Ottawa Bluesfest has begun! Let’s get started on with the coverage, shall we?
[Article is by Zachary Resnick and photos by Ross Macdonald. – AC]
2026’s Ottawa Bluesfest had a bit of a weird start this year. Day 1 was marked by tons of rain, a memorable performance by Digable Planets, and an impromptu fireworks show.
Day 2 on Friday the 10th of July was truer to form: sunny skies, warm weather, and a large crowd gathering around the RBC stage for a night of live music.
Local Ottawa band F!TH kicked things off, noting that the audience here was certainly more numerous than the usual crowd at the Dominion Tavern.
Starting off with footage of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater set to Johnny Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues,’ F!TH opened with the high energy ‘Rock & a Hard Place.’
Next up was ‘Tough Shit,’ another electric, biting anthem. The hard drums, sharp chords, and angsty lyrics whipping the crowd into mid-afternoon frenzy.
The five-piece act kept their foot on the gas with the aggressive ‘Big Too,’ followed by the first song the band ever wrote, ‘DEAD,’ which may have been my favorite of the set.
This was a no-nonsense show, with barely a moment to catch your breath between songs. Up next was ‘Take an Honest Look at Perfection,’ a rage against the fake plastic portrayals of an Instagram world.
We were then treated to a cover of Billy Talent’s ‘Fallen Leaves,’ which drew a big pop and some audience participation from fans. F!TH cited the other Canadian band as inspiration.
The crowd got hosed off as lead singer Zane Bean launched into ‘SAFE & SOUND,’ a deeply personal song about his mother.
Closing out their set with ‘Blue Collar Choke,’ the band surely earned some new fans with their raw, 2000’s-inspired rock/punk performance.
But the energy levels would only continue to rise, as next up were hip-hop royalty Cypress Hill. Opening with an album-perfect rendition of ‘How I Could Just Kill a Man,’ the crowd was primed.
Thunderous applause made way for meaty bass as B-Real and Sen Dog led us right into ‘Hand on the Pump.’
Another huge pop echoed out for ‘Tequila Sunrise,’ which was followed directly by ‘A to the K,’ mirroring my high school playlist.
Up next was a remix of ‘Illusions,’ B-Real calling out the song’s newly gained TikTok fame.
Green lights and filters were applied for the one-two punch of ‘I Want to Get High’ and ‘Dr. Greenthumb’… and was it just me, or was there a haze developing over the crowd?
No breaks, no pauses, just immediately into ‘Hits From the Bong’ before being delivered a drum and scratch seminar courtesy of Eric Bobo and DJ Muggs, respectively.
We got a song off the upcoming album ‘Dios Bendiga,’ before a blistering cover of Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Bombtrack.’
The remainder of the set was hit after hit. A commanding version of ‘Can’t Get the Best of Me’ led into ‘(Rock) Superstar,’ itself leading into ‘Insane in the Membrane,’ which got the biggest pop yet.
Cypress Hill closed their tour de force set with a tributary cover of House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around.’
As the sky grew dark you could pick out more and more of the crowd gearing up for Limp Bizkit, many wearing ‘the uniform’ – baggy blue pants, white t-shirt, red hat.
Fred Durst and co. exploded onto the stage with ‘Hot Dog’ and the nu-metal legends seemed in fine form.
As the song ended, the lights went down and there was a brief moment of silence, which was summarily shattered by the opening chords of ‘Break Stuff.’ This might be the tightest I’ve ever heard Wes Borland play.
Durst’s well-known cover of George Michael’s ‘Faith’ was up next, followed closely by an intro for DJ Lethal and ‘My Generation.’
Things slowed again ever so briefly for ‘Livin’ it Up,’ and then cranked up again for ‘My Way.’
Tom Green was brought out on stage for an electric version of ‘Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)’ which was great to see.
Other set highlights included the ever-popular ‘Nookie,’ a cover of The Who’s ‘Behind Blue Eyes,’ and ‘Full Nelson.’
Durst and the band closed the show with a second performance of ‘Break Stuff,’ whipping the audience into an even more furious fervor before unleashing them on the streets of Ottawa.
A midsummer’s night of punk, hip-hop, and nu metal – what more could you ask for?
