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melisa-may-taylor72 · 5 years

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Queen In Argentina -“Pelo” Magazine- March 1981 (28th February, 1981 Concert’s Review) Part 1

“Thanks to Queen, now everybody knows that...We are the champions” (This is a reference to the Football World Cup 1978, celebrated and won by Argentina).

Many will never know. Some media (enthralled by the light of the spectacularity) will prefer the superficial, will diffuse tons of empty shells. They will say for example that the 28th of February 1981 was "the great night of Queen", that they put on "a show", that "it was an explosion of the most modern technology."

Some of that is likely to be part of the truth. But what no one will say, what they won't want to know is that Queen's tour is the definitive and irreversible triumph of rock and its audience in Argentina. And that they know the two hundred thousand people who made this tour possible and the one hundred of thousands who will live their circumstances. In each of these hearts, with that heartbeat that is so close to the essence of rock, the certainty and conviction grew that through Queen now everyone will know - even if they don't recognize it - that "We are the champions".

This rock music and this romantic audience that loves it, that were ignored, bastardized and mistreated by the big media for years and years, which were relegated from broadcasting, who endured the nicknames of “music-noise” and "deaf”, can not stop watching with a smile the madness of the press: the television trying to "capture the show", the newspapers and the weeklies "dead" with the art of Queen, the radios screaming "Queen” and “rock and roll” all over the air. Isn't it very touching to see all the big ones marveling at rock? But everything is fine. Let's open the way, let's just let the newcomers feel the embrace of joy, of love and of the avant-garde of this music. Let's be proud and let's enjoy a little vanity to have been right: Let's forgive them.

🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

The Arrival

Surely not even the promoters of Queen's arrival to Argentina themselves, had an exact dimension of what the group's visit was going to provoke in the country. Since the very moment of their arrival, the band provoked a popular commotion like never had happened with any artist before.

The first symptom of this situation manifested itself on the day of Queen’s arrival to Ezeiza International Airport. There it congregated several hundred of fans of the band and more than thirty others television journalists, newspapers and magazines from the capital and the interior.

Since very early the enthusiastic followers nervously waited for the arrival of their favorite group. carrying posters, banners, magazines. or simply a photo of Queen. The tension grew as time went by, accentuated when it became obvious that the band would arrive with almost an hour of delay.

Half an hour before the arrival of the flight that brought Queen from Rio de Janeiro, the journalists were lead to the VIP lounge where they could make their first contact with the band. Outside the hall, the public was struggling to get in, and there were some scenes of nervousness that didn't get any bigger. With faces fatigued from tiredness. John Deacon. Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May made their entry in that order. After pose for the photographers they agreed to make some statements regarding the trip and expectations for the concerts.

Three girls, who skillfully managed to circumvent the surveillance (with the final assent of the organizer), couldn't repress the emotion that the moment woke in them, and one of them had a nervous breakdown that end up in grief stricken crying.

The same scenes were repeated in the airport’s hall. Those who had seen the musicians talked in the face of the ecstatic gaze of others. The quartet then dive into a caravan of cars waiting for them at the edge of the track, and they left to downtown.

🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

The Making

Exactly a week before Queen came onstage, the setting up of the giant stage that hosted them during their three performances in Buenos Aires. Aires began. On Monday, a hundred people began to work in the stadium, including English, American and Argentine technicians and assistants. Slowly, like an immense tower of Babel, they began to erect the structures that would prop up the gigantic stage. Using three mobile cranes they set up each of the stages to build the roof of the stage. In the middle of the week, the impression was that the day of the first concert was going to come quite tightly, partly because of the delay in the arrival of some teams, and also because of the embarrassing heat that was registered in those days.

Friday was the day of the band’s arrival, and the huge stage was already mounted in its totality. In the early hours of the night, the group arrive at the stadium for a television interview. Immediately they went to the playing field to check the state of the works personally, but they had to take shelter when the storm began . Shaking off a few drops of rain May told us: “I hope it won't be like in England, because back there when it starts..."

