I hope you were here in Ottawa to capture the energy, at The Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park. The first night of the Ottawa City Folk Festival was incredible, everything you want from a music event and more. The surroundings were packed with things to do and the vibe was reminiscent of Austin’s annual South by Southwest festival gathering. Thousands celebrated to the music of The Tubes and UB40. A sea of smiling faces bopped their heads to the rhythm of the music from 7pm till the venue’s curfew at 10pm; and I made it home just in time for the nightly news.
The Tubes
First up the The Tubes, a band that had eluded my concert agenda for the last few decades, but alas, there they were promptly starting their set at 7pm… You might remember this 1970’s / 1980’s band for their bizarre live on-stage antics, such as: scantily dressed women, several uncanny costume changes and pseudo bondage acts. Although front man Fee Waybill still captured the energy from the past, the craziness from their early years had weaned substantially, to say the least. Their music captured the attention of fans young and old with hits such as ‘She’s A Beauty”, “Don’t Want to Wait Anymore”, “Talk to You Later” and of course probably their best known hit, “White Punks On Dope”. The Tubes on their 40th Anniversary World Tour chose to play in Ottawa for their only Canadian stop
Check out the video clip of The Tubes performing “Don’t Want to Wait Anymore”.
Next up
UB40
I remember my first time watching UB40 back in my teens at the Montreal, Spectrum, I think it was 1983. Everyone was on their feet dancing and bopping around. I was infused by their entrancing ska and reggae beats. Ever since then, I have seen them several more times. UB40 is British band that formed on the rough and tumble streets of Birmingham, England in 1978. I actually just learned that the band was named after the British Unemployment benefit Form, UB40. The band has released over 20 albums with more than 50 singles. Not surprising is that the group of ten musicians has sold over 70 million albums world wide: with hits such as:” Red Red Wine”, “Cherry Oh Baby”, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe.” All of those songs were preformed except “I Got You Babe.”
Check out our video clips of: “Cherry Oh Baby”, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
Please check out our next concert review of Van Morrison….don’t miss this one.
