Virgin Music Festival: Day 2
Sept. 9, 2007
Toronto, Canada

The festival was relatively quiet on the crowd front until the main acts on Saturday night . It seemed like most festival-goers waited ‘til the later hours to ferry over to the island. That was not the case on Sunday. Early in the afternoon the crowd started to build until it swelled over during The Killers' performance. It reached scary proportions for the Pumpkins and that’s why having a super duper VIP backstage pass is so choice!

I was in good form on Sunday and decided I was going to check out as much music as possible.

The Postage Stamps – Hometown band that did a very good job of sounding like Mogwai and that’s a most excellent thing.

Honeycut – These guys were hilarious, as well as talented! Signed to the Quannum label started by the Blackalicious crew, this four piece from the Bay Area had a rough go at first. Their drum machine was picking up local FM radio frequencies and none of the trained techs could figure out how to fix it. If you listened closely you could hear some sort of French babble emanating from the stage. Regardless, the scene stealer was the keyboard player who I like to call “Crazy Legs Johnson.” The guy was out of control. While slamming on the keys, his legs were moving around at the speed of light and I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

Louis XIV – It seemed as if Louis XIV went into hiding after riding the coattails of their smash hit, “Finding Out True Love Is Blind,” a few years back. With an EP out soon and a full-length dropping at the beginning of ’08, the San Diegans are back and sounding better than ever. It seems the time away from the spotlight has helped them sharpen their sound. If this performance was any indication of what’s to come on their new album you can be sure that you’ll be hearing a lot more of them very soon.

Jamie T – I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Mercury Prize nominated Brit who is only 21 and making his first trip to North America. I’d enjoyed the few songs I’d heard on his album but was unsure how they’d translate live. All I can say is Jamie T killed it! More rocker than hip-hopper (unnecessary comparisons to The Streets follow him around like a rash), Jamie and the gang launched through an overly impressive set that left me wanting more and secured a follow up viewing when he reaches the States this month.

Metric – The crowd was crazy when Metric took the stage and I get the feeling the band was a bit overwhelmed. There seemed to be a little hesitancy in the performance, a far cry from the usual energy this band exudes. Though the band started in NYC, they now call Toronto their home so it’s understandable that the crowd claims them as their own. However, I felt they would have been better suited for the second stage and stole the spot that Editors so rightfully deserved. Having them close the show on stage numero dos seemed like a better fit but that might be why I’m only writing a review and not booking major music festivals.

Explosions In The Sky – The boys from Austin can do no wrong in my eyes. They are simply amazing and a must see for anyone who has never had the pleasure of watching their live performance. Best known for scoring the soundtrack to the hit film Friday Night Lights[i/], these Texans create a wall of sound only rivaled by My Bloody Valentine and the aforementioned gods of rock, Mogwai.

The Killers – Let me tell you a little story about The Killers. I was at their first show at Spaceland in Los Angeles and have followed their career closely for the past several years. I told anyone who would listen that this band was NOT going to make it. Their original demo was solid but I thought I would rather watch paint dry than see another performance (think Coldplay’s first trip to the States when Chris Martin would literally hide behind the keyboard.) I was obviously wrong about their success and over the years the young men from Vegas have learned a thing or two from the city in which they grew up. Led by Brandon Flowers, the band has learned what it means to be performers and showmen. The terrifically crafted pop rock hits are now accompanied by an excellent live show filled with colorful costumes, interesting video montages and most importantly, talented musicianship. I admit that I was a fool but am now a believer.

Editors – Headlining the second stage of a festival is a very big deal, especially when you’re still trying to break a country outside of your homeland, but this band should definitely have been assigned a slot on the main stage. Editors flat out rocked the small crowd (approximately 1,000 people as opposed to the 30,000 plus over by the main stage.) Lead singer Tom Smith has really come into his own, flailing around on stage like any good rock icon, and the band has the songs to match the bravado. They still sound like the son of Joy Division and Interpol, but who says that’s a bad thing?

Smashing Pumpkins – The festival headliners! Guess what? I didn’t see them. I walked back to the main stage and was afraid. There were well over 30,000 people waiting to see Mr. Corgan and his new band and decided that waiting an extra two hours to catch a ferry home was not worth it. Based on other reviews I’ve read, I made the right choice.

As I walked towards the ferry line I bummed a smoke off of a young, Canadian broad. She offered me a uniquely shaped box with an image of a man with an oxygen mask on the front. As I looked closer, I read the phrase, “SMOKING WILL KILL YOU,” with the name Peter Jackson beneath it. I immediately burst into laughter. As I was getting on the ferry, I thought what lucky bastard gets to have his name plastered all over cigarettes in Canada. The Virgin Music Festival, Toronto… fun but different.