With great haste all attendees covered the equipments with large pieces of plastic, and avoided taking contact with the equipment that was connected. Saturday dawned cool, and the first lights of the morning surprised a group of technicians who worked all night. Everything had to be ready for the dress rehearsal at mid-afternoon. And so it was. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Queen came up and checked sound and effects, especially the operation of the seven hydraulic cranes that make up the main lighting system. Very tired, but satisfied, the roadies enjoyed a well-deserved break in the sun. Rarely surprising was the effectiveness and precision with which all the members of the technical crew worked on this real clockwork machine that is Queen.

On Saturday afternoon, Queen checked sound for almost an hour and a half. The group arrived at the stadium at 14:45 and immediately set to work alongside their assistants and sound engineers. The check began with a series of percussive passages by Taylor and continued with May's scores. So on were testing every single one of the instruments and microphones, for then play "Save Me”, "Death On Two Legs", "Play The Game” and "Love Of My Life."

After each song, the band gave instructions to their assistants regarding the details to be adjusted. Taylor was especially concerned about his vocal team and May about his acoustic guitar. During the sound check, the volume of the tape that plays the operatic voices of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was also adjusted. Once Deacon, May, Taylor and Mercury were pleased with all the technical aspects (including the theatrical effects, which were also checked), they retired to recognize the dressing rooms and then returned to the hotel.

@moviestorian, @39-brian, @mephisto92, @crosmopolitan, @an-abyss-called-life, @x5vale, @i-live-for-queen, @godknowsimtaylored, @toomuchlove-willkillyou, @his-majesty-king-mercury, @natromanxoff, @wirkmood, @ylly22, @brimaymay, @fridarogerina @funnydressesweirdhairanddance, @old-fashioned-roger-boy, @70srog, @briianmaay, @l-over-bo-y @inui-mycroft, @denimmay, @deacytits, @iminlovewithrogscar, @rogue-roger, @totallynerdstuff, @roger-taylors-car, @hiyadarlingirl, @maryfree, @drowseoftaylor, @brianmayislongaway, @whitequeenofrhye, @brianmayoucease, @jesus-in-a-life-boat , @aslongasthereismusic, @roger-taylors-car, @ohmybribri, @sassymaylor, @silapril, @petriwhore, @bhmay, @brianmayay, @sunset-shimmer-may, @brianmydear, @king-brianmays-queen, @bribrifrenchfry

#Queen #Argentina 1981 #Review #Pelo Magazine

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dancal13 · 5 years

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Day 2 – So Much Music, So Much Wine

Quick Disclaimer: Suzy and I both love live music, which is awesome as music has always meant a lot to me. And now Jack, Bailey and Megan are all into music - so I am still learning about and loving new music, while keeping up with past favorites. But I have grown to hate large crowds (might even be a phobia for the small-minded person - meaning me). So, we pay attention to all the small venues in Seattle and see a lot of up and coming bands as well as lot of bands that are past their prime. Pretty cool on the whole, but what we miss out on is the big tours, the bands in the their prime, for example U2’s most recent stadium tour. Not a chance that I would go to that even though I love U2. But Susan is clever and not one to give up on something she wants to do. As I mentioned in the Prologue a couple of years ago our friends the Wilbur’s mentioned BottleRock and Susan had her in. Combining and weaving my love for music with my addiction and love for red wine into her sales pitch. The opportunity to see the Red Hot Chile Peppers (never seen by me) and hang in Napa Valley. I was low hanging fruit. (Sorry not such quick disclaimer after all)

And here we are…

We woke up Sunday morning to a chill and the threat of rain and thunder (could be song lyrics). Much different than our previous visits, where our fears mostly included sunburn and 100-degree weather. No rain gear, no worries – Susan doesn’t believe in General Admission, that is so bourgeois. We are VIP Baby and VIP gets you shelter, nice bathrooms, shorter food and drink lines and an obvious sense of superiority. This of course could easily be disproved, but it’s our story, so stick it. Our friends the Robbs (Jill and John) flew in early that morning and met us for breakfast prior to rocking out. As true festival goers our breakfast included eggs benedict, smoked salmon-arugula-egg flatbread, Belgium waffles with fresh a bananas and a ham-gruyere omelet, obviously the breakfast of music rebels everywhere.

From there we dropped off the muscle car, its head banging purpose complete and left for the festival. As we arrived the clouds opened, and we again questioned our attire. We watched in utter horror as umbrellas were collected at the gate and tossed into waiting garbage cans - NOT ALLOWED. But we were quickly reminded who we were.

