Alice Cooper performed on the Main Stage on Saturday.
The lineup at Bluesfest on Saturday was as diverse as ever, as gospel, electronic and classic rock seeped from just about every corner. It was obvious, though, that heavy metal dominated the day as a huge mass of people waited patiently around the Main Stage for Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden.
There were even a couple of fans dressed up as Alice Cooper, complete with dramatic black eye makeup and black top hats. Luckily, their efforts were not ignored. Their enthusiasm and excitement was matched by the theatricality of both Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden.
It was evident how over-the-top Cooper’s show would be even before he stepped on the stage. A large curtain with his face painted on it covered the set, and a creepy Chucky-like doll poked out from behind. Cooper stepped on stage with spider-arms coming out from his sides, performing on top of a staircase for all his fans to see. His costume was appropriate enough as he opened the show with “The Black Widow.”
Cooper would bring out elaborate props and change into different costumes throughout his whole set. He sang one song with a snake around his arm, had a fencing sword loaded with fake money during another, and even changed into a bloody lab coat for “Feed My Frankenstein.” There was also a beheading skit. At one point, his female guitarist grabbed everyone’s attention with an amazing guitar solo that had the crowd cheering. Cooper definitely knows his audience and even wore an Ottawa Senators jersey. The theatricality of it all made for an enjoyable experience.
For a slight change of pace, the Claridge Homes Stage provided some classic rock as The Bright Light Social Hour took to the stage. The long-haired rockers had me feeling as if I was in the movie Almost Famous with their seventies-like rock. My favourite song had to be “Detroit.” It had a more of a sixties R&B/ blues feel as they belted out the lyrics, “I need your love,” and built up their own wall of sound.
Heading back to the Main Stage to see Iron Maiden felt like journeying to Mordor as it was an impossible task to get close enough to see anything. I wish I could describe what happened, but trying to look over the top of heads and outstretched arms was difficult. I did manage to catch one of the guitarists with one of his legs on an amp. It was an impressive feat of flexibility, considering he had to be older than fifty. There were a lot of pyrotechnics but feelings of claustrophobia began to set in and I headed over to watch MSTRKRFT at the Electro Stage.
On my way there, the scene was drastically different at the Black Sheep stage as lawn chairs were lined up across the field. Older watchers and parents with young children filled those seats waiting for more gospel music.
I was mildly curious to see MSTRKRFT perform. Their set quickly became a smoke and lights show, clouding the two group members. While they dramatically turned knobs and moved sliders here and there (as seen from the monitors), a huge crowd of people began dancing like mad men. I even saw one middle-aged man dancing the night away without a shirt.
At the end of the night, I felt as if I was in some sort of odd machine as the scenery changed as I moved from stage to stage. It made for a great eye-opening experience.
For pictures from Saturday click HERE.