Virgin Music Festival: Day 1
Sept. 8, 2007
Toronto, Canada

This was my first trip to the 2nd annual Virgin Music Festival in Toronto and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was informed the concert would take place on an island and I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t realize that Toronto even had an island. Saturday morning I went down to the press check in and after getting sorted out I was told to wait for the next ferry. Ferry? This is where the differences between V Fest and other festivals began. I took a short ferry ride across the water to the Toronto Island Park. I exited the boat, roamed around the grounds for awhile and saw a beautifully laid out theme park filled with rides, food vendors and four concert stages. This was trippy! It seemed to me that this was Perry Farrell’s original vision for Lollapalooza, “Come out to the island to see some great music, learn about some worthy causes, eat and drink and take a break and ride a roller coaster or a bumper boat.”

My day of music began with the 20-year-old Scot that I just can’t get enough of. Paolo Nutini took to the main stage at 2:15 in the afternoon and the crowd couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the show. Nutini and his boys played a terrific 45-minute set which included his hits, “New Shoes,” “Rewind” and “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” along with an amazing new track “Rainbows.” The band also threw in an excellent rock cover of Moby’s “Natural Blues.” The kid is really coming into his own as a live performer. He’s always had the material but in the early days it seemed hard for Nutini to interact with the crowd, choosing to look down at his feet instead of making eye contact with his fans. These days he’s moving around, having fun, talking to the audience and the crowds are eating it up!


Next up on the main stage was K-OS. To be perfectly honest, I’d never seen the man and his band live. On stage, K-OS combined all the great elements of The Fugees, Rage Against The Machine and Bob Marley. One minute he was crooning like Lauryn Hill with Pras and Wyclef backing him and the next he’d fire up the political stance like Zach De La Rocha with a less aggressive Tom Morello on the axe. It would be hard to classify K-OS into any musical category because he doesn’t define himself. From rock to reggae to r&b and hip hop, the man put on a show that I consider to be one of the festival's best.

Anticipation boiled over as M.I.A. was taking the stage. She’s played at so many festivals that I’ve attended but, for whatever reason, I’ve never had the chance to watch her perform. While I really enjoy her recorded work it just didn’t seem to translate well live. The songs were there but the energy was lacking. That special something just didn’t seem apparent. That being said, the lady’s outfits were bangin’! Pink sunglasses and black leather daisy dukes will go a long way when it comes to remembering what to write in a review. It is hard to forget such a memorable ensemble.

While sitting on the shore I took a much needed break and enjoyed my slice of pizza and a hot dog. The venue offers up the most amazing view of the downtown skyline. The break was short lived, however, because the Arctic Monkeys were about to take the stage. I really wanted to see what the hype was all about. I loved the Arctic Monkeys debut album but was less than impressed with their recent follow-up, Favourite Worst Nightmre. The kids from Sheffield were quite impressive as they ripped through an hour long set that included the wonderful “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” and the current hit “Brianstorm.” It was a much needed energy injection near the end of a long day. It got the crowd riled up and everyone wanted to see more! One of the highlights from the festival occurred hours later when I listened to the boys playing acoustically outside of their trailer. They played with assorted friends, drinking Strongbow cider and singing James Blunt’s “Beautiful.”

As with all festivals, multiple acts play at the same time and you’re forced to make decisions as to what band(s) you’d rather see. Interpol vs. Mute Math was case in point. I decided to see the second stage headliner, Mute Math, and keep up my streak of skipping Interpol festival performances. This was the best decision I made all weekend long! I’m new to the phenomenon that is Mute Math but I’m a definite convert. Without hesitation I will tell you that this was the best performance all weekend long. For whatever reason, these guys remind me a lot of The Police during their heyday but with added pop sensibility. Terrifically catchy songs combined with a great light show made for the most memorable performance of the day.

To end the night I needed to catch a glimpse of Bjork’s performance so I could leave with a smile on my face. The queen of Iceland always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and this was no exception. She took the stage wearing a golden dress and it seemed as if she had painted her forehead green. The cast of characters behind her reminded me of the Polyphonic Spree on acid. Like the Spree, multiple members donned multi-colored robes but these backup performers had painted their foreheads, as well. It was awesome! I stayed long enough to hear the first couple of songs and then hightailed it to the ferry for fear that I’d be stuck on the island all night long.

Stay tuned for a report of Day 2 of V Fest...