We were VIP and loving every minute of it. First Stop, I know hard to guess, the bar and wait, you guessed it a covered area looking over the main stage. We would never be anything but damp again as each big stage had a covered area waiting for us.

We had been here before, the covered area previously acted as shade, apparently it can serve two purposes. With wine and cocktails in hand we quickly worked our strategy. In the two years since we had last attended there were some improvements to VIP. The first being that they had set aside a huge portion of the field in front of the stage for those of us who wanted to see the performers up close. More on that later.

We headed back to the food and drink areas set aside for our elite status, which included some pretty awesome restaurants and drink options and an acoustic lounge, that featured performers who were finished with their sets or still yet to perform. These quick and intimate performances lasted about 4 to 6 songs, with a much smaller crowd, maybe a 150 people at its largest. Pretty cool. Just a quick note: though we didn’t take advantage of this (or get taken advantage of by this) there was a booth selling very high-end CUPS of wines. I wish I would have taken a picture of the menu for posterity. You could get a small “plastic cup” of Joseph Phelps Insignia for a mere $72. It is here where we were quickly reminded that though we were VIP Special, we were way, way less special than the VIP Platinum attendees.

After some food and drink and an acoustic set or two, we ventured out to the main stage to see Skylar Grey. My only knowledge of her was when we received the first set of promotional materials and I was scrolling through the various artists; I was stopped by the picture of her legs. See the accompanying picture 😊. Apparently, she is a singer songwriter known more for songs that she has written for more famous artists, she is also currently a local of Napa and a big fan of wine, maybe we will hangout some time. The first song performed was a song she wrote for Puff Daddy, P Diddy or whatever his current name is. She had a fantastic voice, tons of tats, and yes great legs.

We stayed for 4 or 5 songs, grabbed some fun pictures, and text-taunted our friends the Wilbur’s who went for multiple days and did GA, while hosting one of their daughter, a nephew and other young friends (as mentioned, VIP access got us pretty close to the stage)

Next stop the Firefox stage to see Gang of Youths. If you have been to a music festival, typically you will come across a band you do not know, know only one song, or maybe know a few and their performance far exceeds your expectations - You are now a fan! In the past I have had that reaction to Coleman Hell, New Politics, Odesza – this year it was Gang of Youths, sorry for the bad pic, I have video, but not quite sure how to embed. They were rockers from Australia, and the lead singer and guitarist looked like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, so Suzy enjoyed them as well. Hmmmm… GoY vs GoT coincidence? I think not.

I was also able to capture this image during GoY, of the GA crowd behind me and my cup of cabernet. I almost felt sad for their existence. Then I took another sip of cabernet, enjoyed the music and all was forgotten.

We headed to the third of four stages to see the Teskey Bros, a blues band that Susan had become a fan of, but finally bumped into our friends Brian and Anne, pictured below drinking Frozés (yup rosé slushies)

and then stopped nearby for a quick visit to the Silent Disco. A huge dance floor where everyone is provided a set of headphones that are channeling 2 or 3 different DJs. Pretty funny to watch a bunch of people dancing together but to different music. On a channel that I wasn’t on, Don’t Stop Believing, by Journey was playing. Half of the audience/dancers were singing along and singing so loud that I couldn’t hear my headphones, it was time to go.

The Teskey brothers were good and we stayed for most of their set. We then made our way back to the main stage, the acoustic lounge and the food and beverage area in time for the evening set. This is where my funny wife stepped up. After getting an unsatisfactory pour of bubbles while I was receiving an abundant one, she decided to watch me during my next order. Again, I received above the line pours for both our drinks. Susan screamed; you are flirting with the guy working the bar. And then again yelled that I was flirting with the girl during our next stop. Obviously these days I don’t believe in gender labeling (thanks Megan for you guidance), so I just went about my business of flirting, I know right – I AM SO WOKE. The entertainment ensued from there as Suzy started making friends with people who had arrived early enough for seats, or spaces at the rails or just looked fun. After hanging a while with Suz, they would then offer their spaces to her as they left – by the end of the day we each had a role… Flirty WOKE Guy and Friendly “Who’s Your Buddy” Girl a match made in rock and roll festival heaven

Evening set: First up was Michael Franti and Spearhead. Seems like he performs every year at Bottlerock, and I’m not sure anyone has a better time doing so. We were near the stage, but when Michael Franti performs, that means you only get to see him up close for half the time. He is a bare foot performer who likes to wander out and sing in the crowd, and he does it well. This was the first performance we stayed at for the entire set.

It was nearly 8:30 now and our backs and legs were nearly spent, but the headliner “Mumford and Sons” took the stage. I’m a big fan of their music but was still surprised and awed by their performance. It was a bit harder than I expected, and they performed with so much energy it was great. I will find a way to see them again, probably multiple times.

It was a long day, and I was sore for a few days after standing and dancing for nearly ten hours. I’m am not interested in attending other festivals like Coachella, likely because they are not in Wine Country. I know snobbery right?

One insight I would like to share. If you are attending something like this and using a bankcard for drinks, check ahead of time with your bank, as we found out the hard way, that it looks suspicious if you make a bunch of small purchases in a day (food and drinks), in another state. The bank can and will freeze your card until the next day, or until you call them. The good news or easy solution is to carry cash or a second card. Learn from our mistakes.

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detroitsportspodcastblog · 5 years

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What you need to know - Rocket Mortgage Classic

By: DSP STAFF 6/26/19

Detroit (DSP) - As the PGA Tour’s inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic starts competition on Thursday, fans attending need to be aware of this pertinent information in order to enjoy the first PGA Tournament to take place in the City of Detroit.

PARKING

General spectator parking for the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be located at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, and fans will be shuttled to the main tournament entrance – making for a convenient and easy entrance to the event. Fans will enter the Fairgrounds on West State Fair Avenue between Woodward Avenue and John R Street and can then board a free shuttle to take them less than two miles to and from Detroit Golf Club. Parking prices at the Michigan State Fairgrounds will be $25 per day Thursday, June 27-Sunday, June 30. Attendees are encouraged to purchase parking online to simplify their entry into the event while also saving $5 on Tuesday-Sunday fees. Parking can be purchased online only as part of a ticket purchase.

The grass areas in Palmer Park where sponsors, partners and VIPs were scheduled to park will not be utilized due to the rainy weather this spring. Guests holding parking passes marked “Palmer Park A” or “Palmer Park B” will now park in a private VIP lot at the Michigan State Fairgrounds and should enter off Woodward Ave. between 8-Mile Rd. and State Fair Ave. VIPs will have dedicated, private luxury motor coach shuttles stocked with snacks and non-alcoholic drinks to take them on the two-mile route to the main entrance at Detroit Golf Club.

General parking will still be at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, with the entrance off West State Fair Avenue between Woodward Avenue and John R Street and shuttles provided to Detroit Golf Club.

Handicapped parking is located at the University of Detroit Mercy, with ADA accessible shuttles to and from Detroit Golf Club. Fans must have a handicap placard and ID that matches the placard to park in this lot.There is no public parking available on-site at Detroit Golf Club.

RIDESHARE

For those intending to use rideshare to get to and from the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the Palmer Park Community Building (1121 Merrill Plaisance Street, Detroit, MI 48203) is the tournament’s designated drop-off and pick-up location. Rideshare drivers will need to approach from the south via Woodward Ave., as Pontchartrain Blvd. is one-way only heading south.

PROHIBITED ITEMS, BAG POLICY & MOBILE DEVICE POLICY

Per PGA Tour policy, all guests will be subject to inspection prior to entering the tournament. No bags larger than 6” x 6” x 6” will be allowed into the tournament. Here is a link to the complete list of Prohibited and Permitted Items https://www.pgatour.com/company/tournaments-prohibited-items.html

Area 313

Area 313 is comprised of the 543-yard par-5 14th hole, the 160-yard par-3 15th and the 450-yard par-4 16th hole. This area of the course will be home to the tournament’s wildest fan atmosphere, offering the best sightlines with general admission stadium seating options and upgraded hospitality venues.

Activities

All fans attending the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be able to participate in a variety of experiences in addition to watching professional golf. One of the largest fan zones on the PGA Tour will take over the DGC members’ driving range and an adjacent hole from the North Course that won’t be in play for the tournament.

