“Canada, I’ve got a question for you, do we have any country girls out there?” Ella Langley asked the sold-out Ottawa Bluesfest audience on Friday, July 17, 2026.
On a day packed with an array of musically diverse talent, the largest roar from LeBreton Flats Park came when the Alabama songstress took the stage.
“My name is Ella Langley and thank-you so much for showing up to my set tonight,” she told the audience.
“I put out a brand new record a few months ago. We’re going to be playing a lot of songs off that new record and some off the old ones. If you know the words to any of them feel free to sing along, we are at a concert, don’t you forget it,” she said.
Langley opened her show with the title track off her latest album, Dandelion, and went on to perform 11 songs from the record during her 16-song set.
“When I was writing this last record I was thinking a lot about the live show,” she told the crowd. “I’ve always wanted to put on shows, concerts. They’ve been my favourite thing since I’ve ever had a favourite thing.”
Langley added: “I’ve opened a lot of shows at this point. I love when you see an artist have the crowd in the palm of their hand. There is nothing better, I promise you.”
Before performing “You & Me Time,” Langley engaged the audience while addressing the size of the crowd taking in her set.
“I knew I needed a song to kind’ve gauge how we’re doing,” she said. “So, I like to put it in the middle of my set. I like to see how loud the crowd can get. I think there is about 40,000 people here tonight, so I’d say we can get pretty damn loud.”
Slowly starting the song, she invited fans to join in.
“I’m going to split this up,” she said. “I’m going to let the fellas have a moment. And then I’m going to let the ladies have a moment. And then we’re going to sing it all together, just so we know what we’re doing, then the song is gonna start.”
Langley’s Dandelion Tour continues across the United States until the end of October 2026.
Photo credit: Greg Kolz