Protests, Peace & One Hell Of A Party - Here's What Went Down At Bluesfest 2018
Parting is such sweet sorrow...
As the nation begins to digest their Easter chocolates, the tens of thousands of punters that travelled to Byron Bay for Bluesfest are recovering from five days of massive music madness. From peaceful protests to dynamic dances, this year’s festival had everything. Here’s what went down at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm this weekend.
Thursday
live highlights
"Hurray For The Riff Raff takes the stage. Fronted by Alynda Segarra, this Puerto Rican chanteuse beguiles her audience. "We are here to spread divine feminine energy", she says. The audience goes wild."
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"Gov't Mule stride on to the Crossroads stage. It feels like you are sharing the band's lounge room. The biggest yahoos are saved for their cover version of Neil Young's Southern Man."
"Leon Bridges gospel and soul background shines. Smooth Sailin' lulls the audience into the grove. By the time Leon launches into Bad Bad News, festival goers are swaying and well chill and Leon's sunglasses are long discarded."
fast fact:
Planning has already started for next year! 2018 crowd favourites Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real have been confirmed as the first artists officially booked for 2019.
friday
Live highlights
"Harts, known for his Hendrix-like guitar playing, joins his two-piece band on the Mojo stage. His single Red & Blue lights up the Bluesfest audience. Many new sets of ears are turned on." 
"Bobby Rush, at nearly 85 and with over 300 published blues recordings, knows exactly how to delight his audience. A mix of 12 bar blues, a white dinner suit, sequinned dancers, the smoooothest backing band, shared life experiences and Bobby's harmonica ensures not one person leaves before the last trill."
"Four keyboards and tight drums coupled with his sublime vocals entrances Asgeir’s audience across his set. Higher, Torrent, Going Home and King & Cross seamlessly transition across his playlist. Five soft thank you's and a final bow complete a kickass hour."
fast fact:
Cystic Fibrosis raised a record-breaking $52,800 during the festival by raffling off donated Gibson guitars.
saturday
live highlights
"André Cymone, American bassist and his R&B backing band, crank the energy. Cymone is 59 but has the excitement and enthusiasm of a person 20 years his junior."
"Canned Heat cooks and shimmies, and yeah, they're not as forthright and adventurous as they were, back in the day when they introduced a white audience to the music of black blues, but they're still as muscular as any band can be after 52 years, and relevant."
"Arriving at Dumpstaphunk, we're immediately hit with a massive wall of sound. The crowd is wild and pumping to the unique groove. It's almost as if the funk is a monster, roaring over the audience and demanding that they get down."
fast fact:
Vollies make the world go round — over 700 volunteers pitched in to help with camping, traffic, production, waste management and more during Bluesfest 2018.
sunday
live highlights
"Mia Dyson reminds the crowd of why she is an integral part of the Australian music scene. In a special moment, Dyson invites to the stage the man who taught her how to play guitar - her dad, Jim Dyson." 
"Swedish siblings First Aid Kit emerged to share their unique mix of country and alt-rock. Not only do these talented sisters sing in flawless harmony but the also uncannily speak in sync."
"Jungle and newer track Murder To The Mind were stand-outs, continuing in Tash Sultana’s signature move of letting the music infuse with every fibre of her body, producing an intimate and invigorating performance."
"After around eight tracks from John Butler Trio’s extensive back catalogue the stage filled with acts from the last four days, standing up against the Adani mine."
fast fact:
Sunday night proved to be one of the biggest in Bluesfest history, a total of 23,000 people made up the 100% sold-out audience.
monday
live highlights
""Are you ready?" Dan Sultan asks the boisterous audience, with a pick in his mouth, fake grimacing and finger-pointing he cajoles the crowd to up the amps with each successive song."
"Citizen Cope offers few words on stage and rarely engages with his nevertheless appreciative audience. "I don't know how you found my music but I'm sure glad you did," he says as he moves across his guitar."
"Walter Trout brings classic blues to a grateful crowd. Joined by his son, Jon Trout, the blues veteran shreds, wails, and bends his guitar to his every whim."
"Generously acknowledging and bowing with his band front stage, Lionel Richie starts into All Night Long. "I'll be back," he says to thunderous approval. The dancing continues long after the performer has left the venue."
fast fact:
Headliner Robert Plant digs the Bluesfest vibe, "Just the energy and the joy of the crowd, it’s such an amazing bill of people."
The festival might be over but the Bluesfest train is chugging on for a little longer with Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters still yet to hit Adelaide and Perth for sideshows, Newton Faulkner to play Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in the coming days, and Gomez blessing Perth this Wednesday.
For more information about Bluesfest sideshows; head to theGuide.
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