By: Adam Bowie
It’s been a popular topic of conversation for Harvest-goers for years – what’s your
favourite festival moment?
With every edition of the Harvest Music Festival, the popular Fredericton musical celebration that’s been unfolding now for the past 35 years, music fans add new moments to their memory-banks – whether it be a first-time experience with a specific artist, an unexpected collaboration between two fan-favourites, or some other magical experience emerging from the power of live music.
When you look back through the years, there are many potential choices. Was it the emotional, 2011 tent-wide singalong with the Levon Helm Band as they ran through The Band-classic, “The Weight?” Was it the inspiring vocals of soul/R&B legend Mavis Staples, who never stopped smiling at her 2018 show as she serenaded an appreciative suppertime crowd? Maybe it was the foot-stomping, high-energy Americana blast of The Avett Brothers as they cranked the party up with “I Killed Sally’s Lover” in 2013.
For others, maybe you have to go back to the early days, in 1991, at the now-defunct Cosmo bar or in the small, pop-up tents, when Dutch Mason, the Prime Minister of the Blues, and Holly Cole, one of the best voices in jazz, were wowing appreciative audiences. Or maybe it was Zydeco night at the Boyce Farmers’ Market, where people danced all night to the Cajun beat?
Over the years, that’s been the magic of the Harvest Music Festival, one of the only completely volunteer-created, volunteer-led concert series of this magnitude in North America. The little festival that has always punched above its weight has become famous for booking bands on their way up in the music industry – nabbing them before the demand for their tickets would overwhelm Harvest venues.
Think about how Harvest was one of the first Canadian festivals to book the new project from guitar legend Derek Trucks and blueswoman Susan Tedeschi – a band that eventually evolved into the now world-touring Tedeschi Trucks Band. Or when Bloc Party, one of the hottest bands in the U.K., wowed audiences with a blistering guitar attack and a frenetic light-show back in 2008.
I can close my eyes and remember all the times that Theresa Melenfant hit the high notes, that Matt Andersen captivated tents with his string-bending solos, that Keith Hallett snarled into the microphone. I can see people dancing as The Hypochondriacs and Kill Chicago rock out in the Barracks, or as Joel Plaskett freestyles some lyrics from the stage. From shows by Pinetop Perkins to Kermit Ruffins, Kathleen Edwards to Maria Muldaur, Warren Haynes to the North Mississippi Allstars, Blue Rodeo to Metric, we’ve been lucky to see some of the absolute best artists in the world on our stage.
Remember that in 2019, this festival booked Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, the legendary Robert Plant, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats as their headlining acts. That lineup can stand with any festival in any jurisdiction in the world – all in little ol’ New Brunswick, Canada. There’s also the quirky stuff, which has proven to be unforgettable – from the wild and wondrous Watermelon Slim to Slick Ballinger, Thumpasaurus to Too Many Zooz, Motherhood to Champion and his G-Strings.
One of my favourite Harvest nights was watching the Screamin’ Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, warm up the stage for his Daptone Records label-mate, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, at a headlining showcase in 2012. It was like stepping back in time, walking into the great soul venues in New York City in the 1960s and 1970s. The horn sections swaying back and forth as they played, and Jones dancing across the stage. The showmanship was so exciting. Both of these artists have now passed away, following battles with cancer. We’ll never have the pleasure of seeing them again, and I’m grateful that Harvest let me have that experience.
That’s just it, though. Every Harvest fan might have a different moment that they treasure. Together, we’ve witnessed a thousand special performances. We share these moments with the select few who come every year, who cram in close to the stage and embrace the magic that comes from an artistic performance. How lucky are we that this event has been happening for 35 years, now, and that it keeps on rolling. I can’t wait for September, where we’ll see what happens next.