Tangerine Dream

As 40 km/h winds welcomed the Ottawa Bluesfest back to the picturesque LeBreton Flats, it seemed nary impossible for festivalgoers to forget the disastrous ending that bestowed last year's event. Playing a late afternoon set, Krautrock pioneers Tangerine Dream -- featuring founding member Edgar Froese alongside four much younger (in this case, mostly 40-something) musicians -- helped christen the Main Stage. Playing in front of a sun-drenched, diluted light show, Froese, along with longtime member Linda Spa and recent addition Thorsten Quaeschning, looked rather stoic behind their matching synth and programming setups, leaving the animated percussionist Iris Camaa and writhing guitarist Bernhard Beibl as the show's only focal points. Focusing on their new age and soundtrack-based material from the '80s and '90s, Tangerine Dream kept their performance digestible, forward-moving and drenched in effects, all the while coming off sterile and naff, making the show more Trans-Siberian Orchestra than Ash Ra Tempel.