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Osheaga 2010 Day 2 Recap

August 2, 2010 in Show Reviews

Well that’s all folks. Osheaga 2010 has come to an end. I think it’s safe to say a good time was had by all and despite the long lemonade lines (and consequently long bathroom lines) the entire weekend went off without a hitch. I think we all deserve to finally put our feet up and relax after standing for twenty hours with only a little rest in between days. For those of you that missed it or would like to re-live the day all over again, here is our recap of a star-studded day 2 at Osheaga 2010.

Arriving just in time to hear the funked out sounds of Galactic on the main stage I quickly made my way over to the Tree Stage to check out one of Montreal’s best up and coming bands, Cotton Mouth. I wasn’t even past the War Child tent and I could already hear that crazy vintage synthesizer used by Cotton Mouth (and Parlovr) member Louis-David Jackson. The Martin Horn led quartet played a short set of songs including an awesome new track called “Black Hand” which you can hear on the band’s myspace page, and ended with a personal favourite, “Hive of Bees”.

On the way to check out Seu Jorge on the left main stage I stopped at the War Child tent and was lucky enough to get to hear the last song in Montreal singer/songwriter David Martel‘s short set. As a follower of his music for many years it was really nice to see him playing at Osheaga and after having a short chat with him later on I found out that he is in the process of working on his next album so be sure to watch for that. Is it just me or did the War Child tent have some really great artists playing yesterday?

Finally arriving at the left main stage just in time to catch Brazilian born singer/songwriter Seu Jorge and his band Almaz doing their thing, I can safely say that Jorge’s performance was one of the most refreshing of the two day festival. In a predominantly English (with a little French) festival it was a nice change to get a different dialect coming through the speakers. Especially when it’s the soulful and raspy voice of Seu Jorge covering David Bowie in Portuguese as he did so well in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.

On my way back across the Osheaga grounds to catch Still Life Still I had a chance to catch the end of Michael Bernard Fitzgerald‘s set, once again at the War Child tent and while you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (or a musician by one song) he sounded pretty good and I would have liked to hear more. But alas it wasn’t meant to be and I would have to settle for a pretty cool Arts & Crafts band called Still Life Still. The first thing I noticed about them was that the band’s lead singer and guitarist Eric Young was wearing a Yellow Bird Project t-shirt that was designed by Bon Iver for Interval House, a Toronto based woman’s shelter. As a YBP supporter for many years it was really nice to see. As for the music, I was pretty impressed by their sound which reminded a lot of label-mates Broken Social Scene, although perhaps a little less epic.

On the way to The Gaslight Anthem I could hear ARIEL very loudly over on the Tree Stage (which contrasted very sharply once I arrived at the main stages with the mellow sounds of Ian Kelly). It seemed like everyone in the near vicinity couldn’t wait for Ian Kelly to finish up so the Gaslight Anthem could do their thing. The Gaslight Anthem, fully equipped with vintage gear, flowers and a Hall and Oats vinyl on display, took to the main stage. They kicked off their set with the title track off their newest album American Slang. Their vintage rock sound and raw energy gives off such a nostalgic vibe, whether you can relate or not, involving everyone. They played a couple of old favorites, keeping everyone happy. It was very obvious that they were having a great time as lead vocalist, Brian Fallon, had a huge smile on his face from start to finish.

Hannah Georgas put on a nice show for a good amount of people on the Tree Stage and Blitzen Trapper played songs new and old for fans on the Green Stage but it was Portland, Oregon’s Horse Feathers who really stole the show yesterday on the Tree Stage. I have always been a fan of their recorded material but they really brought their songs to life in the live setting. The violins, cello and banjo that make up the most part of their sound all sounded much more crisp and as a whole the band seemed a lot more lively than on record.

It wasn’t the Black Keys‘ first time at Osheaga, but since their last time in the park, they seem to have gathered a ton more fans. It seemed as though everyone in the park was packing in front of the main stage to check out the insane sound of the Ohio-based duo. They did not disappoint either, keeping all kinds of fans happy and bringing that dirty, raw, rock sound back to the festival.

