Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Edgefest with The Lumineers


Last week, we took our son to his very first concert - Edgefest Toronto. My niece turned 15 this week, so we took her along to celebrate her birthday. It was her first outdoor show. In over 20 years of going to outdoor shows (like Lollapalooza), I don't recall getting stuck in the rain.

The weather forecast called for a bit of rain at 10 p.m. I knew it was a bad sign when it started sprinkling on our way to the show at about 1:30 p.m.


Here's the gang, still hopeful that any major rain would hold off until later.


We got through a couple of early bands, like The Neighbourhood. "Sweater Weather" is the only song of theirs that I know. From my vantage point in the photo pit I could see that they have quite a number of female fans.


They seemed to be particularly fond of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, above. (There was a lot of screaming, and he obliged by lifting his top up now and then.)



We brought a whole bunch of snacks, including one of my son's favourites, seaweed snacks.


My husband and I enjoyed Monster Truck, straight out of our hometown of Hamilton, Ontario. If you know Hamilton, you know these guys are pure Hamilton. As they promised, they put some "edge" into Edgefest.



In fact, I think I have some permanent ear damage from being so close to the speakers. As I left the photo pit, I passed a row of speakers. My whole body felt like it was about to explode.


Here's the view from the pit. You can see that people were already starting to cover their cameras with plastic bags.


And then the rain came in earnest. Luckily my husband had a few rain ponchos in his bag. He kindly gave them to the rest of us and went without. He probably regretted that decision later.

It was kind of a comedy of errors. Turns out two pens had leaked in his bag, all over one of the ponchos. You can see that my son is wearing that one. My husband's hands were all blue. Of course, there was nowhere to wash your hands. He made do with hand sanitizer.


My son's poncho also had a hole in it, so his dad tied a knot.


We each used the portable toilets once and then decided not to drink again. I have never seen so many portable toilets in one spot before.


Late in the day, Band of Horses took the stage. Love them. If you don't know them, check them out. Their songs are incredibly beautiful.





The rain was steady and heavy by the time The Lumineers came on. I wasn't inspired to take many photos because rain was pouring off the stage into the photo pit. But I got a few pics nonetheless.





The Lumineers are amazing live. Wesley Schultz has a beautiful voice, powerful enough to captivate even across a large park in a downpour. These guys really know what they are doing and they look like they have a great time doing it.

Even my son and my niece, who are generally fans of a different kind of music, were impressed by The Lumineers. By the end of the night, we were soaked through and a bit miserable, but I think the troubles made for even stronger memories for the two kids. It was a day they (and we) won't soon forget!

Have you seen any great bands lately?



22 comments:

  1. L.O.V.E. Thanks for sharing pics and stories! Were you in the photo pit because you're a blogger? So cool!

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    1. Yes, I was. You should try it some time! Lots o' fun!

      Jo

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  2. Great photos! Sucks about the rain though! I would have gone to my second G'n'R concert many many years ago but the weather forecast the day before was awful so we sold our tickets. Which turned out to be a good idea because where we would have been standing had turned in to a massive mud pit. And by then I was a bit over G'n'R anyway!

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    1. Thanks!

      Yes, the rain truly sucked. I saw Guns N' Roses years ago. Great show, but a very rude singer. ;) I still love their songs when I catch them on the radio. :)

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  3. SO JEALOUS RIGHT NOW. They were in Houston but I am pregnant and it's hot here & I was not about to spend all that time walking on my swollen feet, ha ha. That is so awesome for a first concert, though!

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    1. I remember those pregnant days well! It's hard enough to go to an outdoor concert without being pregnant. One day you'll get to go again. In the meantime, enjoy the pregnancy/baby. Wonderful times. :)

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  4. It's such a shame when outdoor concerts are rained on, we have one coming up later this month, I'm hoping for the best!

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  5. Sounds like an incredible event! Great photos Jo. I guess rain makes it more memorable!? haha

    Kisses,
    Bex

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    1. Thank you! Yes, memorable. That's the upside. ;)

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  6. Your description of the rain ponchos made me chuckle out loud! Your photos are gorgeous, you'd never know you were damp when taking them- fingers crossed the Lumineers head out our way sooner than later!

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    1. My husband was not pleased with the whole ink thing!!

      I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I tried my best under bad conditions! Thanks girl. :)

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  7. How awesome! I love music and big concert venues- especially festivals. This looks like a great time!

    S&R
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    1. I like outdoor shows the best because you can usually get a good view of the band if you want to. Not like nosebleed seats in a stadium! ;)

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  8. Music festivals and concerts are so much fun. How exciting for them! The pictures are great!

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  9. The last show I was at was a The Devil Wears Prada and For Today show.

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    1. Where did you see The Devil Wears Prada? You mean on stage?

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  10. Such amazing photos! Loved the Lumineers so much <3

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    1. Thanks Natalie. Yes, I think I'm a bigger fan of The Lumineers now, post-show! :)

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  11. Great pictures! I think I would deal with the rain to catch the Lumineers.I adore their music.

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    1. We stuck it out ALMOST to the end because they were soooo good!! :)

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