Fans will find the Rocket Mortgage Shot for Heroes, where each attendee can step up to the tee and attempt a pitch shot for a chance to win cash and other prizes while also raising money for charity. For each participant, Rocket Mortgage will make a charitable donation to raise money for the Community Solutions “Built for Zero” initiative, continuing the company’s dedication to military veterans. In total, this activation has raised $1 million for military charities over the last four years.

Fans will also be offered kids activities, from face painting and pizza making, to mini golf and building a Lego golfer, in the Rocket Mortgage Classic Learning Lab powered by CDW and Acer. Unique food and drink options will be available throughout the course, with summer lounge areas offering a great place for fans to take a break and enjoy the atmosphere of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Various interactive exhibits such as swing analysis, ball fitting and more will be included in the fan zone.

Special post-round entertainment will give fans reason to stick around after play on Friday and Saturday evenings during tournament week. Once the final putt drops, the back patio of the LendingTree Lounge behind the 16th green will be transformed into Chase Live @ The Rocket Mortgage Classic - a rocking live music venue. The venue will be open to all LendingTree Lounge ticket holders and Chase Sapphire card members, which is the Official Credit Card of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

On Friday, June 28, American country singer Willie Jones will perform a unique acoustic set alongside a DJ. Having first risen to prominence as a contestant on FOX’s singing competition “The X Factor,” the Empire Records artist released his first single, “Runs in Our Blood,” last May and is set to drop his first EP and begin touring this year. He’ll be followed Friday by a performance from guitarist and singer Laith Al Saadi, a finalist on NBC’s “The Voice” who artistically blends blues, soul and classic rock. A product of the University of Michigan School of Music, he has worked with musical legends Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Gregg Allman, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin and Paul Rodgers, and recently opened for Bob Seger.

Saturday, June 29, will feature an upbeat and lively performance from Morris Day and The Time. With an eclectic blend of soul, funk and rock, the band’s members – including Morris Day, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis – have collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, from Prince to Janet Jackson. The group is beloved for its popular tracks “Jerk Out” and “Jungle Love.”

“Whether you get fired up by long birdie putts or just like socializing with friends over a few great cocktails or making pizza with your kids, there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” Jason Langwell added.

Groupings & Starting Times

The Detroit Sports Podcast Network was founded in 2013, and can be listened to anywhere podcasts are found, including on iTunes, Stitcher and Podomatic.

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soundcheckentertainment · 7 years

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For many of us the May long weekend signifies the unofficial beginning of summer. Summer – with its warm days and long nights, gathering with family and friends to enjoy good eats, fine weather and the great outdoors.

Q the music…

CBC Music and Live Nation had a recipe for success when they teamed up at Ontario Place’s RBC Echo Beach in Toronto on Saturday May 27th, to kick off the start of summer (and Festival season) with the CBC Music Festival.

CBC Music Fest: Scott Helman. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

This 1 day festival was packed with land and water activities (SUP, kayak), food and beverage vendors, a VR tent, a scavenger hunt and showcased 20 Canadian artists performing across 4 stages for 9 solid hours.

And perform they did, for large and small crowds alike – including an impromptu gig by Scott Hellman in the commons with an intimate gathering of lucky fans. There really was something for everyone to enjoy, as was proven by the number of families in attendance. The fact that kids under 12 were admitted for free wasn’t just a brilliant marketing maneuver.

CBC Music Fest: Walk Off The Earth. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The Kid Zone had a wide range of activities for the little people, including a Rock N’ Roll Hair Salon and Tattoo Parlour (of the washable variety), an instrument petting zoo, as well as their own stage shows – hosted by CBC Studio K’s ‘Cottonball’. The area in front of the Kid’s stage became very crowded in the hour before Walk Off The Earth swung by to hang out for a Q&A session. Many in attendance wondering “What kind of instruments do you play?” “What’s your favourite song?” and “Who’s your favourite Super Hero?” to which each member of this down to earth group took turns answering. Before leaving the stage, they left their indelible mark on one tiny fan when they all agreed to sign her ukulele.

