Some thoughts on the heels of another Harvest

I’m a Harvest veteran. I attended the first one some 30 years ago or whatever, and I haven’t missed one since. So sitting back now reflecting on the last four nights of harvesting, if I can use that term, I have some thoughts. These are born partly of how I have seen Harvest evolve, and partly because the experience is different for me now, in large because I’m now of, shall we say a certain age. So I will try not to come off as a grumpy old curmudgeon, but I find I don’t necessarily have control over that. 

So some thoughts. First, kudos to the festival and the army of volunteers whose efforts continue to make Harvest a first class event. It long ago broadened from its blues focus, and I certainly get why that was the right thing to do, but there’s still enough quality blues to prove it hasn’t abandoned its blues roots. And the number of great free shows adds a great vibe to the downtown that makes Harvest nights really special. 

Devon Allman & Mike Zito of Royal Southern Brotherhood Photo Credit: flickr.com

For me, it’s the special moments within the shows, not the shows as a whole that I so fondly remember. So many moments: Dutchie Mason at the Boyce Farmer’s market nd a decade later Mike Zito and Devon Allman of Royal Southern Brotherhood playing off each other in an amazing display of dueling guitars in the Mojo tent, Ana Popovic on her first visit to Harvest, Matt Andersen in Officers Square, that night in the Blues tent when Levon Helm, his voice ravaged by throat cancer only had to sing the first verse of The Weight and the packed house took it from there. That was a special moment. He left us not long after that show. More recently Larkin Poe this year and when they opened for Robert Plant. In some cases I remember the moment like it was yesterday but can’t recall the name of the band. One such case was a band from the southern states somewhere, exceptional musicians and it was a Saturday afternoon after they had performed in one of the tents the night before, and they were in the Bugaboo bar on Queen Street back when it was a thing. And at one point the lead guitarist played his way out the door and right into the middle of Queen Street. It was magnificent.  Now, parts of that incredible performance from Matt Mays just last night have joined those great memories of Harvest moments. And there are so, so many more. But I want to move on. 

It was the early years of Harvest that got me hooked on blues music. It lead me to other blues festivals, the Dutchie Mason Festival in Truro, the North Atlantic in Rockland, Maine, the White Mountain Boogie ‘n Blues Festival in New Hampshire, another in Worcester, Mass. And a couple of blues cruises, all because of Harvest. 

Ana Popovic Photo Credit: discogs.com

But, and here’s where the old curmudgeon part comes in. I see, or perhaps I should say, I hear the difference between all those blues events and Harvest. All all those others, people are primarily there for the music. At Harvest, for many, the music seems to be secondary. For many, Harvest is first and foremost a social event. I get it. It’s connecting with friends we haven’t seen for a while, in many cases since the previous year’s Harvest. It’s wonderful, I like that part too, but it’s not so great if you’re also there for the music. 

That never used to be an issue for me. I was younger and I was one of those people who would worm their way to the front of the stage, or as close as I could get, and just stand there through the whole show. Of course there would always be some 6-foot-3 guy who would inevitably work himself in front of me, and I’d have to shuffle over, but from the front you could hear the show as it was intended.  

Now though, my nearly 70 year old knees won’t allow me to stand for hours. I have to sit. But there’s only limited seating, especially with a view and they are snapped up quickly, so I’m relegated to further back in the tent. And further back in the tent the performer on stage is competing with hundreds of people in a non-stop gap-fest. They simply don’t stop. 

Photo Credit: Harvestmusicfest.ca

Last night I left in the middle of The Record Company’s set because I couldn’t stand it any more. And last night when Shemekia Copeland was singing. I had really been looking forward to her show because I had seen her before and knew how good she was, but the chatter was just too much. So I didn’t even bother returning for The Sheepdogs. It was even worse the night before that when Celisse was playing. First time I had ever heard of her and she was exceptional both on guitar and vocally. It would have been nice to hear her. It was so frustrating. I felt like screaming “For kripes sakes, don’t you realize what an opportunity this is to listen to an exceptional talent right here in our city, right in front of you? Shut the F*&% up for a minute OK”. 

So that’s it for me with the tents I guess. I’m to the point now where the it’s just too frustrating, and the greater the talent on stage is, the more frustrating it is not to be able to hear them properly. I know the Harvest organizers are trying to do something about it, but it’s an impossible thing to do much about. 

This is getting long in the tooth so just one more observation. I discovered some local talent I had heard of, but didn’t realize how good they are. One was Grand Theft Bus, which my son tells me has been around for 20 years or so, and the other is Sugar Bomb. Completely different, but both very, very good. I don’t do the bar thing anymore, other than at Harvest, but if either are playing different venues, I’ll try to get there. 

As for Harvest, I’m already looking forward to next year, just not as much as I used to.

Thanks for reading. Shares are always appreciated.

Cover photo: Matt Mays, from my seat last night where I was close enough that the chatter wasn’t a big issue.