THUNDER BAY – Marina Park was a busy spot on Friday night.
With two days left to go at the 17th annual Thunder Bay Blues Festival, organizers say they’ve already surpassed last year’s record ticket-sales total.
By the time Randy Bachman wraps things up on Sunday night the record should be shattered.
"We're really happy about that," said the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium's Trevor Hurtig.
Maybe they should have gone all-Canadian years ago.
Friday brought a mixture of old favourites and a funky newcomer to the Marina Park stage, led by closer Amanda Marshall, a rare find for festival bookers these days.
Marshall, who shot to fame in 1995 with her self-titled debut album, didn’t disappoint, blowing the roof off the band-shell with a performance that rivals just about any headliner in the festival’s near two-decade past.
Apparently she missed Thunder Bay as much as the jam-packed (and we really mean jam-packed) audience missed her.
“What happened to you,” Marshall asked the fever-pitched crowd. “I never see you anymore – you never write, you never call. We are so happy to see you tonight, under this beautiful northern sky, with the wind in our hair and the bugs in our teeth.
“We have missed you. A lot has changed since the last time I saw you. My hair got a little longer. The world has changed. The last time I saw you there was no Uber, there was no Snapchat. I think there was Netflix, but I feel there has always been Netflix because I feel like Netflix lives in your heart.”
Marshall, born in Toronto and Halifax, sounded as good as ever tearing through hit after hit on Friday night, including Fall From Grace, Birmingham, Sitting on Top of the World and the finale, Let it Rain, all from her debut album.
She even tossed in a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, because, why not?
The day kicked off with local favourites Rock Steady, following a slight technical delay that led to brief long lines.
An appreciative Gord Ellis, bassist for the band, said it’s great that organizers make room for Thunder Bay talent on the bill.
“I was pretty thrilled to play here,” said Ellis. “I’m a regular, I go to see the Blues Festival every year … and I think there are some other really good local acts here. But also, we all come to see the headliners. Let’s face it. It’s just fun to be on the bill.”
Rock Steady offered up a mixture of original material with a steady diet of covers too, including a fantastic take on Bob Dylan’s It’s all Over Now, Baby Blue.
Toronto’s Julian Taylor Band followed with a blistering hour-long set of funk and fun as the crowd started to settle in for the evening ahead.
Rock radio legend Kim Mitchell, whose 2013 appearance was hindered by voice problems, shot the audience to its collective feet with a collection of iconic Canadian songs from his days as both a solo artist and front-man for Max Webster, topped by Go For a Soda and Patio Lanterns, his two best-known tunes.
Montreal’s Sam Roberts Band was the penultimate act of the evening, dishing out an hour-long set filled with familiar hits like the catchy Bridge to Nowhere, the equally fun We’re All in This Together and Brother Down, the song that launched Roberts’ solo career.
Blues Fest continues on Saturday, the music starting at noon, a day topped by the highly anticipated Thunder Bay return of the Barenaked Ladies.
