Who is Bluesfest’s secret performer? Country star Jelly Roll

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Bluesfest is adding an extra day to the program to accommodate a last-minute booking by Jelly Roll, a Grammy-nominated country-hip hop artist who puts on a “great live show,” said Mark Monahan, executive and artistic director of Ottawa’s biggest summer music festival.

It will be the Nashville artist’s first concert in Canada, and a sign of his increasing fame. The artist born Jason Bradley DeFord has been on a roll ever since his breakthrough song, Son of a Sinner, made it to the top of the charts in 2023.

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Jelly Roll will play the festival on July 9, with an opening set by Shabouzey, another catchy hip hop-country act from Nashville. That day was originally intended to be one of the two dark days during this year’s festival, which starts July 4 and runs until July 14 on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park.

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Monahan said the date was not being held for any reason other than to give staff and volunteers a two-day break in the middle of the fest.

“We didn’t have any specific plans but when this came up, we thought ‘Geez, we could do this and it would complement the whole summer event,’” he said.

“The reality is that everything is there,” he added. “The stage is there and all the infrastructure so it’s not like mounting a concert in a field on a random night. There is some economy of scale and it gives us a chance to take advantage of the opportunity we’ve been given.”

Monahan said the festival’s programming team had been negotiating with Jelly Roll last fall, but the routing didn’t work out. But when his management decided they wanted to add an excursion into Canada, Bluesfest was at the top of the list.

“They came back to us about six weeks ago, and said, ‘Look, we’d really love to come to Canada. Could you do it at Bluesfest?’”, Monahan said. “We felt it was a great opportunity for us and we didn’t want to miss out. What I love about it is it just seems to be a great show. We’re confident there’s going to be some interest.”

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Part of the reason for wanting to play Bluesfest was the guarantee of a built-in audience of thousands who have already bought full-festival passes. For them, the additional day will come at no extra cost.

It was also important to Jelly Roll to keep ticket prices affordable for fans who don’t have Bluesfest passes. A July 9 day pass will be $50, Monahan said, or $35 if purchased as part of a three-show package. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday at ottawabluesfest.frontgatetickets.com.

Contrary to some speculation, the show was not added to boost ticket sales. Monahan says the festival is already on track to have “if not the best, then certainly the second-best year we’ve ever had” in terms of sales.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival Monahan co-founded in 1994. Headlining the birthday party is a slate of headliners that includes rock legend Neil Young and his classic band, Crazy Horse, hip hop heavyweight 50 Cent, Can-rockers Nickelback, Moves Like Jagger entertainers Maroon 5, glam metal outfit Mötley Crüe, country troubadour Tyler Childers and more.

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The music takes place on three outdoor stages and one inside the museum’s Barney Danson Theatre, plus two areas for DJs, the Accora Village Spin Stage and the Crazy Horse Saloon, a new feature of the setup.

Last year’s Bluesfest was a record-setting year. With an expanded site, good weather and a program that saw single tickets to three of the festival’s nine nights sell out in advance, the 2023 edition was the biggest iteration in its almost 30-year history. In all, more than 300,000 people attended.

The three sell-outs were Shania Twain’s opening-night country-pop romp, the Foo Fighters’ blues-busting workout and a bombastic Saturday-night bash with Pitbull and Ludacris.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com

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