Musical Chairs...

Day three of Bluesfest. This will be a two parter...

Plant vs. Pop

I want to talk about the choices we make because tonight I am faced with a big one:

Deciding between Robert Plant and Iggy Pop at the festival.

Some of you will say "Ha! Zepplin all the way man!".

Others "Iggy and the Stooges! Keeping it real!".

More of you might perhaps invoke that horribly ubiquitous phrase 'first world problems'. And let's face it there's nothing particularly dire about which rock legend I choose to listen to tonight. Except that there is...

Our choices large or small are the sum of ourselves. Robert Frost illustrates the importance of our decisions in his immortal lines:

"I took the one less travelled by,

and that has made all the difference."* 

When we invoke the mantra of 'first world problems' we feel perhaps that we are honouring those people in the world less fortunate than ourselves. But our narcissistic navel gazing does nothing to improve the lot of anyone; first, third (or second) world. Acknowledging the developing/developed divide does nothing to address it.

Perhaps instead of seeking a self-pitying ego boost, we could consider how our decisions impact on others and the world around us. Robert Plant actively supports charities involved in cancer research, animal welfare and supporting the education of underprivileged kids. Iggy Pop is involved with charities supporting at-risk kids, breast cancer research and music.

Which one do I go see? I'll let you know when I finish the blog tonight...
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Part Two...

So I cheated; checking out a little of Plant then a little of Pop before finally settling on Robert Cray. But after listening to Allen Toussaint in the afternoon I realised I was already getting more than my fair share of musical genius. It was easy in the end and I loved finishing of the night with some blues.

There was never going to be a big dilemma. I got a little preachy up there because I hate it when people trivialize an issue. Making something out of nothing (first world problems man!) then ignoring the hard stuff disrespects us all.

While I'm up here at the festival I'm going to check out some awesome tunes, talk to some people and check out some causes. Like the Orangutan Project, or Playing For Change. These guys take the opportunity of a gathering like Bluesfest and spread a little awareness of social justice issues to people who might otherwise miss them. See this was never just about the music; it was about how the music always connects to the bigger stuff in our lives...

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* Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken'