Virgin Festival Concert Review

the ticket that never was

Sooo, my long-awaited Virgin Festival turned into a self-proclaimed "free-Fest" when the headlining Tragically Hip had a serious family emergency (hopefully all is well) come up a day before the show. There was an article in that morning's Metro paper about the festival doing a two-for-one deal where people with tickets already could bring along one friend for free, but the real news came around supper time, when they announced the Hip pulling out and a subsequent free concert for anyone wanting to come.

I was personally pretty disappointed about the Hip, because they were the icing on my concert cake, but the fact the concert was going to be free did not sit well with me at the time. Yes, many more of my friends were coming now, but I frankly thought the day would turn into a free-for-all (quite literally) shitfest of basically anyone who was in or around town with nothing else to do on a Saturday. Last word I heard this morning was that 12,000 showed up for the 15,000-capacity Garrison Grounds of the Citadel, so quite a few people took Virgin up on the offer.

I got there around 12:30pm, with the doors opening at 1pm according to the schedule. Sleeping bag in backpack, three subs ready to eat, half-waterproof hoodie on, and cookies for snacking, it was already drizzling while I was standing in line, and I wasn't looking forward to the skies opening up any more during the 8-hour day. Thankfully though, the rain let up before they even opened the gate.

Something that didn't let up however was the 40-something creep in front of me, bucket hat, rain jacket and foul mouth in tow, trying to make friendly with the 20-somethings behind me...then throwing me into it as I was in the middle and all. Between the dirty innuendo, underhanded jabs, and a clinic on how to really shake hands, any time would've been too long standing there, but to make matters worse, they didn't start letting people in until about 1:30pm.

Once we got going though (and I was about...100th in line?) the line was moving quick, so kudos to the logistics planning of the organizers. The bag checks were pretty cursory...they didn't even check inside my wrapped-up sleeping bag, so you could sneak in virtually anything you wanted, and that was quite evident as the day progressed. After the usual patdown, I wandered across the (extremely, and only to get worse) muddy grounds, up to the best view I could find from the hill. Unfortunately, and unlike last summer's SummerSonic concerts, they had a large, like 40-foot structure obstructing the straight-on view of the stage. Because I was there early though, I got that good spot, and a few compliments from my friends about the quality of the view (pointed out here [I was the red dot] as badly as possible because I was too lazy to bring a camera).

Before the actual act reviews, I have to give another kudos, to the stagehands this time and for two reasons. First of all, I've never experienced less of a wait between acts, as the 20-strong crews were going rapid-fire to set up everything quickly, leaving the audience the least restless possible. Secondly...it's like they stole my iTunes library for the between-set music. LCD Soundsystem, Does It Offend You, Yeah?; Interpol, a great cover of "Ready For The Floor" by Hot Chip from a girl-singer I didn't quite recognize, some Vampire Weekend I'm pretty sure, and lots more that I genuinely liked and enjoyed. Combined, both factors made for a much less aggravating wait between shows. But on we go, in order of appearance:

Dog Day

These guys were the show openers, and got on pretty quick after I came in. I have to admit, I watched Dog Day and In-Flight Safety play from the distance of my spot on the hill, texting friends and waiting to meet up with others. I would look up when I heard snippets of songs that stood out, and Dog Day certainly had a few of those, but I can't give a justifiable review as I wasn't up in the crowd and actually giving my full attention to these guys. I can say though, at times I did listen in, they sounded like a more rocking kind of Stars, but mainly due to the fact they had a baby-voiced girl singer pick up some of the melodies.

In-Flight Safety

I've missed two IFS shows so far in the last two years when they were opening for others, but they've intrigued me and I've heard great things, so I made it a point to get there early enough to see these guys. Unfortunately, like I said, I was up on the hill for these guys, and it coincided with when my friends decided to show up, so all didn't go exactly according to plan. I did make a more concerted effort to pay attention to them than Dog Day however, and I do know IFS's big single "The Coast Is Clear," so when they closed their short set (most of the acts were on for 30-40 minutes) with it, I made sure to turn around and block out everything else.

Was it ever worth it. Because of my view from that far back, the song seemed so much "bigger" than it really was, filling the grounds with noise and almost permeating through you. It's dreamy in a way, sounding bended in its rhythms and building up and lifting off like a plane jetting down a runway during the chorus. I think I realized I actually loved this song at the concert yesterday, and that the impetus for that was probably the piano; I'm an absolute sucker for piano, whether it's in a hip-hop song or rock or anything. Pretty sure I got chills.

