Pace on Earth

Wiser Time

Quite a weekend!

Fredrock has come and gone and, despite some of the worst conditions imaginable, the boys pulled it off pretty well.

Friday night we started off with a tour of the Picaroon's brewery and then headed over to the Exhibition Center for the DJs that were kicking off the weekend. The room was vastly oversized for the crowd but Scratch Bastid managed to get everyone going. Nikki Awesome and the Royal Society killed that buzz but then Team Canada got everyone going again with a great set.

Saturday morning the skies were dark but it wasn't wet. That changed around 2 and what started as a drizzle was a steady rain by the time the first band hit the stage around 4. The crowd was just trickling in as Ross Neilen hit the stage but he put on a typically rockin show, dirty and raw. The Respectables were next as the crowd started thickening as did the rain. They were the best surprise of the day solely because I knew little about their music. They were also a rocking outfit who sang partially en francais and were helped by a guest appearance from Gordie Johnson. By the time Matt Mays hit the stage it was a full on downpour but the crowd was big and boisterous. Matt reminded the crowd that a little rain never stopped a maritimer from given'er. True to his word he stepped right out in it and let'er rip. He now has a repetoire of songs that the whole crowd was helping him with. He's hit his stride.

Miraculously, after about 7 straight hours of rain, the rain stopped for the Crowes. The opened with one of my favourites, Wiser Time. True to their Southern Rock heritage they jammed everything out a bit. I didn't get to see as much as I would have like because I was working the bar and that's when it was busiest. They sounded good anyways and the reviews I got from my friends were very positive. And best of all I only had to walk a few blocks to see them in my hometown. How sweet is that?

I spent the aftermath surveying the damage to the field, which was extensive, and talking with the promoters. They got about 5000 paid attendance for the day and, while that was well below their hopes, were ecstatic that they got that given the conditions.

The next day was less wet but far more windy. So windy in fact that the back of the stage came down and required almost 3 hours of work to repair it so the openers were delayed by almost 2. All the sets were therefore shortened to keep the lineup intact. Brad Cain's band, Awake by Sunday kicked it off and he (and they) didn't look (or sound) at all out of place on the big stage. The rest of the bands had some highlights but were on and off too quick for any real review. Age of Daze was the final opening act and they were very well recieved by their hometown crowd. Finally, Live hit the stage and played one song after another that I knew. I truly forgot how many hits they had through the 90's. More importantly they played the shit out of them and were tight enough to keep them true to what I remembered them sounding like. I didn't expect much of them so they were probably the biggest surprise of the weekend. The crowd seemed to agree and that was that.
This event was a major leap of faith by the promoters but it looks like it paid off. Maybe not in return on investment for this year but if they try again next year, continue with quality acts, and maybe get a little cooperation from the weather, this concept will work.

Great job boys.

Pace out.

Labels: Freddy Beach, FredRock

posted by Vitamin S @ 7:12 p.m.