Bluesfest Day 2

Bluesfest day 2 started off really rainy.

Large crowd seated in folding chairs and under umbrellas at outdoor music festival on overcast day, with stage and scaffolding visible in background Festival attendees gathered near information booth and vendor tents at outdoor blues festival, with trees lining the grounds Orange and yellow striped stage canopy with band performing, audience seated with colorful umbrellas protecting from rain Dense crowd of festival-goers bundled in rain gear and holding multicolored umbrellas during rainy outdoor concert View from audience of stage with orange striped canopy, performers visible, attendees in rain ponchos and under umbrellas Tbaytel Thunder Bay Blues Festival banner on scaffolding with Canadian flag flying above, festival grounds visible below View of Thunder Bay harbor through festival grounds showing sailboats anchored in calm water under overcast sky

While it rained, I decided to take refuge under the beer tent.

Festival field with red picnic tables, trash bins, and main stage visible in distance under cloudy skies Hand holding Molson Canadian lager beer can at outdoor festival, grass visible in background Rows of empty red wooden picnic tables with festival stage and crowd visible in background

A lot of other people had that same idea.

Crowded beer tent interior with festival attendees holding drinks, central pole supporting canvas roof

After the rain cleared, I decided to walk around a bit. One thing I noticed at this festival is the cleaning staff was really on top of things. The porta-potties were very clean, and I rarely saw garbage on the ground. It seemed like they were actively cleaning everything as the concert went on (as well as people, in general, appeared to just throw their trash in the bins and not litter all over the place).

Festival volunteer in red Tbaytel shirt carrying orange trash bucket and grabber tool near porta-potties Worker cleaning porta-potty units at music festival, standing on step stool with cleaning supplies

Just like on day one, the bands that played were pretty good. The only band I heard of was the Barenaked Ladies, but the rest of the bands played well. They even kept playing while the clouds became threatening again.

Massive crowd of thousands seated on grass facing stage under dramatic cloudy sky at blues festival Thunder Bay waterfront view with several sailboats moored in harbor, cloudy sky and distant shoreline visible Sailboat entering Thunder Bay harbor with historic lighthouse and Sleeping Giant formation visible in background Festival attendees in rain gear gathered near food vendor booth selling sausages and fries during wet weather Evening performance on main stage with blue stage lights, audience seated in chairs with umbrellas as daylight fades

After a while, the clouds started to clear up and we could see blue sky again!

Large festival crowd filling field as weather clears, blue sky emerging from clouds, stage scaffolding in distance

For the most part, the clouds didn't look too threatening after the first downpour, but they would come and go. It made for an awesome sunset over Lake Superior!

Golden sunset clouds over Thunder Bay Blues Festival grounds as evening sets in, silhouettes of tents and attendees below Dramatic sunset clouds in pink and orange over Thunder Bay parking lot, historic grain elevator silhouetted against colorful sky Sailboat with passengers at sunset on Thunder Bay, dramatic pink clouds reflected in calm water Thunder Bay harbor at sunset with sailboats moored near historic grain elevator on small island, dramatic clouds overhead Multiple sailboats anchored in Thunder Bay at sunset, rocky shoreline in foreground, pink and orange sky Sailboat with passengers on Thunder Bay at dusk, multiple vessels in background under dramatic sunset clouds Sailboat passengers silhouetted against dramatic pink and orange sunset clouds over Thunder Bay Thunder Bay waterfront at sunset with historic grain elevator on island and sailboat passing, pink glow on water Historic grain elevator and white powerboat on Thunder Bay at sunset, pink sky reflected in calm water Sailboats on Thunder Bay at dusk with Sleeping Giant formation visible on distant horizon under dramatic clouds Sailboat with passengers at sunset on Thunder Bay, multiple anchored boats in background, colorful clouds overhead Thunder Bay waterfront at sunset with historic grain elevator and motorboat passing, dramatic pink and orange clouds Sailboat with passengers and motorboat on Thunder Bay at sunset, rocky shoreline in foreground, pink clouds above Sailboat near City of Thunder Bay Events tent at dusk, Sleeping Giant formation visible on distant horizon Sailboats moored in Thunder Bay at sunset with Sleeping Giant formation silhouetted on horizon under pink clouds Catamaran and boats on Thunder Bay with Sleeping Giant formation and historic lighthouse visible in distance Evening view of Thunder Bay waterfront with historic grain elevator and moored sailboats, dramatic sunset clouds Towering white cumulus cloud formation rising above trees against clear blue sky

I was hanging with Ryan, and I found out his friend had got there super early and reserved some seats in the second row of non-VIP. His friend's girlfriend had left so there was some room for us to stand up there. This really made my day because the Barenaked Ladies were one of my favorite bands growing up, and the Stunt album was one of the first CDs I owned. It was amazing to be this close to seeing them!

Evening concert at Blues Festival with illuminated orange stage canopy, crowd watching band perform at dusk Blurry concert photo of band performing on stage at night, audience members silhouetted in foreground Band performing on stage with blue and green stage lighting, acoustic guitars and drums visible, audience watching Band performing on stage at night with white spotlights and stage haze, audience silhouettes visible in foreground

The Barenaked Ladies put on a great concert and I was glad I got the chance to see them so close. If I could tell my 6th grade self I actually got to see them in concert and not just listen to Stunt a thousand times, I think he would be proud. I definitely had a good time on this day of Bluesfest!

See more blog entries here