Arkells

These guys blew my mind, and were actually far and away my favorite act of the day. I'd made sure to check out their stuff before the Festival, as I'd liked what I'd heard from them on CBC Radio 3 and their page on there. The lead singer Max Kerman (second from right and more than full-bearded on the day of the show) was the most energetic of anyone this side of Metric's Emily Haines and Alexei Perry of The Handsome Furs; running all over the stage, interacting with his bandmates authentically, getting the crowd into every song with back stories about song origins, handclaps and implorations (I'm making that word up if it's not real) to sing along to "The Ballad of Hugo Chavez."

Each song was equally filled with energy. It was a rocking set through and through, with ridiculously catchy hooks and the above mentioned sing-a-long qualities to the tunes. Max's voice is instantly recognizable, and the band's melodies sound so good, you wonder where you've heard them before in most cases. I really can't say enough about these guys, but they're the band I'd absolutely jump at getting tickets for for when they come back to Halifax.

Plants And Animals

On the other side of the coin, I really can't say much at all about these guys. I went back up to the hill when they were coming on, and between their white denim pants and jarring changes from lush instrumentals to off-putting lyrical stops, I wasn't any more impressed by them than when I'd similarly done a back-check on their tunes a few weeks ago like I had with Arkells. Nothing stood out then, and nothing apart from their above-mentioned interesting instrumentals stood out at V Fest either. Though they did make a funny crack at thanking the Queen of England for making the show free for everyone that day.

Hey Rosetta!

Between Plants And Animals and Hey Rosetta!, my friends decided to hit up the beer tent, and we couldn't down our drinks fast enough and ended up missing part of Hey Rosetta!'s opener "Red Heart." Thankfully though, there was nothing disappointing in any way about the rest of their set. I've never seen these guys live, and it's taken me a year or two to really get into them, but ever since I missed out on tickets for their show here at the awesome Paragon Theatre (formerly the legendary Marquee Club), I've been itching to catch them live.

Literally smack dab in the middle of the acts performing, they put on a show worthy of a much higher billing (see the lack of prominence even on the lineup?). I'd heard things about them the day of the concert itself ranging from "they're Newfoundland's version of Joel Plaskett" to "their Newfoundland's version of Matt Mays," which isn't exactly a huge range, but still, you get the idea after that. They also supposedly had a big lineup, which on this day included a violinist, a cellist, two or three guitars depending on the song, and the bass of course. All that came together to provide a very full and rich sounding set that they played to a T.

In my opinion, they hit "I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time" right out of the park (Citadel?), with a perfect rendition that was very true to the original. The band members themselves seem to be in a bit of a fluctuation over time, but I was able to dig up this pic, which is only lacking the violinist, who yesterday, looked like possibly the coolest mom in the world (and not the girl from that pic). They're a bit of a strange band, in that the East Indian guy would seemingly be the last fellow you'd imagine as a rock star (and he did great breaking out the acoustic when he wasn't playing the cello), and in the nicest way, the red-headed bassist (centre in the pic above) looked like a loveable dweeb, not a confident rocker and vocalist. The lead singer however (furthest left) seemed to embody his perceived voice perfectly, a sentiment echoed by my other friends who had not yet seen Hey Rosetta! in concert either.

From heart-breaking piano intros to flourishing rock finishes, Hey Rosetta! just killed their set, and brought something great to the table at the Festival that day.

Handsome Furs

Now for the group no one had seemingly heard of. I'd liked these guys from the time I was - again - introduced to them on CBC Radio 3, and they also didn't disappoint. To my chagrin however, I had to make the long and muddy trek to the bathroom between Hey Rosetta! and these guys, and ended up missing a bit of their first song. In a slight of some sort, they had the husband-and-wife pairing set up on the left part of the stage, instead of featured in the middle, and the stagehands seemed to be setting up for the next act throughout their set. But the Lady GaGa of Canadian indie rock (the hot and ready-to-burst-with-energy Alexei Perry) took centre stage with her microphone/synthesizer/keyboard and what were seemingly a variety of foot pedals...the first three implements of which were set up on what was probably the most ragtag large steel table, like you'd find at the local bingo hall.

