Though it doesn’t necessarily feel like spring out there, there is something that happens within the hearts of all music fans as soon as the word “April” starts being used on a daily basis. Something stirs in our hearts and we know why: its festival season. It’s the time when we all gather our gear, that friend with a car, and we drive out far and wide to set up camp and overdose on live music in beautiful places. And we Vancouver folk are lucky because we live a short drive away from one of the most beautiful of these beautiful places: The Gorge Amphitheatre, home of the SASQUATCH! Music Festival. If you haven’t been there, go.
Every May, in beautiful George, WA, an assortment of big and little acts converge on the natural amphitheatre for three days of performances on four stages. This year is a little different though, this year is the 10 year anniversary. And what are festival organizers giving Sasquatch for a gift? An extra day of music. Effing yay!
Over the Memorial Day weekend, festival goers will be treated to the established likes of Foo Fighters, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Flaming Lips, and Wilco as headliners. But what makes Sasquatch a truly enjoyable experience is not always the hot tickets that get your mouth watering, but the hidden gems that are either up and coming or holding strong to rabid followings. Acts like Wolf Parade, Jenny & Johnny, MSTRKRFT, Smith Westerns, Das Racist, Black Mountain, and Deerhunter to name a few of the acts gracing the anniversary show this year. Canada is well represented this year as well, with hometown hero Dan Mangan and national treasures The Trailer Park Boys. The line up, as always, is stellar and should prove to be the same avenue for open celebration and the unification of the audience under the early summer sun.
There is something for everyone at Sasquatch. People spend most of the year polarized by their different tastes, segregated into their specific corners, headphones in. Sasquatch brings everyone together with all their different sounds bouncing off the walls of the natural acoustics of the earth. It’s about music. Universal in language. With the freedom to wander where you wish among live music. And after four days this year, there will be more than a few carloads of bleary eyed Canadians making their way back over the border, overdosed on what are an amazing line up and an unforgettable weekend.
For info on tickets visit http://sasquatchfestival.com/#/tickets
For the full line up visit http://sasquatchfestival.com/#/lineup
