It’s all over for another year.
In a couple of days, the stages, the fences and the booths will be gone from LeBreton Flats. All that will be left are the memories.
And for the 350,000 people who attended the 2009 edition of Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, what great memories they were.
From KISS — the biggest show in Bluesfest’s 16-year history — to Saturday night’s Lynyrd Skynyrd to last night’s the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the festival was a huge success, said executive and artistic director Mark Monahan.
The weather threatened, but it actually turned out quite well, said Monahan. “The crowds came out despite the forecast.”
The highlight of the festival, of course, was last week’s KISS show, which an estimated 35,000 people attended.
“It was the biggest show we’ve done, production-wise, and it went extremely well,” said Monahan.
“There was a real buzz in the city, and it was certainly the place to be Wednesday night.”
Overall attendance was great, he said. While Lynyrd Skynyrd brought in a huge crowd Saturday, the “frenzied” crowds went wild for singer Paolo Nutini on Friday and Ludacris put “an amazing” show Saturday, Monahan said.
Bluesfest increased its number of venues this year, with a free series in the ByWard Market and a show at the LeBreton Gallery.
“It’s important to influence people to stay here and take their vacation here,” Monahan said.