No matter though. Between Alexei hopping around like Dance Dance Revolution (in a most GaGa-like one-piece with polka-dotted tights) and leading man Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade fame) on well-distorted guitar and lead vocals, Handsome Furs had everyone bobbing up and down. Alexei was enthralling as she was multi-tasking her way to mixing dancefloor-ready drum machine slaps with piercing synth jabs (and beer bottle sips between songs), and occasionally shouting a little somethin' in the mike along to the sad-sounding, but upbeat songs. Another group I can't say quite enough of, but they were certainly one of the pleasant surprises and highlights of the show for me.

They were a little quirky however, but in a good way. They'd both say "thank you" after every song, like we were doing them a favour just by being there. Definitely the other way around, Hansdome Furs. Dan also had the quip of the day, when he introduced one song (I believe "All We Want Baby, Is Everything") by saying he was watching a great documentary the other day, about the dangers of giving robots intelligence...narrated of course, by Christian Bale, and called Terminator: Salvation. The crowd got a good laugh out of that one. Dan also promised that the following act, Dinosaur Jr., would "melt your fucking faces off," but more on that later.

On a funny sidenote, there were those who were less than taken with Handsome Furs...as was evident from the young couples around me in the crowd getting restless and starting the inevitable "it's about half-way through the show, I don't really like these guys, you don't look like you're into them either, let's just randomly make out a few times while they're on" makeout sessions.

The funny part however was that they were equaled onstage by Dan and Alexei...a little grab-ass by Dan between songs, some smooches, a lustful hair-grab of Dan by his wife, and what I can only suppose was a full-on makeout quickie of their own as I was walking away from my spot in the crowd, which I only clued in to after the previously-silent crowd started to cheer for some reason or another. I frankly have no idea how they stood sidestage waiting for Dinosaur Jr. instead of going back to the trailer and getting it on with their own handsome furs.

Dinosaur Jr.

I could do an entire post about this set, but not for all the right reasons. You see, most of what I know about Dinosaur Jr. comes from Pitchfork and Some Songs Considered (check the Blog Roll on the right for links to those great sites), so I have very little personal experience with them live. The song that really turned me on to them was "I Want You To Know," and I've been checking out their older and newer stuff ever since. For a band that's been around since the 80's, that's quite a bit, and you could tell from their set list...which to my extreme annoyance, didn't include "I Want You To Know." As their lead single off new album Farm, you'd think they'd play it, but alas, no.

I'd already heard word lead singer J. Mascis was laid-back and monotone in his vocal delievery, and for all his otherworldy ripping abilites on lead guitar, nonchalant in his performance. Those two facts held quite true, but sadly - and this was a complaint echoed by others I spoke to - J.'s vocals were seemingly just another part of the music. Now that's fine given the distorted noise-rock genre, but there's a certain level where the vocals still have to come through and be distinguishable from the drums, bass and guitar, however distorted it all is. I didn't find that with Dinosaur Jr.'s set.

The other thing I'd read about J. Mascis was that he was the alt-rock answer to Slash, and I certainly can't complain there. He was killing all his solos with ease, but the monotony of the set itself - from the seemingly constant volume of it all to the all-encompassing, just, "noise" (and don't get me wrong, I really like noise rock) - kinda killed the excitement for the concert that Hey Rosetta! and Handsome Furs had so effectively built up for me. The same seemed to ring true for people around me, as I heard murmurs of people complaining about when they'd be done, and the aforementioned "couple-love" again breaking out rampantly.

I don't know if the band was expecting everyone to be into them a little more and disappointed by the lack of crowd participation or cheering, but it's kind of like they were just there for the token appearance. Or maybe that's how they always perform, but I couldn't help feeling like there was something off. By the end, I was disappointed by not hearing my favorite tune, my ears were ringing from the aural abuse, and I was feeling let down by what I expected to be one of the better parts of the show.

Metric

Making up for that however, was the amazing Metric. Again, I'd heard great things about this group, and from what I'd heard myself from them, I could only expect a great show. Most of the people I'd seen and talked to during the day were the most pumped for this act, and the majority of people I could discern who shown up because it had become a free show were there for Emily Haines and all her indie-goddess goodness. I can say quite honestly that the only bad part about Metric came in the 30+ minutes it took them to set up the stage beforehand, easily the longest wait between any of the acts.

