Index page * Saturday 3rd April, 1999 * Sunday 4th April, 1999 * Daily Line-up

Friday 2nd April, 1999

1:00pm - Jeff Lang

My first experience of the Blues Festival was Jeff Lang, and what an experience it was. Jeff Lang plays a pretty mean guitar, in parts accompanied by drums and bass. With his latest CD released under his belt, he is currently busy, on tour promoting it Worldwide.
My experience of Jeff Lang was something I will never forget. The power he holds on the stage and the thunderous and original guitar playing puts him into a distinguished group of blues players circulating this up and coming country.
Jeff Lang might have been my first musical experience at the blues festival, but it hopefully won't be the last time I see this very talented artist. He is definitely Australia's version of blues/folk/rock music, and will hopefully be around for a long time to come, to share the experience of his talent with everyone.

2:30pm - The Dixie Hummingbirds

I only caught the end of this act, but what I did catch was amazing. This group will definitely be on my list of priorities for next year!!! The depth of this group of artists is unbelievable, especially since the fact that they formed in 1928. Starting out as a gospel group, they sang with hardly any accompaniment, and used their own harmonies to counterpart this. In the 1960's they began to incorporate blues, jazz and rock into their music, but they still remained gospel based.
What I did see of these guys was a huge amount of energy and athleticism. They were running off the stage and into the crowd, encouraging a lot of dancing and almost a feeling of celebration. The audience was captivated by this group, and it was obvious that everyone was sad to see it end.
They promised to back next year, and I hope that's a promise they keep, as I'll definitely be there.

5:45pm - R.L. Burnside

After The Dixie Humingbirds finished their set, people seemed to clear out slightly. This enabled my two friends and I to get a front row, standing position, in the Mojo Stage, for the rest of the afternoon and evening. To tell you the truth I couldn't believe our luck! I was able to capture some great moments on film in this position, and the pain my feet felt by the end of the night, it was all worth it. The next artist was one amazing guy. One of the last blues legends around, R.L. Burnside is a regular at the East Coast Blues Festival. Being well over seventy years of age, Burnside is an original Mississippi blues player. It is pretty amazing to note that he didn't start to get public recognition until about 10 years, or so, ago. "I never would have thought people would have liked my music like that they do," he said in the April 99 issue of Rhythms magazine. Burnside didn't just play the blues, as he's bit of a story teller, something he is becoming quite well known for.
Everyone should take the opportunity to see the Delta blues musician, R.L. Burnside, if they can, as there aren't many people like him around anymore.

7:15pm - Billy Thorpe

Not surprisingly, Billy Thorpe was the loudest thing we had come across at the blues festival!!! He rocked!!! Everyone seemed almost amazed at the sort of stuff he came out with. I don't know about the rest of the crowd, but I expected him to do all of his work from a current album...I was definitely wrong. The set that the legendary Australian put on was amazing!!! It was full of blues and would have been some of the loudest blues there.
Before he even started, he voiced that he would forever support these national/local events, which is a great thing for Australia...and for the rest of the world. I recently noticed an advertisement for a Coffs Harbour (N.S.W.) blues festival, and Billy Thorpe was the headline act - It's great to have an Australian of his caliber, supporting these small town events.
Getting back to his set, Billy Thorpe rocked out a number of blues tunes, and was thoroughly entertaining. A famous Australian, Jack Thompson, joined Thorpe on stage and hammered out a bluesy tune on the harmonica. This was a highlight for Thorpe and the audience alike. Billy Thorpe was constantly involving the crowd in what felt like a time warp, especially when he left the last few numbers for his own work, which everyone expected, and wanted, to hear. These included really only his classics, such as "Most People I Know," and "Poison Ivy." One memorable moment to Thorpie's set, was when he asked the huge crowd "Has anyone read my book, then?" Of course everyone just yelled back "yeah" - I don't know about everyone else, but I definitely haven't read it.
These are the kind of acts that really know how to get a crowd going, and when everyone was singing "Most people I know, think that I'm craaaaazzzzyyyy..." he had definitely achieved this, and no matter where he performs, he'll be able to. Billy Thorpe was a great lead up, and contrast, to a modern group of heavy rockers - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

