On Friday night, Buffalonians were treated to a spectacular performance last night at the 2nd Annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, by the first lady of Rock & Roll, Wanda Jackson. Immediately after screening the documentary “The Sweet Lady With The Nasty Voice”, Jackson answered questions from the audience ranging from her recording days, to her religious conversion to song requests.
Funny, reflective and always smiling, Jackson was a magnificent performer, and packaged her entire set of country, rockabilly, and gospel songs into a timeline of her life. Modern day musicians could learn a bit from performers like Jackson—leaving the crowded Erie Ballroom at the Adam’s Mark hotel Friday night, you felt like you knew Jackson, and not just because of the accessibility, and quality of her music. The audience came closer to knowing her through her story, even if you missed the documentary.
At a few points in the night, people began to dance in the small aisles of chairs, and it was difficult to not be dancing along, standing for the encore with the rest of the die-hard rockabilly fans in the room. Much like other nights at the festival—opening night and Thursday’s Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Day—the Music Day’s festivities brought together disparate elements from the fabric of Buffalo, to experience the story of a legend of American music, through performance, and of course, film. Bringing communities together has been a staple of the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival’s success this year, and I am sure that success will continue though the last day of the festival.
The BNFF closes out its run Saturday night, with the awards banquet, as 23 films are screened throughout the day. hosted by Toronto based voice artist Tony Daniels (X-men, Braceface), the banquet starts at 8:00 PM in the Adam’s Mark Grand Ballroom. The event is formal, and tickets are available to purchase online.
For more information on the 2nd Annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival, including schedules, venues and prices, check out buffaloniagarafilmfestival.com. Keep visiting Buffalo Rising throughout the week for updates and spotlights on events during the festival! Photos in this article are courtesy of Brian Grinham.
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