THUNDER BAY - With headliners like Bryan Adams, Burton Cummings, and Johnny Reid, there was plenty of big name talent to draw thousands of fans, and that’s just what the 2019 Thunder Bay Blues Festival did for the third year in a row.
“It exceeded all expectations,” said Trevor Hurtig, manager of marketing and development with the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium and the Blues Festival. “Everything went as well as it possibly could, right down to the weather. It’s unheard of to have a Blues Festival and not have at least a little bit of rain somewhere in the process.”
The three-day event that opened on Friday saw more than 21,000 people attend, which is on par with the past three years.
“We did that last year and we did it the year before, too,” Hurtig said. “The year before we did it with gate sales as well, but last year and this year it was sold out in advance.”
Hurtig added that there is always room for fine tuning the festival and organizers will be looking at ideas when it comes to how many people can come out to enjoy the show.
“As far as attendance, I think we are sort of capped,” he said. “But we will look at that and see if there are options. There have been some ideas tossed around as to how we might be able to tweak.”
While this year provided another impressive lineup of musical acts including Tom Cochrane, Amanda Marshall, Jann Arden, The Trews, and 54-40, one of the biggest draws was Canadian music icon, Bryan Adams, who closed out the night on Saturday.
And while the superstar was one of the most expensive acts to bring to the festival, Hurtig said it was well worth the cost.
“He paid dividends. He had the audience in the palm of his hands the whole time,” he said. “When you get an artist like that, it is definitely worth the extra expense for sure.”
And the artists were just as impressed with the festival as the audience, with even big name stars saying they were blown away with the energy on stage and in the crowd.
“It was fantastic,” Hurtig said. “We were worried about Bryan Adams and what he would think because let’s face it, he’s played everything and he’s played everywhere. But we got nothing but positive feedback.”
