By Marc DesRosiers

This was the night Canadian rockers took over Bluesfest.

As the sun settled for the evening, the sound of guitar riffs took over the night with Montreal’s Sam Roberts and his band playing a high energy set  to a capacity crowd at the Claridge stage. A consummate artist and multiple Juno winner, Roberts always plays his heart out. Returning to perform at Bluesfest, it is evident that he has a large following in Ottawa which appears to grow with each performance.

Sam Roberts performs on the Claridge Stage at the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, ON, CAN on July 12th, 2012

Saskatoon’s Sheepdogs filled the River stage and played to an enthusiastic crowd that included surfers and stage crashers dancing on stage for there 15 minutes of fame. The Sheepdogs celebrated their moment in the limelight a while back, when they landed on the cover of  Rolling Stones magazine. Their light however, continues to shine as they perform a classic rock and roll revival showcase reminiscent of days gone by. The band has been touring extensively  following their JUNO win for  Rock Album of the Year, Best New Group, and Single of the Year . Their set showed a penchant for for fuzz-driven guitar rock that sat well with the crowd that grew as the evening went on. John Mellencamp ended his set early , enabling the folks at the Main Stage to make their way over and catch the end of a spectacular performance by the Sheepdogs, who played from their repertoire including songs from the 2010 album Learn & Burn, their EP Five Easy Pieces released in 2011, and some material from the latest album scheduled for release in September.

This will surely go down as one of the best night of the 2012 edition of the festival.

The Sheepdogs perform at the RBC Royal Bank Bluesfest at LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, ON, CAN on July 12th, 2012