Vancouver Island MusicFest sold out again

by Keith and Heather Nicol

Dancing up a storm at MusicFest

     Although there were tickets available on Friday July 14 for MusicFest, they disappeared quickly on Saturday and MusicFest is now sold out once again. And you can see why with the strong line up of musicians for Saturday and Sunday. Headliners include Bruce Cockburn, Rita Coolidge for Saturday and the Bare Naked Ladies for Sunday. But just as important are all the other acts that come from all over North America and Europe and some of these musicians produced some of the most memorable performances of the day.

 

The Grierson Stage is popular for getting lots of musicians on stage at once

 

David Vest played the Woodland Stage

    We love the Grierson Stage since it often brings together a wide range of musicians with a  common theme or instrument.  In fact on Saturday we spent much of the day there listening to sessions titled “ Grooves in Orbit”, “The violin lives here” and “The writer is the witness”.One of the treats of the day from our perspective was hearing David Vest play on the Woodland Stage which is well suited to smaller audiences. David is a great piano player and fine story teller and we made a note to see more of him. We also liked Daoiri Farrell who hails from Ireland and brings with him classic Irish humour and an arresting voice.

 

Rita Coolidge has had a stellar musical career

   Later in the main Concert Bowl, Rita Coolidge and Bruce Cockburn wowed the crowd with their  legendary music which has spanned decades.They each sang old favourites as well as material from their new recordings. The weather couldn’t have been better on this day and the Vancouver Island MusicFest lived up to its crowd pleasing ways.  For more information see: www.islandmusicfest.com.

Bruce Cockburn is one of Canada's best known musicians