Along with that came the yet-unseen concert restlessness that usually accompanies long wait times between shows. There was a girl on someone's shoulders who started to flash everyone (she wasn't that pretty, nor did she have the um, greatest assets) and was received by a good number of cheers from the section she was uh...entertaining. A bit later, she started to make out with another girl who was hoisted on someone's shoulders, and was again met with yells and cheers. She happened to outstay her welcome however, and was soon pelted by everything from bananas to water bottles. She didn't take a hint either, and seemed content to stay up there, to the ridicule and annoyance of everyone in the crowd. Best part of the wait? The red-headed teen guy who got up on his own friend's shoulders and mocked the girl by lifting up his own sweater, to the genuine laughs of the thousands in the audience waiting for Metric to come on.

Now I'm not the biggest Metric fan per se, but I do like them, and I'm a red blooded straight male, so I really can't complain that they're fronted by the sultry and stunning Emily Haines. Strangely enough, I'd have to say Emily seemed like the odd one out from all the lead singers during the day. I can't really explain it, and it's certainly not a knock on her or the band, but they're so big, so popular, such icons in the Canadian music scene, that they almost seemed like they were above us - though in a good way, if that's possible, and certainly not in the same manner Dinosaur Jr. seemed detached from the festivalgoers.

Emily seemed like she was off in her own world, hammering away at her keyboard (though with not quite the same level of the ferocity, splendor or speed Alexei Perry had) and jutting around the stage like she owned the place. She certainly owned the crowd however, and had us eating out of her hand. Cameras were out in full force to capture the best-dressed and best-known act of the day. Between Haines' dancing and perfectly echoed vocals, and the group's soaring choruses and instrumental breaks, it was really something to behold. On the downside, the festival didn't seem to make use of the (intermittently working during other acts) light board extending about 30 feet up from the stage, that would've infused that much more intrigue into the show.

"Gimme Sympathy" was easily the highlight of the show judging from crowd reaction. Everyone seemed to be lost in grandiosity of the song, with head bobbing and body moving galore. There was even a pre-mature and shirtless, mohawk-rocking mosher/headbanger, who in his fervor of literally bowling people over to get closer to the stage, probably forgot it was Metric playing, and not The Offspring quite yet. But it was just that kind of tune.

The whole set killed, with the band's electric mix of synth-infused rock and pop blowing the roof off the place. It was consistent and...hell, by now I'm running out of good words to describe these acts. But trust me, it was kinda mind-blowing, and I'd definitely recommend checking out a Metric show next time they're in town. In between songs, Emily found the time to send out a collective well-wish for The Hip, which was touching and thoughtful (and which I think she was the first to do during the day...dunno what that says) and she also elaborated on some responsibilites our generation had, and something about how hard it would be, maybe a thing about war...I dunno, she was wearing a sparkly unitard and by that point had some pretty hot sex hair going on.

Anyways, Metric rocked it for their also-short set with a majority of stuff off new album Fantasies, with some "Monster Hospital" thrown in (unfortunately no MSTRKRFT remix) and I peaced out after that set, as I've never been an Offspring fan, and knew the initial mosher probably did not bode well for the now-headlining band. Turned out I was justified, as the post-concert bar-stop had stories of friends getting punched in the back, and others accidentally breaking a trampled girl's arm...before one song had even finished. Needless to say, they left pretty swiftly as well.

Overall though, my often-professed ranking for the day of acts I actually saw:

1.) Arkells

2.) (tie) Hey Rosetta!

2.) (tie) Handsome Furs

4.) Metric

5.) Dinosaur Jr.

6.) In-Flight Safety

7.) Dog Day

8.) Plants And Animals

Since I haven't heard official ticket sales numbers (aside from a rep saying they were "strong" in the paper...though not strong enough to prevent a two-for-one deal I guess?) I dunno what the likelihood of the Virgin Festival returning is, but I know providing a free concert isn't too big a worry for Virgin, as that's the concept they're going to soon adapt in the States. I suppose as long as Virgin gets its fair share of advertising and publicity, and the bands get their money, and the fans go home happy, these kinds of festivals can continue to be held. So here's looking forward to Virgin Fest 2010.

And another one of these ridiculously long recaps. Oops.