Sheryl Crow paid tribute to a fellow Bluesfest performer during her Friday, July 17 set, telling the crowd she had become a fan of Ottawa favourites Angine de Poitrine after catching their earlier performance.
“So the last band that was out here, which is very big in Ottawa. I don’t know how to say their name, but I am going to do the deep dive. They effing rock. Oh my God,” Crow told the audience, making a triangle shape with her hands above her head, a gesture associated with the band.
“I’m gonna just do this all the way back to America. Okay?” she added, repeating the gesture.
“Anyway, I love them. They’re my new favourite band. Do I have to be able to speak French to say their name? No, I don’t, do I? Well, I’m gonna learn it,” Crow said.
Crow walked out to the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up,” wearing a jean jacket emblazoned with a Canadian maple leaf on the sleeve and a larger maple leaf across the back, paired with jeans in a nod to the Canadian tuxedo.
The singer touched on Canada-U.S. relations during the set, referencing her own family’s interest in the country.
“I thought Canada was going to become a state of America? Meanwhile, my kids are like, Mom, why do you keep looking at real estate in Canada? Anyway… we’re so happy to be here. It just feels good,” Crow said.
She reworked the lyrics to her hit “All I Wanna Do” for the Ottawa crowd, singing, “This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no country club either. This is Ottawa.”
Crow also shared a personal motto with the audience partway through the show.
“This happens to be my motto. Every day is a winding road,” she said.
Before introducing a new song, Crow checked in with the crowd and asked them to reflect on the people in their lives.
“We appreciate you guys jamming out and having fun… but I want to ask you, could you tolerate it if we play you a new song? Do you have plenty of water? Or, as importantly, do you have plenty of beer for this next one? This song really is an answer to how I’ve been feeling. Does everybody have somebody they love that is there for them? That’s all I want to know. Raise your hand if you are not alone in the world. Okay, I love that. This is called ‘Pick You Up,'” Crow said.
The new song is set to be the title track of Crow’s upcoming album, due out Oct. 9, 2026.
Photo credit: Greg Kolz