It truly felt as though the entire city of Ottawa was at LeBreton Flats Park on Friday night to watch iconic band Green Day perform.
Thousands of people gathered on the Bluesfest grounds to see the American rock group on what was by far the busiest day of the festival so far.
People showed up early, wanting to get a good spot for the final act of the night — which also meant they got to enjoy the numerous talents that preceded Billie Joe Armstrong and co.
Ottawa jazz ensemble The Commotions showcased their dynamic sound on the LeBreton stage. The 12-piece band features a plethora of instruments and vocalists, with three lead singers, a large horn section, keys and strings.
A true symbiotic group, they invited the audience into their jam session, playing a variety of funky and soulful original tunes.
Another band from Ottawa, Four Eyed Muscle Man, opened on the River stage with a unique blend of influences that shaped their alternative, offbeat rock sound. Their songs, sometimes spanning over six minutes, subverted traditional song structure. The band would slow down for a few verses, then speed the song back up, and frontwoman Soleil Crispin even included spoken word elements.
Their intriguing sound and captivating delivery was punctuated with out-of-the-box instruments like a cowbell.
Playing not just one but two shows in the evening was Fantastic Negrito, an American singer-songwriter, Grammy Award winner and certified rockstar. The minute he took the stage, not a single audience member could take their eyes off him as his powerful voice and heavy guitar riffs filled the LeBreton tent.
A mixture of blues and roots rock, Fantastic Negrito’s sound has depth; his lyrics cover topics of racism, oppression and personal struggles. Exclaiming that it was his first time in Ottawa, he played songs like “I Hope Someone’s Loving You” and “Devil in My Pocket,” off his 2024 album Son of a Broken Man.
Canadian jazz and R&B artist Jahmeema brought her strong vocals to the Barney Danson Theatre, while established Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith greeted the people of Ottawa with his folk repertoire.
All-female punk rock band The Linda Lindas warmed up the crowd that was eagerly awaiting Green Day’s performance. With most of the four band members under the age of 19 — the youngest being drummer Mila de la Garza, 14 — the group has already accomplished much in their career.
Their song “Racist, Sexist Boy,” which closed their set, has earned them praise from the likes of Kathleen Hanna of feminist punk band Bikini Kill. They have also recorded for the Talking Heads tribute album Stop Making Sense and already toured with Green Day as well as The Smashing Pumpkins.
Looking out into an absolutely packed crowd, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool and Mike Dirnt came out with a bang — literally — playing the hit song “American Idiot” while stage pyrotechnics went off behind them.
The band kept the energy high through their almost two-hour set, playing a long list of their most prolific songs like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns” and “Holiday.”
During “Know Your Enemy,” the band invited a starstruck fan on stage to sing with them, which led to the audience chanting her name after she delivered the lyrics word for word.
Billie Joe seemed particularly happy to be in Canada, making comments about not wanting to go back to America. The band has been very outspoken against Trump, even changing their lyrics to criticize the “MAGA agenda.”
Being a band known for its outspoken politics, audience members felt empowered to hold up Palestinian flags as well as Pride flags as acts of solidarity.
Not only did the band never miss a beat, their live show featured impressive production elements including fire shooters, confetti cannons and realistic image projections on stage.
Ending on an acoustic version of “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” people in the crowd were left elated, teary-eyed and thoroughly impressed — marking the night as one for the Bluesfest history books.
For more information, visit https://ottawabluesfest.ca.
