Nothing's the same again after Byron Bay

The crowd at the Mojo stage during the 24th Annual Byron Bay Bluesfest. Photo: Edwina Pickles

When I got home from the Byron Bay Blues fest I had the opportunity to wear the cap I bought to remind me of the occasion. And then my dog found it. Which is code for he chewed through the brim like it was a kangaroo tail. To find the bright side, as I always need try to do when such annoying little events happen, I have come up with a way to accept this not uncommon event. And that is to mount that cap on a wall, as a representation and reminder of what Blues Fest 2013 did to me. Because you see, in many ways it chewed me up and left me half the man I thought I was. Though in the processes, the kind of elevation that only art can bring has transformed my bag of bones into a new breed of super punter.

You see, Byron Bay Blues Fest is a mother ship, a universe, a massive playground for humanity to descend upon and gyrate and hand clap and stand for hours, or sit back in a reclining chair. There is a massive amount of energy that goes into absorbing everything on offer. In fact, as I learnt a couple of days into the jam packed program, you are actually not supposed to get involved in everything. First off, you pretty much can’t, just like at any festival – the program never lets you see all of everyone on show. And secondly – you’d be a fool to try. Instead, like a wine taster wandering a gallery of wines, your best bet is to take things slowly, and drink only as much as you are able to sustain. However, just as I do at wine tastings, I went overboard more than a little at this event and found myself swaggering home most evenings drunk from the last few hours of being rocked.

What you are getting up there is a premium festival, opening up a universe of headline acts that could never before have existed on one exceptional bill. Robert Plant, Bonny Raitt, Paul Simon, Santana, Status Quo, Chris Isaak, Steve Miller Band, Roger Hodgson, Jon Anderson, Ben Harper. Or how about the Blind Boys of Alabama, the ineffable Rodriguez, Seth Lakeman, the minx that is Grace Potter (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals), or The Lumineers, whose career is at an amazing peak right now.

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