CBC Music Fest: The Beaches. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

The first act to grace the Main Stage was an all-girl indie rock band called The Beaches, appropriately named for the Toronto neighbourhood they hail from. The smallish crowd that had gathered against the security fence surrounding the stage started growing from their very first electrified notes. Don’t let the idea of girl band confuse you, this wasn’t a Spice Girls performance; their sound was more Blondie meets The Runaways. Comprised of vocalist & bassist Jordan Miller, guitarist Kylie Miller, keyboardist Leandra Earl and Eliza Enman-McDaniel on the drums, these chicks know how to Rock N’ Roll and they brought it loud and hard! Performing a couple cover songs in between their own hits like “Little Pieces” and “Give it Up”, which is gaining radio play. This quartet quickly set the bar high for the rest of the day, and I’m sure gained more than a few new fans, myself included.

A wander past the food trucks and assorted market vendors was up next. It was a good thing too, because you couldn’t get near them later in the day. A sampling of pulpo, duck tacos, and curry fries filled the gap, washed down with a refreshing sudsy beverage. One nice thing about Echo Beach is that that the entire grounds are licensed, so attendees could wander from stage to stage with a can in hand, able to enjoy the music in person instead of relegated to far corner tent.

Needs sated, I detected a rhythmic hum filling the air, seeming to beckon me closer and drawing me in. It worked as I found myself standing outside the Tent Stage, catching a part of the Birds of Bellwoods set. These four young men from Toronto know how to bend the strings! Chris Blades on the electric guitar, Adrian Morningstar on the acoustic guitar, Steve Joffe on the Mandolin and Kintaro Akiyama on the upright bass (think cello). Their harmonies were smooth and I found myself wishing that I’d caught more than their last few songs. Definitely watch out for these up and coming talented musicians!

CBC Music Fest: William Prince. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Back at the Main Stage we were treated to the stylings of William Prince. A phenomenal singer, songwriter, and storyteller, there’s a reason he was nominated for Aboriginal Artist of the year and won Juno for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in 2017. His thought provoking lyrics and soft baritone voice were hauntingly beautiful. As people lounged on blankets around the stage soaking in the folk-country musical tales that were being sung, it seemed metaphorical of the ease with which William interacted with the gathered crowd, relating history and personal stories between songs. It’s hard to understand how we’ve not heard more from this Winnipeg native, but there is no doubt that we will be treated to future performances. In fact you can catch him for free at the NAC in Ottawa on July 13th at 6pm. Head to their website to secure free tickets.

CBC Music Fest: BROS. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

I didn’t want to miss BROS over on the Q Stage, and arrived just in time to catch their introduction. You may know them from a little group called The Sheepdogs, however if that’s what you were hoping to hear, then you might have been disappointed…. but not really. Ewan and Shamus Currie added a brass ensemble to their keyboard and guitar and turned the funk WAY UP. An initial gathering of mainly classic rock fans exploded into an all ages dance-athon. From the tiny toddler wigglin’ his way into inadvertent splits, to the would-be Willie Nelson, and every type of stripe in-between, BROS got the crowd moving, grooving and loving what they were offering up. And when they broke news of the passing of Gregg Allman and dedicated a song, it only put pause on the festive spirit out of reverential respect.

CBC Music Fest: Scott Helman. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Heading back to the Main Stage where I would ultimately end up the rest of the evening; the upcoming entertainers being part of the draw, the massive growing crowd being the other. Staking out a spot close to the stage would have required a lawn chair, a bottomless bladder and an unwillingness to enjoy any other artist since The Beaches took the stage hours before. Scott Helman was up next, and the squeals of teen and tween girls rose as he began his set with a little ‘PDA’. Relegated to standing on a small strip of pavement leaning against the VIP area, we were entertained by many of Scott’s familiar radio tunes, including: ‘That Sweater’, ‘Kinda Komplicated’ and ‘21 days’ – my personal fave, but that’s likely more a result of it being a song about zombies, and love, or maybe zombie love… but I digress. Whether he’s of the school of thought that “no press is bad press”, or he was experiencing overwhelming excitement, the crowd responded with amusement when he strangely exclaimed “Keep stealing my music!” Then realization set in, and he recovered with …. “or pay for it, if you want!” Scott’s genuine love and appreciation of his family was particularly evident when he enthusiastically exclaimed “That’s my Grandpa!” as one of many video cameras covering the event panned to a shot of a very proud looking patriarch grinning ear to ear, projected upon the side stage big screens. Scott ended his set with the catchy tune ‘Bungalow’ which brought more than half of the attendees to their feet, dancing and applauding.

