Traffic crawls towards Belongil Fields slower than a turtle in reverse, robbing me of a chance to catch Alabama 3 on Bluesfest Sunday. Along with Ben Harper’s misleadingly titled Relentless 7, this band has more members than their name suggests.

My trusty Bluesfest veteran informants opine that the acoustic version of Alabama 3 (known for throwing acid house into the mix) played fairly pedestrian redneck country. Admittedly though that was half the appeal for me, having only heard their track Woke Up This Morning as The Sopranos theme song. (Perhaps a HBO stage next year?).

So for all my good intentions, the first act I catch is Eugene – œHideaway’ Bridges, and what a way to get started. Dressed in a distinctive red-tassled jacket the man is a commanding presence on the sprawling Crossroads stage, as is his gut-punching southern blues. The nomadic American spends quality time in Australia and has pulled together some of this country’s finest blues musicians as his backing band.

Special mention to modern Zydeco innovator and all round nice guy Terrance Simien who handed out fake pearls and assigned washboard playing duties to his lady fans.

Eric Bibb presents a more contemporary take on Eugene – œHideaway’ Bridges’ regal fashion and rocking musical trajectory at the intimate – and packed – Jambalaya stage. Touting his trademark white hat and aching gospel blues, Bibb has been raved about as a must see after his riveting performance at a later timeslot on Saturday. The gentle propulsion of brushed snare and a capella breakdown of Get On Board is a set highlight.

Camping and navigating aren’t my forte, so when I hit the bar via the obscurely located media tent I momentarily think Tim Finn is blowing my mind from the Jambalaya stage. Wrong. I’m at Crossroads and Blues Traveler are in fact the radical band in question. These hard hitting New Yorkers have my neck bobbed out of alignment by set’s end.

Stories abound of Dan Sultan ’s ego but whatever their validity, this guy has the skills to back it up. Skills… and six incredible band mates who bring out the best incarnations of Sultan’s songwriting muscle. Adept at chilled generic reggae, it’s Sultan’s surprising take on James Brown soul with touches of rockabilly and vocally melodic country that really sees him shine. Some sound issues plague their set but the band is tight and wouldn’t be out of place on a bill with The Bamboos, Sharon Jones, or Neil Young for that matter.

Following Sultan’s leg and tambourine shaking antics on the InDIG stage are the rocking Banawurun. The makeshift billboard that proclaims their set two hours later than scheduled is a raw deal, but so is having a competing timeslot with Paul Kelly. The formidable vocal duo Troy and Trevlyn Brady are backed by a bunch of kicking Brisbane musicians.

The Drive By Truckers play their own show as well as moonlighting as Booker T Jones ’ festival band. The big man’s absence isn’t too conspicuous as they deliver an Alabama Ass Whuppin’ of newer tracks interspersed with material from their hilariously named back catalogue Gangstabilly, Pizza Deliverance and Southern Rock Opera.

Lucinda Williams winds down the day’s top notch Crossroads program with her magnificent slow burning country rock songcraft. Her voice is both silken and rough on tracks from albums Little Honey and Car Wheels On A Gravel Road and her band’s performance falls nothing short of mesmerizing.