Saturday Headliner Bryan Wilson Is Exactly What the Feast Needed

I have been waiting years for an act like this to come to the Feast.

On Saturday night at the 105th Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, the shoulder-to-shoulder-packed Feast grounds were absolutely electrifying.

The moment I got word from a good friend of mine that Bryan Wilson (not to be confused with the original founder of The Beach Boys) was flying in from Lisbon to perform Saturday night, I was speechless. Wilson is a Portuguese artist with millions of views on YouTube and is one of the top 10 hottest recording artists in Europe right now.

His summertime vibing/chill/energetic/all-around party sounding music was a refreshing change for the Feast. Most importantly, it was Portuguese music! I'm all about the Feast, but I especially go for Portuguese music, the folklore dancing and, of course, the Portuguese food.

I had been in contact with Wilson a couple of weeks before his show and got to really know who he is and what he stands for. Trust me when I say, his character speaks volumes and his music can back that statement up.

Minutes before hitting the main stage on Saturday, I sat down with Wilson in his trailer for a little one-on-one interview:

As I left his trailer, I thought about how the crowd was going to react to a much different type of act than the Feast was used to. Was the Feast ready for this type of energy? What happened next set the tone of Wilson's performance as he was introduced to the main stage:

Admittedly, the crowd's reaction didn't take right away, but Wilson was just getting warmed up. Next thing you know, the crowd was jumping to the beat and waving their hands back and forth along with Wilson and the chemistry was absolutely wild.

Something tells me that this could be a very good thing for the Feasts in the near future. I honestly felt as though I was at a stadium concert with thousands of people living their best lives. After all, isn't that what the Feast is all about? People coming together to celebrate ALL aspects of Portuguese culture and on Saturday night. Wilson, in my honest opinion, set the bar high.

PS: Shoutout to the Entertainment Chairman of the 105th Feast, Jeff Coutinho, and everyone else who was involved for bringing in such a refreshing act that rocked New Bedford and kept the roots of Portuguese culture alive and well with a modern flair.