osheaga!
OK I could write pages about Osheaga but I just don't have the time these days so here's kinda a brief rundown of who I saw and what I thought...
SATURDAY
1:30. Magic Numbers. We caught the end of their set as we were coming through the gates and it sounded great - wish I could have seen it.
2:00 Hushpuppies. Caught the end of their set and not only did they look and sound great but they were definitely working the crowd!
3:00 The only thing I was focused on at this point was a popcicle. And it was delicious.
4:00 The Stills. Great performance but I definitely don't feel like the new album is half as good as their debut so the only songs that really got me going were the old ones.
4:45 Dinosaur Jr. Not my thing.
5:30 Malajube! Awesome! I have no idea what they were singing about (in French) but it sounded fantastic all the same!
6:15 Metric. First of all it was hard to focus on the music with Emily Haines flaunting her T&A in short shorts and a flimsy top with NO BRA... but the set was solid with the sole exception of a new song which sounds like terrible lounge music.
7:15 K-os. Gotta say I was a little disappointed with his performance but his freestyling was charming.
8:15 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Everything I hoped it would be and more. My musical highlight of the day.
9:15 Amon Tobin. His DJ set seemed to inspire the most bizarre rave behvaior in some decidedly un-ravey festival attendees.
10:00 Sonic Youth. Nothing but BORING NOISE. I just don't get it.
SUNDAY
1:30 Starsailor. They played all the hits (and played them well)... but I'm pretty sure I was the only one who knew the hits from the misses.
2:15 Islands. I wasn't totally sold on this band until this weekend but their performance won me over from the very start. Fun pop songs + hot girl in band + entertaining interpretive dancers = me dancing the whole set and having a grand ol' time! Possibly my favourite performance of the day.
3:00 Ben Lee. He was lame and geeky but the crowd seemed to eat it up.
4:00 Wolf Parade. AMAZING performance despite technical difficulties. I was sad to see it end especially since their set was cut after Islands ran long. Oh and apparently behind the scenes Dan got some drama for being saucy with G. Love.
4:45 Final Fantasy. Exactly was I expected ("weird") -- except for an unexpected and fucking awesome cover of Mariah Carey's "Fantasy".
5:30 Kid Koala. I was so glad we checked out this tent performance in the Salon des Arts because it really showcased his talant AND proved to be a fun place to warm up and dance!
6:15 Bedouin Soundclash. Uh, I was resting my weary bones at a picnic table (where I was mistaken for a francophone!) but it sounded good... or at the very least "not bad" as I anticipated.
7:00 The Bell Orchestre. I fell asleep on a picnic table. But I remember the band saying something about how they expected the festival to be a failure and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.
7:30 Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. Ok so we didn't actually see him because we were waiting in front of the other stage for The Flaming Lips but it sounded great (lots of rip offs of his Dad's music), the crowd LOVED it, and he had a Jamaican flag waver on stage for the entire set.
8:00 Kid Koala. He only played for 15 minutes but it was fantastic and he gave me my ultimate festival highlight when he played his final song, "Moon River", which was absolutely beautiful.
8:15 The Flaming Lips. Obviously one of the best live bands on the planet. I was in such a state of bliss with all the streamers and confetti and dancing Santas and Aliens that I didn't even notice it was raining... which is a big deal if you know me... Yeah, it was that good!
9:00 Fuck Ben Harper - we decided to leave on a high note and skip his set.
Here's some pictures I took at Osheaga!
Some general thoughts...
- I heart Montreal!!!
- Excellent idea have the two main stages side by side and having alternate performances so the music didn't stop and you didn't have to move far (or at all) to catch the next act.
- Fantastic festival site that was easy to reach (literally right at a Metro stop), incredibly scenic, and easy to move around (like 10 minutes or less to get to another stage).
- No security checks upon entry = one happy crowd.
- Three cheers for the fectival organizers who put down sand (and even asphalt at one point) so we didn't have any mud to deal with.
- Boo to Ernesto for making the long weekend damp and unseasonably cool... but at the same time I prolly would have complained if it had been hot and sunny all the same.
- All in all, I thought the festival was a great success with loads of awesome bands and I look forward to it's return next year (fingers crossed).
SATURDAY
1:30. Magic Numbers. We caught the end of their set as we were coming through the gates and it sounded great - wish I could have seen it.
2:00 Hushpuppies. Caught the end of their set and not only did they look and sound great but they were definitely working the crowd!
3:00 The only thing I was focused on at this point was a popcicle. And it was delicious.
4:00 The Stills. Great performance but I definitely don't feel like the new album is half as good as their debut so the only songs that really got me going were the old ones.
4:45 Dinosaur Jr. Not my thing.
5:30 Malajube! Awesome! I have no idea what they were singing about (in French) but it sounded fantastic all the same!
6:15 Metric. First of all it was hard to focus on the music with Emily Haines flaunting her T&A in short shorts and a flimsy top with NO BRA... but the set was solid with the sole exception of a new song which sounds like terrible lounge music.
