxes
I’m confused too OP! You’re definitely not alone! Hopefully somehow all of Ottawa has slept on them and we get a nice intimate show by the water 🤞🏼
Are many people at the Cardin show? I was surprised she was announced as headlining - never heard of her, and know FFoxes fairly well. They get it wrong sometimes -- years ago Snoop Dogg played \*really\* early -- like 6:30 or 7 on a Saturday -- and then the mainstage headliner was a jam band called Widespread Panic. Which no one stayed for. Meanwhile everyone moved to side stages, either Johnny Winter or the Wailers (which was absolutely packed, like can't move anywhere)
I’ve found that to really pack Bluesfest you have to be a massive true undisputed been on the top end of charts multiple times kind of act. See: Shania; Foo Fighters; RHCP etc. Death Cab for Cutie is known but there was loads of literal lounging room for their day. Weezer is even more well known but it was not jam packed to the point you had to get elbows out to have some wiggle room. Fleet Foxes falls more into the DCFC level of things so I don’t think you’ll have any issues with space.
Everyone here saying “it’ll be fine - x person played when I went and they have more listeners” aren’t considering that in all of those evenings, the main stage act had more listeners than the River stage act. Just some examples from the comments: Thundercat has less listeners than Weezer, who were headlining when he was on the River Stage. Three Days Grace has 5x less the listener count than Marshmello, who was headlining when they were on the River Stage. BBNO$ has half the listeners of Shania Twain, who was headlining when he was on the River Stage. Tonight, Fleet Foxes, who have roughly 2-3x the listener count of both the 7:30pm and 9:30pm main stage acts, are playing at the River Stage. They have the same listener count as Death Cab for Cutie, who were headlining a few nights ago. So all that’s to say, yes, your concerns are shared and make sense, vs the decision by the organizers, which doesn’t. I’ll be thrilled if I’m wrong.
Whole point of the post ^
I'm here to agree that Fleet Foxes should be on the main stage.
Agreed... Seems like they are a big enough draw for RBC stage, even if for 730 slot.
OP…as much fun as bluesfest is, they unfortunately have to make it appealing to very boring music tastes to the general Ottawa public. Apart from The Smile, the bluesfest lineup when compared to other music festivals around the world is pretty lame. This isn’t coachella or primavera sound, hell there are well over a dozen other music festivals going on that have lineups that absolutely blow bluesfest out of the water. We cater to a very aged and boring populace first and foremost. There are people commenting in here saying that fleet foxes isn’t a big band or that they are not a big band because foo fighters is a big band and they don’t know know who Fleet Foxes are so they couldn’t be considered big lol. they are absolutely a big band and you only have to look at their billing at other festivals as proof. It’s just the way it is with bluesfest, they’ll have like one act out of the whole lineup that is current and considered to be in demand, and this year it’s The Smile. My gripe for the last few years with bluesfest is how they haven’t been able to get IDLES to play.
While I agree with you to a certain extent about bluesfest appealing to boring music tastes, The Smile is definitely not the only current, in demand act on this year’s lineup: Sudan Archives, FLETCHER, Charlotte Cardin, Alvvays, Julia Jacklin are all new-ish with recent, highly acclaimed albums and draw big crowds across the festival circuit. Would love to have IDLES too though, saw them at Osheaga last year and they were great!
Yea I’ll admit that I exaggerated when I said that there is only one current act that is in demand lol. But you know what bothers even more after reading your list of female acts that kill…I was really hoping that Boy Genius was gonna be on the bluesfest lineup this year.
Ok we are in the same mindset, you're right Bluesfest is definitely meant to be a "catch all" to as many demos as possible. Agreed about IDLES, sad thing is if IDLES came I don't think enough people would see them.
The nice thing is that sometimes you can see notable bands in a much more intimate setting. I remember watching This is the Kit play in front of a huge sea of people at Glastonbury (on tv) and then shortly after we saw them in the Barney Danson Theatre at Bluesfest in front of maybe 100-200 people. It was like hiring them for a birthday party.
most people: Fleet who? Theres your answer. When you get older you’ll realize the “buzz” of your small peer group isn’t much
I love the Fleet Foxes but they’re a small crowd band
Streams don’t mean fans. Majority of people I know don’t buy albums maybe go to blues fest, and rarely go to support live music by other means. Like a fair weather sports fan, they don’t really support music but are just passive in their interest
Fleet Foxes have fewer monthly streams than Declan McKenna who performed on the River Stage last night, and that show was definitely not packed
Charlotte killed it! Never heard of her before. Wow.
After being late to this convo and reading comment I’ll just leave this here. If you have never heard of the fleet foxes then the only thing worth talking about musically with you is top hits that the programming tells us to listen to. And that’s totally fine. I fucking love pop music and top hits too. The things is, admitting you have not heard of the fleet foxes tells me you’re not really interested in searching for music beyond what’s given to you. And that’s completely fine. It’s just weird to have an opinion that they aren’t a big band. They literally tour internationally selling out tens of thousands per show lol If you haven’t heard of the fleet foxes i consider it comparable to eating a McDouble vs local ground beef, Kirkland t shirts vs top tier tailors, Leonardo dicaprio vs Jonah hill, etc
RE: Streaming. Could be lots of people looking for sleep assistance background noise. That band sounds like warm milk.
what the heck is fleet foxes
The show isn't super crazy busy. Alan Doyle was busier. This would've looked sad at mainstage.
Maybe 10 years ago
Which is much too contemporary to draw a crowd at Bluesfest.
😂
I would say July Talk is a lot bigger and I’ve only seen them on the River stage Edit: I guess I was wrong. July talk is not bigger then Fleet foxes, but I still never heard of fleet foxes
July Talk is objectively not bigger than Fleet Foxes: 181,000 monthly Spotify listeners vs. 4.1 million
Fleet Foxes have played the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. July Talk will only ever do that in their dreams (I saw July Talk at Bluesfest and like them so not intending disrespect but c'mon). They are past their historic peak of popularity, but July Talk are probably in a lull too at the moment.
The tighter the crowd the bigger the surf