8:45pm - Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

What can I say about Jon Spencer??? He was wild...literally! At first I didn't know what to expect with these guys. When I was being rammed against the fence and dodging bits of broken microphone, I wasn't sure if being up the front was good...or a danger to my life. He put the crowd into a wild frenzy as I found myself in the middle of a mosh pit and losing my breath for seconds at a time. The minute he came running onto the stage in his glam rock outfit you could sense that this was going to be a set a bit different to anything else I was going to see over the weekend. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion is made up of two guitarists and a drummer, who keep up a constant bluesy beat, whilst pumping out songs...amongst other stuff. So much happened in the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion set that it was hard to keep up. At one stage Jon Spencer even climbed up a ladder leading to the lights, then jumped down a couple of metre's back onto the stage.
The best part was when R.L. Burnside came on and jammed with them. It's hard to believe that Jon Spencer Blues Explosion made an album with R.L. Burnside, and when you think about it it's an amazing pair up. It's a collaboration of the old with the new. Burnside being an original Delta bluesman and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion being a band that is a modern American blues/alternative music group. It was something that was brilliant to see and it was obvious Jon Spencer Blues Explosion idolise Burnside and love his humorous jokes.

10:30pm - Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

Ben Harper was one of my favorite artists over the whole weekend. Harper caused even more of a riot as I was slammed into the fence several times!!! The announcer with the microphone on the stage didn't help either. Every time he said "Everyone move back..." It only caused everyone to push forward. It's funny now when I think back to it, but at the time it felt as though I was going to break a rib for sure. By this time everyone was really thirsty, and numerous people were whinging to the securityguards that they couldn't get out to get a drink. People were beginning to feel faint, and as a result being lifted over the fence to get out. I can't remember if it was between Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Ben Harper, or during Harper's set, but the security guards kindly brought dozens of bottles of water to the people of the front rows in the audience. This revitalised us for the rest of the night.
Ben Harper was one of the most relaxed and placid people I had ever come into contact with. It was amazing, considering the crowd he had attracted. The huge Mojo big top was packed, then there were people dancing, in the rain and mud, on the hill - Harper referred to them as 'the rain crew.' Mid way through his set, there was an unexpected power failure (due to the storm). The band continued to play, but all the lights were gone. In darkness Harper held a flashlight to his chin, trying to be scary. Eventually the lights came back on, but it was amazing how composed Harper seemed.
As Harper finished his set he came down to the front row and slapped everyone's hands. I seem to recall only catching a little finger on my fingertips, but there were better things to come. The crowd went up in a frenzy, yelling for more, and waiting in anticipation for his return. He didn't disappoint, as he returned on stage wiping his sweaty face with his towel.
During the encore, Harper was caught up in his own song and uncharacteristically stood up from his chair and danced, to the beat, in a circle. This caused an amazing rupture of cheering and clapping hands, as the crowd was also caught up in this amazing song and dance.
As the encore ended, Harper left his chair again and fisted the air with both arms extending towards the audience. Of course everyone mimicked this action back at Harper and waved their arms in the air. The next minute, or so, was probably the most memorable moment I have of the Blues Festival. Harper grabbed his towel (in the picture to the right), wiped his face again, and looked around a bit. He headed to the right of the stage (where we were) and greeted the onslaught of outstretched hands. It was obvious he was planning to give his towel to someone, but to my surprise he placed the sweaty object in my fingers. At that moment I was the envy of everybody around me. Someone asked me, "can I touch it?" It's something that I still can't believe has happened to me. As I said above, his songs were amazing and his set went as follows:

Setlist: Another Lonely Day, Get Up Stand Up, How Many Miles Must We March?, Glory and Consequence, Gold To Me, Fight For Your Mind, Sexual Healing, Please Me Like You Want To, Forever, Mama's Trippin', Ground On Down, Faded.

Encore: Nobody's Fault But Mine, Like A King, I'll Rise

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Index page * Saturday 3rd April, 1999 * Sunday 4th April, 1999 * Daily Line-up

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