EDGEFEST 2009
So I'm going to do a review of a show I went to a couple of months ago. I never got around to writing about it. Edgefest 2009 happened on Saturday June 20th 2009 this year and it was a day to remember!
I had never been to an Edgefest before, and the reason behind this is I never enjoyed any of the bands on the bill and I always thought the lineup was pretty lame. This year however, the lineup was quite good and it was a good opportunity to check out the "lighter" side of my musical taste. The event was held at Downsview Park which is pretty close by.
Bands that I was interested in seeing this year Metric, The Stills, AFI and Billy Talent. I went with Amanda to Edgefest since nobody else was interested. The forecast for the day was rain, rain and MORE rain. This didn't stop us though! Here's my quick breakdown:
- The Stills: The Stills were one of the first bands on for the day so it was a good thing we arrived on time. Their set was pretty damn short and the rain was really coming down during their set. In fact, their set was the only one of the day that was really plastered by the rain. I had to bust out my umbrella for their whole performance and even at the end of the set, I was drenched. Anyways, as I mentioned before, the didn't play long. Which is why I am checking out the Metric show in November or October at Massey Hall. They are supporting Metric and will hopefully play a longer set.
- Metric: Metric put on a good show overall. They started off with a slow song which I found quite odd because most bands start their shows with a more upbeat song. There is a reason why bands do this, and I feel that it's extremely effective to get the crowd pumped. Not sure why Metric took this approach. But in all fairness, it did not ruin their set, just started it off slow. Emily Haines is also a bit preachy, which was kind of annoying. Their set was awesome none the less. They played tonnes of stuff from their new album, Fantasies which I am really enjoying. Easily their best record to date. Looking forward to seeing them in a club in October/November. Also, whoever said they sucked live, was wrong because they sounded very tight and the entire band looked like they were really enjoying themselves.
- AFI: I have never seen these guys before and I was definitely looking forward to their performance. I'm not familiar with all their music, but Sing the Sorrow is an amazing album. The only album I've listened to by AFI. They were the second last band to come on before Billy and were considered the "International" act of the day since everyone else was Canadian. Hot damn, these guys put on a good show. They had not performed live for I think 8 months because they were working on a new album. They were REALLY eager to perform and have a good time. They had so much energy, and were moving around the stage so much. I had already pre-warned Amanda that they were a fun band to watch live because of their energy. They definitely did not disappoint! As a result of seeing them at Edgegest, I have checked out two more albums, one of which I really enjoy. I'm looking forward to their new album, and will probably check them out again!
- Billy Talent: I loved the BT2 album, and it was great to see these guys closing off the night. They put on a fantastic set and played very well. They sounded great. I don't have much else to say. They were simply awesome!
Final thoughts: Edgefest 2009 was really good to me. The price of admission was well worth it. My only gripes would be the rain and mud we had to deal with ALL DAY. My Adidas all-stars pulled through and not once throughout the day did my socks get wet! Leaving Downsview Park was a bit of a mission, since the whole parking lot was a field of grass. This grass as you can imagine turned into a mud-bath and a lot of cars were struggling to get out of the mud. Mud was flying all over the place. My car got ruined in the affair. It was not pretty. I got out pretty okay though, but the next day I had to clean my car, and it was not fun =(.
All in all, a good day!
I had never been to an Edgefest before, and the reason behind this is I never enjoyed any of the bands on the bill and I always thought the lineup was pretty lame. This year however, the lineup was quite good and it was a good opportunity to check out the "lighter" side of my musical taste. The event was held at Downsview Park which is pretty close by.
Bands that I was interested in seeing this year Metric, The Stills, AFI and Billy Talent. I went with Amanda to Edgefest since nobody else was interested. The forecast for the day was rain, rain and MORE rain. This didn't stop us though! Here's my quick breakdown:
- The Stills: The Stills were one of the first bands on for the day so it was a good thing we arrived on time. Their set was pretty damn short and the rain was really coming down during their set. In fact, their set was the only one of the day that was really plastered by the rain. I had to bust out my umbrella for their whole performance and even at the end of the set, I was drenched. Anyways, as I mentioned before, the didn't play long. Which is why I am checking out the Metric show in November or October at Massey Hall. They are supporting Metric and will hopefully play a longer set.
- Metric: Metric put on a good show overall. They started off with a slow song which I found quite odd because most bands start their shows with a more upbeat song. There is a reason why bands do this, and I feel that it's extremely effective to get the crowd pumped. Not sure why Metric took this approach. But in all fairness, it did not ruin their set, just started it off slow. Emily Haines is also a bit preachy, which was kind of annoying. Their set was awesome none the less. They played tonnes of stuff from their new album, Fantasies which I am really enjoying. Easily their best record to date. Looking forward to seeing them in a club in October/November. Also, whoever said they sucked live, was wrong because they sounded very tight and the entire band looked like they were really enjoying themselves.
- AFI: I have never seen these guys before and I was definitely looking forward to their performance. I'm not familiar with all their music, but Sing the Sorrow is an amazing album. The only album I've listened to by AFI. They were the second last band to come on before Billy and were considered the "International" act of the day since everyone else was Canadian. Hot damn, these guys put on a good show. They had not performed live for I think 8 months because they were working on a new album. They were REALLY eager to perform and have a good time. They had so much energy, and were moving around the stage so much. I had already pre-warned Amanda that they were a fun band to watch live because of their energy. They definitely did not disappoint! As a result of seeing them at Edgegest, I have checked out two more albums, one of which I really enjoy. I'm looking forward to their new album, and will probably check them out again!
- Billy Talent: I loved the BT2 album, and it was great to see these guys closing off the night. They put on a fantastic set and played very well. They sounded great. I don't have much else to say. They were simply awesome!
Final thoughts: Edgefest 2009 was really good to me. The price of admission was well worth it. My only gripes would be the rain and mud we had to deal with ALL DAY. My Adidas all-stars pulled through and not once throughout the day did my socks get wet! Leaving Downsview Park was a bit of a mission, since the whole parking lot was a field of grass. This grass as you can imagine turned into a mud-bath and a lot of cars were struggling to get out of the mud. Mud was flying all over the place. My car got ruined in the affair. It was not pretty. I got out pretty okay though, but the next day I had to clean my car, and it was not fun =(.
All in all, a good day!