The first day of the festival was certainly the best one. Not only did it finally feel like summer but the line up also consisted of stronger performers. Among the best of the day where The Stills, Chinatown, Jason Mraz, The Roots, La Roux, Lykke Li and Coldplay which performed an amazing set featuring all of their hits. There was an incredible energy at the end of the day which culminated in the headliners playing with enormous passion to a Montreal crowd that was overwhelmed from the talent on display all day.
Sunday featured some great acts but did not compare to the previous day. The weather was a factor but also some of the bands seemed to be affected by the weather and played a barely ordinary set. There were some notable performers on Sunday, among these where Tiga, Hey Rosetta, Ladies of the Canyon and Beast. The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Arctic Monkeys played an ordinary set but lacked that extra energy which you need to perform on an outdoor venue.
4th Edition of Osheaga
The festival is in its 4th edition and programming director, Nick Farkas, has made some changes from the previous years. “The festival is now taking place in early August instead of early September which will help weather wise,” says Farkas. In previous years the weather has certainly been an issue with rain and cold winds. On the second day of the festival however, the weather did not co-operate as it poured all day. Fortunately for Farkas, that did not deter the fans from attending the second day of the festival which should have featured the Beastie Boys but instead headlined the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.
Another addition to this year’s festivities was the Osheaga in The City events which were held at various locations throughout Montreal. The events began on Thursday night but lacked the Osheaga ambiance that we are used to. It will be surprising to see Osheaga in The City return next year but maybe if the club series is re-vamped, it can be a good addition.
The five year plan that Nick Farkas has put in place to see if Osheaga is a worthwhile festival ends next year. The mission statement for the festival has been to bring a European style festival to Montreal. Has the project worked so far? Farkas believes that the festival has achieved its goal but hopes to keep improving the event in all areas.
Montreal Artists
Among the Montreal acts performing at the festival, where Chinatown, Caracol, Le Volume Etait au Maximum, Lanan Adcock, LI’L Andy & Karaoke Cowboy, Silver Starling, Parlovr, Ladies of the Canyon, Woodhands, Winter Gloves, The Stills, Beast and Tiga.
All Montreal bands represented the city with strong sets and did very well at the festival despite being in smaller stages. The genres of music varied from country sounds to pop and even electronic music. The stage is set for next year to bring back more Montreal acts and perhaps a stronger following of fans to see our home grown talent.
Jose Espinoza - Hello, I am a journalist who specializes in sports, travel and the arts. I have done work in the boxing venues around Quebec and ...
