Wishing Bluesfest Was Here Already? Us Too, So Here Are Some Of Our Fave 2019 Moments

We're sure that you, like us, felt your heart break when Bluesfest 2020 was cancelled, but we're sure you also felt the sense of elation at the announcement that the festival will make its grand return in 2021. The first line-up announcement dropped a few weeks back - with acts like Patti Smith, Bon Iver, Jimmy Barnes, George Benson and stacks more no less - so we thought it would be nice to look back at the lovely time that was the 2019 festival. Here are some of the highlights...

Ben Harper and Kasey Chambers making our dreams come true

We are big fans of both Harper and Chambers so the pair joining forces to perform Another Lonely Day was nearly the end of us. It felt like it's a long-time coming too; the track was originally released on Harper's 1995 album Fight For Your Mind, while the track was a released on a limited edition bonus CD for Chambers' 1999 debut album, The Captain.

Some excellent punter managed to capture the moment on video too so we all get to live this moment again.

Yelling 'son of a bitch' back at Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats

We and the rest of the very full tent certainly got our money's worth on this one. Read the review from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats set below.

"Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats give off some strong 'just came home from Nascar' vibes when they hit the stage, yet the boisterous voice of the frontman grips you. Crowd-pleaser SOB is a blues rock explosion to a crowd that rivals Hozier for the biggest of the festival. A fair few in the crowd that were just waiting for Jack Johnson got more than they bargained for."

We'll just have to settle for the good ol' studio version for now until we can catch them IRL again (also, do yourself a favour and check out Nate's cracking solo album here too).

The food

Look, we're not going to lie - we dream about those donuts all year long... It doesn't seem like we're alone either; between the crew and artists at the 2019 event, a whopping 2.5 tonnes of vegetables and 912kg of meat was consumed.

Punters certainly worked up an appetite too, with Avocado Hut selling more than 600kg of avocados, Pink Lotus producing 1 tonne of fresh produce and Sauerkraut Sisters delivering 75kgs in sauerkraut.

The funk

Honestly, George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic was the perfect way for day four to end! Here's what we thought:

"With the third generation of Funkadelic in tow, Clinton delivers ten fold on his final Australian shows. With two straight hours of boogieing as the collective bring out classic characters like Noso and a sea of dancers to keep our eyes overstimulated. Classic tracks such as Flashlight pop off but it's the ultimate We Got The Funk which extends into a near fifteen minute jam that turns the crowd inside out. A full tent screams as members of Funkadelic spit verses over the top of the jam, constantly reinventing the classics, all the while George Clinton as the ultimate hype man with a smile from ear to ear forces the crowd to stay on 10."

Jack Johnson and his band of many, many guests

What happens when Lukas Nelson, Gary Clark Jr and Paula Fuga walk into a tent? A bit of Bluesfest magic it seems. Check out our review from the set below:

"Jack Johnson and Bluesfest, or perhaps just Byron Bay in general, are cut from the same cloth. There’s a return to the simple things tonight; a guy and a guitar, up on stage playing music with his mates. And although Johnson may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the huge turnout singing along to his easy-breezy tunes suggests otherwise. Surprise appearances from Lukas Nelson, Gary Clark Jr and Paula Fuga add depth to the mix and Johnson takes a selfie moment with the crowd holding their reuseable drink bottles in the air; he has recently launched the BYOB campaign. Bubble Toes blends seamlessly into a cover of Steve Miller Band’s Joker and there are bulk singalongs for crowd favourites Banana Pancakes and Better Together. There’s a love affair here between Johnson and Byron so we’re fairly sure this won’t be the last time he graces this stage."

This epic performance

Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf knew how to bring it in the opening hours of day four. Look at that energy!

All the incredible local talent

From Dobby ("There’s flossing, classic hip hop call and response, bird facts and, at one point, he even punches his bracelet off") to Ocean Alley ("mega hits Knees and Confidence get a sizeable reaction") to Mo'ju ("this is a set that shows the power of storytelling") to Julia Stone ("a gorgeous jam") to Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project ("a set with everlasting power for all ages") and more, 2019 certainly delivered when it came to the incredible local talent on display.

Yothu Yindi