OSHEAGA 2008 @ Parc Jean Drapeau

By Sophia Linhares - Colour It Indie - 08/03/2008

DAY 1

Osheaga 2008 started off a little pear shaped, what with the immense crowd of high school kids in flat shoes. Aside from that the weather wasn't all that great either. Luckily it didn't rain as much as expected…just a few drops of water here and there.

Louis XIV was one of the first bands to hit the stage. They had great stage presence and played all their fans favorites. N.E.R.D and Plants and Animals played awesome sets as well. Though it seemed the audiences in front of each stage were in small numbers for the first half of the day; which was quite unfortunate.

The party truly started when Metric hit the mobile stage. They opened with their all too popular song "Dead Disco" and what perfect timing they had because that was when people really started rolling in out of nowhere. It was nice to see the new generation of neon kids dancing away on the muddy ground.

The vibe changed entirely from electro-clash neon dancing to the funky soul rhythms of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, which worked out well (who doesn't enjoy a little soul music?) It was tough for a lot of people considering that Duchess Says were performing at the same time on the MEG stage. Those who planned out the entire day carefully, were fortunate enough to see Duchess Says and still catch a good part of Sharon Jones.

Actually like many festivals everyone had their schedules in hand and a keen eye on their watch in order to get the most out of the entire day, which on the whole was not what you'd expect from Osheaga, although it was a fairly relaxing day of mildly good music.

Thank god for Iggy Pop, what an amazing show… honestly who better to finish off the day but The Stooges? Exposing all too much of themselves while performing. A memorable moment was when Iggy called the audience on to the stage with them, and of course all hell broke loose as bodyguards fought to keep  people from jumping on stage. Still as always a small few made it passed them and partied with Iggy for a song or two.

There was the expected over hype of underage attention for The Killers, who topped off the night with a flair of lights and smoke. Let's not forget their endless list of catchy tunes that had the kids singing along and jumping the night away. Though they did do a great set, it was hard to follow an artist as renowned as Iggy Pop and a large percentage of the crowd had left after his performance.

DAY 2

Now Day 2 of Osheaga 2008 was strangely the opposite of Day 1. The crowd was three times the amount of people that were there the day before with far fewer youngsters, which was surprising to me even if I myself preferred the lineup of bands for Day 2. Maybe this was due to what a nice day it was. Even I got a little tanned.

The first band to really start off the day was The Kills. They drew everyone to the quiet nook in the trees where the MEG stage was hidden. This was the stage noted to be "the place to be" throughout Osheaga's short history. Maybe because it was one of the more intimate stages, perhaps for the cozy cushions and small tables to the right, or just maybe it was the wonderful smell of La Chilenita's tent selling empanadas and burritos for a small fee. Though honestly I'd say it’s due to it having the beer tent with the shortest line up, but who knows really?

The day was an overall hit with exceptionally amazing performances from bands like The Weakerthans; with their smooth melodic tunes that make you want to rush over to HMV and buy their album. The Go Team; who must have had the most colorful crowd of the entire festival. The Black keys, MGMT and CSS; who got the scenesters all riled up. As always, Broken Social Scene played such an amazing set with the wonderful stage presence they have every time they come to town. I have to say I had the most fun when Gogol Bordello hit the stage. If not for the bands crazy antics making me laugh, then for the great music. It was worth seeing the expression on peoples faces who didn't know them. They stared up at them, boggled and confused, but by the end they were clapping their hands and taping their heels to the song "Start Wearing Purple.” Unfortunately the band didn't play “Through the Roof Underground” which was one of their most popular songs due to the movie “Wristcutters”. None the less the band made up for its absence with two Asian go-go girls who kept running on and off stage. Finally, how can I leave without mentioning that Jack Johnson was the perfect person to finish off this beloved festival, with his folky beats intertwined with a reggae feel.

So over all Osheaga was a success even though many of the big names had canceled including The Foals, Eddy Grant and The Enemy, which did disappoint a lot of people including myself. We did have some surprises from the unscheduled bands that took their place though. It seems this year’s Osheaga was on a bit off a down slide from the ones before it. True it had its moments, yet nothing can beat the lineup of bands which were a part of Osheaga 2006 and 2007. They both also had far more bands than this year. I'm not sure what to expect for next year but I do have high hopes for Osheaga for it has already been one of those occasions some of us wait all year for.

Tune into Colour It Indie with Sophia every Thursday from 12PM – 2PM