Shania Twain kicked off RBC Bluesfest on Thursday with a dazzling stage show in front of the largest opening\u002Dnight crowd in the almost 30\u002Dyear history of Ottawa’s biggest summer music festival.
The age-defying 57-year-old opened the show by stealthily emerging from the front row in a hooded coat and oversize rhinestone sunglasses, launching into the burbling pop beat of Waking Up Dreaming, a song from this year’s album, Queen of Me, her first in six years. Then came the energetic fan favourite, Up!, followed by Don’t Be Stupid , which put the spotlight on Cory Churko, the fiddling dynamo who ensures Twain still has a country twang.
Five years after throat surgery to repair vocal cords damaged by a bout of Lyme disease, Twain’s robust voice was a little rough but the rasp added character, especially on an emotional song like Forever and For Always. And of course, everyone was more than willing to help her out, singing their hearts out.Photo by Sean Sisk
That was undoubtedly a thrill for Ell, who declared during her opening set that it was “absolutely wild” to be on tour with Twain, explaining that she used to sing Twain’s songs into a plastic microphone when she was a kid. The Calgary native gave a lively show that included her upbeat pop-country fare, plus a fun cover of Alanis Morissette’s Ironic.
The River Stage, for example, played host to hip-hop acts J.C., Dax and BBNO$, while a mini blues-roots festival took place in the tented Sirius XM stage, where we saw a terrific performance by the sweet-voiced U.S. harp player John Nemeth, and a stellar show by Ottawa’s Mikhail Laxton, who’s developed a nice, rootsy sound since he moved to the nation’s capital.Article content
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