7:15 K-os. Gotta say I was a little disappointed with his performance but his freestyling was charming.
8:15 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Everything I hoped it would be and more. My musical highlight of the day.
9:15 Amon Tobin. His DJ set seemed to inspire the most bizarre rave behvaior in some decidedly un-ravey festival attendees.
10:00 Sonic Youth. Nothing but BORING NOISE. I just don't get it.
SUNDAY
1:30 Starsailor. They played all the hits (and played them well)... but I'm pretty sure I was the only one who knew the hits from the misses.
2:15 Islands. I wasn't totally sold on this band until this weekend but their performance won me over from the very start. Fun pop songs + hot girl in band + entertaining interpretive dancers = me dancing the whole set and having a grand ol' time! Possibly my favourite performance of the day.
3:00 Ben Lee. He was lame and geeky but the crowd seemed to eat it up.
4:00 Wolf Parade. AMAZING performance despite technical difficulties. I was sad to see it end especially since their set was cut after Islands ran long. Oh and apparently behind the scenes Dan got some drama for being saucy with G. Love.
4:45 Final Fantasy. Exactly was I expected ("weird") -- except for an unexpected and fucking awesome cover of Mariah Carey's "Fantasy".
5:30 Kid Koala. I was so glad we checked out this tent performance in the Salon des Arts because it really showcased his talant AND proved to be a fun place to warm up and dance!
6:15 Bedouin Soundclash. Uh, I was resting my weary bones at a picnic table (where I was mistaken for a francophone!) but it sounded good... or at the very least "not bad" as I anticipated.
7:00 The Bell Orchestre. I fell asleep on a picnic table. But I remember the band saying something about how they expected the festival to be a failure and were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.
7:30 Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. Ok so we didn't actually see him because we were waiting in front of the other stage for The Flaming Lips but it sounded great (lots of rip offs of his Dad's music), the crowd LOVED it, and he had a Jamaican flag waver on stage for the entire set.
8:00 Kid Koala. He only played for 15 minutes but it was fantastic and he gave me my ultimate festival highlight when he played his final song, "Moon River", which was absolutely beautiful.
8:15 The Flaming Lips. Obviously one of the best live bands on the planet. I was in such a state of bliss with all the streamers and confetti and dancing Santas and Aliens that I didn't even notice it was raining... which is a big deal if you know me... Yeah, it was that good!
9:00 Fuck Ben Harper - we decided to leave on a high note and skip his set.
Here's some pictures I took at Osheaga!
Some general thoughts...
- I heart Montreal!!!
- Excellent idea have the two main stages side by side and having alternate performances so the music didn't stop and you didn't have to move far (or at all) to catch the next act.
- Fantastic festival site that was easy to reach (literally right at a Metro stop), incredibly scenic, and easy to move around (like 10 minutes or less to get to another stage).
- No security checks upon entry = one happy crowd.
- Three cheers for the fectival organizers who put down sand (and even asphalt at one point) so we didn't have any mud to deal with.
- Boo to Ernesto for making the long weekend damp and unseasonably cool... but at the same time I prolly would have complained if it had been hot and sunny all the same.
- All in all, I thought the festival was a great success with loads of awesome bands and I look forward to it's return next year (fingers crossed).
posted by Valerie at 11:20 PM
8 Comments:
Hey, longtime reader / first time caller (heh heh. Anyway, I was there too, and you're right. I've been to a lot of festivals and that one was organized the best out of all of 'em. I also really liked that there was no "drinking area". I think it allowed people to pace themselves more. I had no instances of drunked up hooligans etc.Wolf Parade's set WAS amazing despite the tech difficulties....they really brought it home with the last song. Another highlight was T.O.'s Born Ruffians - check 'em out if you get a chance.
I feel really stupid for going to frosh (I'm a McGill student now) rather than Oshega. Glad you had a good time, though! I guess there is always next year for me.
-mary
You are absolutely spot-on about the Stills.
http://www.tmz.com/2006/09/07/paris-in-cuffs/
hahaha, that made my day so I thought I'd share.
Kevin - Thanks forthe comment. I'm glad you're on my team! Oh and I'll make an effort to check out these Born Ruffians you speak of.
Mary - Aw, had I known we could have met up or something! But Frosh is still good - we saw a lot of kids wandering the streets on Frosh Parades and they looked like they were having a great time!
Marty E. - I speaketh the truth-eth. Thanks!
Ryan - Those pictures are AWESOME! Thanks!
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FD1ON8V0
This is Wolf Parade's and Island's sets on MP3. It's worth it just for Dan's comment about "What, you guys don't wanna see G. Love? We're on a schedule here!".
If there's a specific set you're looking for, mention it and I'll see if one of my pals has it.
I was at the festival with one of the bands(think prehistoric). I've got to say the whole thing was well run and was one of the best fests I've worked. My only regret was not actually being able to get to Montreal!!
heyy though you might care, looks like they're raffling off free tickets to osheaga 07 on indyish - heads up. here.
this was a great concert but from what i hear they're gonna cancel it next year if it doesn't get like twice the crowd..
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