For one metal fan, Bluesfest was enjoyed from a bit of a different angle after he was invited on stage by Friday night’s headliner, Alexisonfire.
Kyle Humphrey, who uses a wheelchair, began his night at the festival watching The Offspring with some friends, who lifted him up into the air.
“I didn’t even want to crowd-surf,” said Humphrey, adding that his friends promised him they would keep him in one place if they lifted him.
After The Offspring finished their set, Alexisonfire began theirs a short time later, and again, Humphrey’s friends lifted him in the air, though this time he caught the attention of the band’s vocalist, Dallas Green.
Green then spoke to his stagehand, who spoke to the pit crew, who found Humphrey and said to him the six words he’d never thought he’d hear: “Dallas Green wants you on stage.”
“It was one of those experiences you just never forget,” said Humphrey. “And in that moment, I forgot every Alexisonfire song ever.”
As Alexisonfire performed their song We Are the Sound, Humphrey rocked out with a band he’d been listening to since he was a kid.
“I’m just so thankful to the band,” he said.
Humphrey, who works in promotions with the Ottawa Senators, has another passion besides rock music. He’s also a public speaker who advocates for accessibility in the city and mentors others in his position through his organization No Such Thing As Can’t.
“It’s something my mom always used to say,” said Humphrey. “Whenever I was doing something like making my bed, which is already difficult but even more when you have to sit on it, and I’d say: ‘Mom, I can’t do it,’ she’d always say: ‘There’s no such thing as can’t.'”
Through No Such Thing As Can’t, Humphrey mentors others to convince them to never give up on their dreams.
“I want them to see me as the guy who crowd-surfed, not the guy who couldn’t get up the stairs,” he said.
He has also worked to increase accessibility in the city, particularly with Paratranspo, which he says has a long way to go when it comes to getting those in need where they need to go.
Humphrey says the last few days have been a whirlwind, and his phone has been blowing up with messages of support. He says he’s even been recognized in public thanks to his time on stage.