Press

ZZ Top deliver big ol' slice of blues-rock

Lynn Saxberg
The Ottawa Citizen
Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Is Bluesfest still a blues festival? ZZ Top and David Gogo answered "hell, yeah."

A capacity crowd of at least 20,000, most with lawnchairs on the grass and Harleys parked along the street, welcomed a great, big old slice of blues-rock delivered by the same three guys who've been playing the same three chords for the last 35 years.

They made that old joke again last night, about 30 minutes into a concert that began with a plunge into the back catalogue. There were plenty of hits to choose from, a gritty Under Pressure to open, a nasty Jesus Left Chicago and an even nastier Nation Wide. By the time a new song, the boogie-blues number Buck Naked, came along, it was indistinguishable from the vintage stuff.

To the crowd of blues-thirsty 20- to 40-year-olds, it hit the spot like a shot of Jack after too many warm beers.

For David Gogo, last night's show had to be a career high. Backed by his Ottawa-based band, he gave a blockbuster performance in front of a huge crowd of blues-rock fans.

Although the axeman had the same sort of opportunity last year opening for the Tragically Hip at the festival, he cemented the bond with last night's performance, grabbing attention from the start with his twisted-blues take on Personal Jesus.

The West Coast guitarist's set included a searing, but soulful, take on Hootchie Cootchie Man, a guest appearance by the Texas Horns, another by Ottawa guitar hero Tony D., and several spots by the sultry-voiced Becky Abbott.

Like last year, Gogo chugged a beer and then used the empty bottle as a slide on his electric guitar. The crowd loved it, even more than last time. It looked like Gogo will be heading back to Vancouver Island with a lot more names on his mailing list.

Meanwhile, over at the Black Sheep stage, nothing was happening, to the disappointment of several dozen fans. The Chango Family, who had been booked, cancelled at the last minute to prepare for a trip to Europe, festival organizers said.

Their spot was not filled, leaving a quiet stage until Oliver Mtukudzi , who was scheduled to go on at 9:30 p.m. Buckwheat Zydeco was due on the Grassroots stage at 8:30 p.m.

Ottawa Bluesfest