At the same time as the Black Keys were playing on the main stage, The Antlers were playing on the Green Stage to a much smaller crowd than I expected. Obviously the Black Keys had won the battle of who could rope in more listeners but regardless the Antlers put on a pretty incredible set (which is understandable because they are a pretty great band). Was anyone else blown away be lead singer Peter Silberman’s falsetto? Wow can that guy sing.

Walking away from the Green Stage after the Antlers performance you could see an enormous crowd of people gathered at the Piknic Electronic tent. How could I forget that Major Lazer was playing! And nothing can sum up Major Lazer’s set more than this…

The Cat Empire, hailing from Melbourne, Australia, sure know how to party. The 7 piece band (trumpets, trombone, DJ, keyboards and all) played through an impressive repertoire of latin flavored ska/indie rock, for lack of a better term. They fully demonstrated how solid they are as musicians, filling each song with insane solos coming from all the different instruments. I don’t believe there was a single person simply standing still in that crowd; it was impossible not to dance to their music! Passing by festival go-ers seemed to be pulled in by the sounds as well as the crowd seemed to be growing consistently throughout the set.

Let’s face it, everyone has heard of Snoop Dogg, P.I.M.P. to the bone. And even if you’re not into hip hop as I’m sure many Osheaga goers are not, you still have to appreciate such a lasting artist like Snoop in a genre where so many are forgotten within minutes. Although his name drew in one of the biggest crowds of the day, there were only a few people who were truly there for the music but regardless I think everyone in the crowd was having a good time as Snoop went through all of his fan favourites.

The legendary Sonic Youth was next. Due to deadmau5 canceling, Sonic Youth was moved from the side stage to the main stage, which is probably how it should have been in the first place. The band played mostly songs from their latest album, The Eternal, with songs like “Anti-Orgasm” and “Sacred Trickster” shining brightly, but “‘Cross the Breeze” off of their epic 1988 release, Daydream Nation, was clearly the crowd favourite. Although these guys still know how to rock out, it’s clear that age is starting to hit this nearly three-decade old band. It was still nice to get to see them play once again however.

After Sonic Youth came Metric. To nobody’s amazement Emily Haines and co. put on an astounding show. With the scheduling changes it seemed like many people didn’t really know what was going on, so when Metric hit the stage their fans were sort of spread out over both main stages . Last night was Metric’s third time playing Osheaga but judging by the audience’s response I don’t think anyone is tired of them and they really proved to us that they are at the top of their game.

Finally, the much anticipated Weezer took the stage. They brought the crowd to life with their “nerd rock” energy. Rivers Cuomo ran around the stage and the crowd like a child, jumping around aimlessly, breaking guitars and being all that is rock music. They played through all their classic hits, seeming to touch upon every album while getting in some new tracks from Raditude. “Holy cow, Montreal!”, screamed Cuomo, before jumping into a cover of MGMT’s “Kids” with a verse of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” keeping the whole vibe of the evening ridiculous, nerdy and fun. They ended the night off with “Buddy Holly” and you would think that Montreal was their favorite city, despite them not having been here in 15 years, with all the praise they were giving the crowd. The performance was truly memorable.

Although most of the fans crammed together to see Weezer, Devo had a strong and dedicated following. Over at the Green Stage, fans of all ages joined together for a nerdy and robotic new-wave show. Devo didn’t simply play through their songs just to play them, they put on a show. Decked out in three different outfits including full metallic one-piece costumes and their signature powerdome hats, they really proved that they are the real deal and yes they’ve still got it. The more dance moves they busted out, the more the crowd ate it up. Set highlights were Rolling Stones cover “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”, “Mongoloid” and (obviously) “Whip It”.

2 days, over 60 artists, over 50,000 fans and Osheaga 2010 is in the books. To state the obvious this was the most successful year in the festival’s history and even with the cancellations of two main acts everything ran smoothly and according to plan. While we are all tired and giddy at the same time we are mostly sad that it’s all over. We would like to thank Evenko and Osheaga for putting on such a great festival and we would like to give a special thanks to our photographer David Gosselin who worked harder than any other photographer at this year’s festival to get these shots for you. – Greg Lozoff, Kailey Diogo, Amelia Robitaille