Bluesfest review: Death Cab for Cutie finally returns to Ottawa, Alan Doyle gets crowd roaring, Jack Barksdale is new discovery

RBC Bluesfest takes a break before a five-day weekend, starting with Foo Fighters on Wednesday and Mumford and Sons on Thursday.

Published Jul 10, 2023 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 3 minute read

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie performs at Ottawa Bluesfest July 9, 2023. Photo by Greg Kolz /Handout

A triumphant return by Death Cab for Cutie, a down-home reunion with Alan Doyle and the discovery of young Jack Barksdale — a blues superstar-in-the-making, were among the highlights of Sunday’s program at RBC Bluesfest, the final day of the festival’s first weekend.

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For headliners Death Cab for Cutie, Sunday marked the Washington state-formed band’s second performance in Ottawa, almost 20 years after a Civic Centre (now TD Place) show in 2006. Their Bluesfest debut was supposed to happen in 2011, but that was the year a freak gust of wind slammed the main stage and toppled it, scratching out the rest of the show.

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“When the stage collapses right before you play, that sours you a bit,” remarked Death Cab singer Ben Gibbard at one point during Sunday’s concert. “But we were looking forward to getting back here, and I hope it’s worth the wait.”

Taking a poke at the Bluesfest moniker, he also joked about Death Cab being one of America’s “top blues bands,” and promised to play “rhythm and blues all night long.”

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Funny guy. In fact, Death Cab is an earnest indie-pop act with thoughtfully crafted songs and a sterling sound, and Gibbard is the sweet-voiced bandleader who writes most of the songs and provides the spine-tingling lead vocals. Their blues content, we must note, is negligible.

Death Cab for Cutie performs at Ottawa Bluesfest July 9, 2023. Photo by Greg Kolz /Handout

Blues or not, it was definitely well worth the wait. A soft solo intro by Gibbard drew the audience into the opening song, I Don’t Know How I Survive, before the band joined in and shifted into arena-rock mode for Roman Candles and The New Year.

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The band showed they have evolved into a top-notch live act with a killer sense of dynamics, firing on all cylinders for the big rock numbers or reining it in to emphasize the intimacy of ballads, which included the exquisite Soul Meets Body played near the end of the set.

One highlight was the stripped-down hit, I Will Follow You Into The Dark, which found Gibbard sharing a pet peeve from his concert-going youth: When the artist turns the mic around for the crowd to sing the big hit song that he’d been waiting for all day.

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Well, Gibbard ended up doing the same thing but made a deal that if the crowd sang one chorus, he would sing it again. Thousands of voices rose in response and no one seemed annoyed.

At the same time that Death Cab was negotiating with an estimated 15,000 voices at the main stage, another 5,000 or so were hollering along with Alan Doyle, the charismatic Newfoundland musician who co-founded the province’s biggest act, Great Big Sea.

Alan Doyle performs at Ottawa Bluesfest July 9, 2023. Photo by Serena Yang /Handout

Although he’s now pursuing a solo career, the fans still love Great Big Sea material, and to their delight, Doyle gave them plenty of it, including a rowdy version of The Old Black Rum that had the crowd singing so loud they almost drowned out Doyle. His band was terrific, too, including a knockout fiddler who kept the folky strains soaring above the rock backing.

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Other acts performing at Bluesfest on Sunday included Canadian pop stars Tegan and Sara and Montreal groovemeisters Bran Van 3000, while the Quebec blues contingent of Dawn Tyler Watson and Guy Belanger kept the party going in the Sirius XM tent, which was a popular spot during the brief sprinkling of rain.

As for my new musical discovery, that would be Jack Barksdale, the bluesy Texas teenager who’s turning heads with a formidable combination of playing ability, songwriting talent and a silky Southern voice with a twang. With his baby face and long blond hair, the 16-year-old looks even younger than his years, and although his stage presence was a tad tentative in front of the crowd starting to gather at the River Stage for Doyle, Barksdale covered Townes Van Zandt with the grit of an old soul, and his own songs rang with authenticity. Watch out for this kid — he’s going places.

Jack Barksdale performs at Ottawa Bluesfest July 9, 2023. Photo by Greg Kolz /Handout

RBC Bluesfest takes a break Monday and Tuesday, then roars back to life for a five-day weekend, starting with Foo Fighters on Wednesday and Mumford and Sons on Thursday.

For ticket and schedule information, go to ottawabluesfest.ca.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com