Ottawa Bluesfest

It's a sad thing that an issue between 'standers' and 'sitters' has taken over the spotlight with regards to the happenings at this festival. A festival is supposed to be a celebration and how one chooses to celebrate should certainly be a matter of choice, but a little bit of courtesy to your neighbours goes a long way. When I've listened to the media coverage for a short period every morning on the radio, this issue has been forefront, and the part has been missing is the celebration of the music, the art, and the camaraderie that can quickly develop between festival goers who are enjoying great music. There are a great deal of positives that aren't getting out there. I've had numerous conversations with people that I would have never met as we looked on at the musicians in admiration. There are also many other issues associated with such a large event.

I haven't heard anything in the media about: pot smoking, getting excessively drunk and spending 30 min. groping one's girlfriend, chatting loudly all the way through a concert, or smoking a pipe and blowing the smoke directly in your neighbours face. These are all things that I've witnessed at this years bluesfest and they are certainly things that I could do without, but I accept that when you stick a whole bunch of people in big pen, there is bound to be differences of opinion about what is good festival etiquette. Other people just don't seem to care about the enjoyment of others as long as their own enjoyment isn't compromised. In my eyes, this is where the problem lies.

When I was a young boy, my mother taught me what her mother taught her. That is, that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's a simple bit of wisdom that I think encapsulates the notion of common courtesy. I would suggest that in the absence of many peoples mother at the festival, maybe the festival could adopt a 'festival mother' or better yet a 'festival grandmother' to remind people of these things before some of the events that are expected to be a little crazy. I'm sure the White Stripes wouldn't mind.

As it is now, I'm very much enjoying the festival,