Grey skies can’t stop the blues

The fifth annual West Island Blues Festival rocked on well into the night on Saturday.

“We got so many calls before, asking if it was cancelled. But the rain held up,” said Dollard des Ormeaux councillor and Blues Fest organizer Errol Johnson of the severe thunderstorm warning put out by Environment Canada Saturday morning. “But it was a tremendous success.”

Following a set by Johnson (2) and his band, the Chris and Errol Blues Band, kicked off the festival’s official opening. Late Night Blues (1), the Don Gunn Band (3), and Dawn Tyler Watson (4) were also among the festival’s line-up, which kept toes tapping and heads nodding past midnight.

Everyone from West Island families to Montreal celebrities like Justin Trudeau (5) could be seen in the diverse crowd, as they listened to music that covered everything from blues, country, rock, and even a bit of reggae. The food tents also attracted their fair share of people looking to sample hot dogs, Jamaican patties, jerk chicken, and, of course, some cold drinks. Donations collected throughout the day are going towards the West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped and a number of local black community organizations.

“I have to say, so far I love it,” said Avrun Oppenhein from Côte St. Luc, as he watched the Chris and Errol Blues Band with his wife, son, and a friend. “I hope we come back next year.”