This past weekend I made the trip to Calgary to check out the Virgin Music Festival. I was pretty stoked about this concert before they even announced any artists considering that the organizers tend to get big name artists to play the bill ie. Vancouver 07: The Killers, AFI, Metric); Toronto 07: Bjork, Interpol, Amy Winehouse, The Smashing Pumpkins)
So imagine my surprise that the Stone Temple Pilots and the Flaming Lips would be in this line up. They surely did not disappoint as they put on an awesome show. I mean, who can beat Wayne Coyne's "bubble surfing" through the crowd and bringing out the "teletubbies" as his backup singers or STP busting out their classical hits from the "Core" and "Purple" album. Those 2 groups alone totally made the 2-day pass worth the price of admission for that one night!
I initially thought about hitting the gates about an hour after they opened but considering that it was stupidly dry and hot, I thought there was no difference if i went later on in the afternoon if I planned to stay there til near the end. And really, do I really want to subject myself to the huge crowds, wind, pollen, and smoke (from various sources)?
Other bands I was able to check out and wanted to check out: The Dudes, Three Days Grace, City & Color (though I think Alexisonfire would've been a more awesome choice), the Stars, Cadence Weapon (he's the sickest performer I've seen in awhile) and the New Pornographers. Didn't bother checking out the final band, the Tragically Hip, as I needed to make a mad dash out of there if I planned on getting back to Edmonton before midnight.
Even though DSLRs were outlined as a "no-no" on what you can bring to the event, I had to make due with my Olympus 5060C. I wish I brought my sister's Canon PowerShot A570 IS instead. Next time. But anyhoo here are a few snapshots I was able to take during the festival
fun times were had.. fun times! Can't wait to see if this continues on next year... maybe in Edmonton perhaps? one can only hope!
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