CBC Music Fest: Ruth B. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

I made the unfortunate decision to get food before Ruth B took the stage. However as mentioned previously this would become a futile exercise which resulted in missing most of her set. Hungry and dejected I gave up my quest and returned just in time to catch her original song ‘Lost Boy’ which was thoroughly enjoyable.

CBC Music Fest: Walk Off The Earth. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Up next was the day’s first headliner, Walk Off The Earth. By this point the sun had started its descent in the western sky and Echo Beach lived up to its name. The crowd’s thunderous greeting of the band’s arrival on stage was only the beginning of one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. Gathered with Whirley Tubes, and bells (and a back-up band) they opened the set with a recognizable YouTube cover of Adele’s ‘Hello’. They had the entire park on their feet from the moment they stepped on stage. Gianni, Sarah, Marshall, Joel and Mike Taylor aka Beard Guy, brought high energy and familiar tunes, of both original songs and covers, and were flawless in harmony and execution. Covering Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of you’ and Pharrell Williams ‘Happy’, the audience certainly was as we moved and danced along. They also delighted with a number of originals such as ‘Gang of Rhythm’, ‘Fire in my Soul’ and ‘Home we’ll go’ – a song written while on the road about missing Canada.

When the band asked for a song suggestion someone in the crowd yelled out ‘Queen’, to which Beard Guy agreed to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano as long as the audience sang along. It’s a good minute and a half into the song before I realized the other band members have disappeared from the stage, as myself and the other karaoke Kings and Queens in attendance belt out the lyrics. The rest of the band returned in time for the head banging guitar solo, and we all continued to jam out like it was one big backyard party. The night wouldn’t have been complete without a 5 peeps 1 (modified) guitar setup, and again the group delivered, playing Goyte’s ‘Someone that I used to know’, and morphing into snippets of a variety of familiar covers, including ‘Twist & Shout’. With beach balls flying through the air, the palpable feeling of inclusion, the pyro and glitter, the on stage Ninja fight during the ‘Tae kwon do’ song, the entire show was brilliant from beginning to end. As fireworks exploded overhead signifying the end of the set, WOTE walked off the stage and into the hearts of all in attendance.

CBC Music Fest: Serena Ryder. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

Most of the families with young children headed out before the final act, but a couple of young girls camped out next to me told me they had waited all day to see their idol. Six time Juno award winner Serena Ryder took the stage and owned it for the remainder of the night. Opening with Stompa and like an implanted suggestion, the crowd got moving. The stage filled with lights and smoke, three guitarists including herself, drums, keyboard and two backup singers, she engaged the audience with her jazzy pop hit Electric Love. We were also treated to a song from her brand new Album ‘Utopia’ released just the day before. She returned to more familiar tunes such as ‘What I wouldn’t do’ before slowing the pace a little with a few songs like ‘Baby Come Back’ and ‘All for love’, which had the crowd swaying in unison. An intimate acoustic setting was created on a portion of the Main stage, complete with side table and night lamp, for which she asks the audience’s permission to continue. (Yes please! Do we mind?!) Serena’s song writing prowess speaks for itself, but to combine her powerful voice which conveys such emotion with gut wrenching lyrics can actually make one ‘Weak in the knees’; the performance of which had the crowd serenading her. Every phone in park swaying high overhead in her honour.

All in all the end of the night came too soon. So many Juno and various other award winners, many new up and coming acts, what an amazing way to showcase Canadian talent in a setting that is family friendly and that invites inclusion and participation. There were many other artists I didn’t get a chance to check out, but that gives me an excuse to return next year. I was blown away by the whole experience and would urge anyone that has any interest in music to check out the show. In fact you can catch highlights from the day, in a 1 hour special broadcast on CBC on Canada Day. For more information visit CBC Music Festival online

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CBC Music Fest: BROS. May 2017. Photo by Dale Sinclair

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