Bluesfest moves Angine de Poitrine to main stage as band's viral momentum explodes

The wildly popular Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine will move to the RBC Main stage at Bluesfest on July 17, joining a bill already featuring country queen Ella Langley and classic rocker Sheryl Crow in what is expected to be one of the festival's biggest nights.

Bluesfest director Mark Monahan said the meteoric rise of Angine de Poitrine compelled the shift to the biggest stage, which also provides the most room for spectators. The band had been scheduled for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ottawa Stage in the middle slot, ahead of Death From Above 1979.

In the months between booking and performance, Angine went viral. A performance video spotlighting their polka-dot costumes and prog-rock swagger spread widely. They sold out a string of Quebec club dates, including a stop at Gatineau's Bar Minotaur. The fever shows no signs of letting up: their free June 27 performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival attracted so many people that organizers closed the site more than an hour before showtime, declaring it full. It was reported to be the festival's biggest crowd since Stevie Wonder in 2009.

Ticket sales are brisk across the festival, which runs over two extended weekends between July 9 and 19 at LeBreton Flats Park on the grounds of the Canadian War Museum. Monahan said sales are strong for Cody Johnson on opening night, Limp Bizkit on July 10, and the Lumineers on July 12. Several shows are on track to sell out in advance, with ballpark estimates of 30,000 to 35,000 each night.

In anticipation of the crowds, the site has been reconfigured, with food vendors shifted to the overflow area on Kichi Zībī Mīkan. They remain on site but no longer occupy prime real estate in the main concert bowl. "We want to maximize the experience for everybody," Monahan said, "and it didn't really make sense to have them in the prominent spot they were, right when you come in the gates."