Not only did the month of August bring British Columbians the long awaited sun in a summer sky that had been consistently grey and dismal, but many other bright stars also descended upon the rich woodlands and mountain peaks of Squamish as it kicked off the 2nd annual 2 day Virgin Mobile event, Live at Squamish, on August 21. Thousands of concert goers streamed from the city centre and suburbs of the Greater Vancouver Area and neighbouring Whistler to soak up the hot weather, booze and most of all the great music on exhibition for the weekend. The line up this year was an eclectic group of artists ranging from many local favourites, like Vancouver hip hop artist Kyprios, to long time industry staple rockers Weezer, and a continuum of various talents in between. With an event campground sold out, local hotels fully booked, make shift roadside camp outs and day trippers making the commute up the mountain from the city, the streets were bustling and the Tim Horton’s had a line up out the door and around the building. Unrelated tourists were astounded by the volume of people milling about Whistler’s sleepy little sister town and if they had followed the proverbial yellow brick road they would have come upon the Emerald City of Loggers Sports Grounds & Hendrickson Fields. But even without following the crowds, that Saturday the rhythmic beat of the drums could soon be heard filtering up and over the treetops and revealing the magic going on within the cover of the forest that would not come to an end until Sunday after midnight.
Saturday was one of the hottest days on record for the lower mainland this summer and there were many pink shoulders and sweat shiny faces in the crowds on Day 1 as the young and old congregated at the family friendly music festival. They gathered eagerly at the stage fronts and in the strategically placed beer gardens to catch a good view of the day’s acts, including: She Stole My Beer, The Proper Villains, Kim Churchill, Kyprios, Shad, Sweet Soul Burlesque, Andy Clockwork, Tommie Sunshine, Donald Glaude, Sweet Thing, Shane Koyczan, Emily Haines and James Shaw, Hey Ocean, John Butler Trio and Girl Talk. The general consensus of the day’s highlights appeared to be the special late addition acoustic set by Emily Haines and James Shaw (of Metric) on the smaller Garibaldi Stage in the afternoon, while in the evening the John Butler Trio vigourously rocked the crowd as the sun set over the dramatic mountain peak backdrop of the Stawamus main stage. Afterwards, Girl Talk’s ultimate musical genre mash up showcased both flying toilet paper rolls over the gyrating masses and a dance party of lovely ladies selected from the local crowd to shake what their mama gave them on stage alongside the renowned DJ.
Sunday started off earlier in the day with the first acts Henry Mah and George Orsei hitting their respective stages at 1 PM and leading the way for another rip roaring line up of Brasstronaut, The Belle Game, Bend Sinister, The Zolas, Panda Watch, The Dudes, Luciterra, Black Mountain, Luke McKeehan, Dubtribe Soundsystem, Doc Martin, Metric, Weezer and Major Lazer. Standout moments for Sunday afternoon started with the guest appearance of the beautiful and spunky Ashleigh Ball (of Hey Ocean) on stage with The Zolas, somewhat turning the festival into the Ashleigh Ball show as she had also made a surprise cameo with Shad the day before along with her own Hey Ocean set, and I don’t think anyone really objected, not with that killer smile. Black Mountain, another Vancouver original, also gets an honourable mention as they had the crowd up on their feet and into the groove for the entirety of their high energy set. The top highlights of the evening of course go to Metric and Weezer, who were the festival headliners and for good reason. Emily Haines’ lively and enthusiastic performance and exquisite voice wowed the crowd, whether they were long time fans or those who only recognized her radio play hits. While Metric did not play some of their older hit singles, Weezer followed them with a nostalgic medley of some of the best from their albums spanning from their early 90′s debut to the present, and more than satisfying those there to relive the musical past. No matter which artist garnered your vote for best of the weekend, there is no doubt that the festival as a whole was a big success. I know myself and many others in attendance this year now look forward to the day the 2012 line up is announced and it will be time to get excited all over again! Look forward to seeing you there next year!
SCENE IN THE DARK EXCLUSIVE SHOW CONTENT
FULL DAY ONE FESTIVAL PHOTO COVERAGE HERE
FULL DAY TWO FESTIVAL PHOTO COVERAGE HERE
