What a treat for St John’s residents and visitors last night
with the opening of the George Street Festival and all the bands, musicians and
artists appearing there. The Canadian band Barenaked Ladies opened the festival.
Soon after the band’s performance Twitter and social media pages were alive
with photographs of the performance. Alan Doyle made an appearance with the
band on stage and at a charity event earlier in evening to raise money for
Mallard Cottage, a historic house in the village of Quidi Vidi turned
restaurant. Great Big Sea are to close the festival later in the week. Yes I
wish I was there walking the streets of St John’s listening to wonderful music,
having a drink in one of it’s many fine drinking establishments and soaking up
the atmosphere. This post is a record of what happens through the eyes and
words of anyone who well cares to write about it and take photos whether they
are fans or performing there more for my own record rather than anyone else.
What did Great Big Sea say about the George Street Festival
on Twitter…
Greatbigsean@greatbigsean “and so we end right back where we started. Good night George
Street…good night”. August 7 2013
AlanDoyle@alanthomasdoyle “Wow. Not sure what to say about a Sod Out show on George Street
tonight. How about Thank You. Thank You All”. August 7 2013
BobHallett@bobhallett “George
St was amazing last night – we are humbled by the love; and big thank you to
the many friends who later came and sang at @Erinspub” August 7 2013
What did the fans who went to see Great Big Sea at the
George Street Festival say on Twitter...
AllanHawco “The
lads @greatbigsea Rocked George St last night. Thanks to @alanthomasdoyle for
an awesome show. Happy regatta day to all in St John’. August 7 2013
DoreenMoyst@DorreenMo @bobhallet @Erinpub You rocked the crowd! Thanks for the
fantastic show. Cheer!! August 7 2013
ValerieHarnum@ValerieHarnum @bobhallett @Great_Big_Sea
@Erinspub No thank you guys!! You were
amazing…as usual!!! Loved loved loved the show. August 7 2013
Amelia@nutmeg74 Fantastic
evening. Grilling for the masses @NDP Pre-Regatta BBQ at Quidi Vidi
@Great_Big_Sea at George St Fest and now relax at the Duke. August 7 2013
NatalieHobbs@DanceNatH The
crowd loved ya @Great_Big_Sea @GeorgeStLive. Thanks for the 2nd
encore. Awesome way to end George St Festival. August 7 2013
LindsayGrimes@lindsaay_grimes At the Great Big Sea concert on George Street in St. John’s. It’s so
crowded but having a good time? August 6 2013
What the fans saw at the Great Big Sea concert at the George
Street Festival on Twitter and Youtube…(have included some Youtube videos from
those who are not professional bootleggers like @lyndahere)
George Street @GeorgeStLive wrote on Twitter See pics from #gSF2013 on our official FB: httop;//www.facebook.com/georgestlive incl. @greatbigsea and others....August 8 2013
Great Big Sea close the George Street Festival from the official Twitter site of GeorgeStreet @ George St Live (no copyright infringement intended) .
Alan Doyle with the Barenaked Ladies who opened the George Street Festival.
George Street @GeorgeStLive wrote on Twitter See pics from #gSF2013 on our official FB: httop;//www.facebook.com/georgestlive incl. @greatbigsea and others....August 8 2013
Great Big Sea close the George Street Festival from the official Twitter site of GeorgeStreet @ George St Live (no copyright infringement intended) .
Alan Doyle and the Barenaked Ladies perform at the Quidi Vidi fundraising from James O'Brien on Twitter (no copyright infringement intended)
Article 1
CBC Newfoundland Labrador provided fans with a fabulous slide show of the opening night with the Barenaked Ladies in George Street.
CBC Newfoundland
Labrador
“1st night
of 2013 George Street Festival” posted August 2. (no copyright infringement intended)“Ready ... set .... rock.
The 2013 George Street Festival is underway, with the Barenaked Ladies taking the stage on Thursday night.
A full slate of musical acts is scheduled to appear nightly.
The festival wraps up on Tuesday, Aug. 6, with homegrown favourites Great Big Sea”.
Article 2
The Independent newspaper in St John’s wrote this interesting article about the George Street Festival including a brief mention about Great Big Sea’s performance to close the festival. Of particular interest was the action taken by the employees of the major and exclusive beer sponsor Labatt who were striking to gain a fair collective agreement. This article also highlighted to me how interconnected the music scene is in Newfoundland. As a fan of Great Big Sea and following them on Twitter I have been introduced to a lot of other fabulous Newfoundland music talent that were at this year’s George Street Festival like Barenaked Ladies, the Dardanelles and Hey Rosetta. The article also has photographs attached at the bottom on their site.
“George Street Fest
closes with a local, flavourful bang” by Samm Joyy and Justin Brake of the
Independent, posted August 8 2013. (no copyright infringement intended)
With local acts Hey Rosetta, Great Big Sea, Repartee, The
Dardanelles and Dave Whitty Band, the 2013 George Street Festival offered up a
diverse selection of the province's best during its final two nights.
On Tuesday evening, with many taking their chances in the
annual game of Regatta Roulette on the eve of St. John’s popular annual
sporting event and last-minute-maybe-municipal holiday, Great Big Sea closed
out the George Street Festival with a solid performance in front of a sold-out
crowd.
The previous night, following four days’ worth of top notch
headlining acts like Barenaked Ladies, Glass Tiger, Shanneyganock and George
Thorogood, Newfoundland’s other band – Hey Rosetta – set the stage for the GBS
finale with its own rousing performance, which undoubtedly demonstrated to some
unsuspecting tourists in attendance the Island’s musical diversity.
Though it has brought in world class performers, the George Street Festival (GSF) has always found its strength in curating a potpourri of NL’s best, one or two blasts from the past (this year, Glass Tiger, Honeymoon Suite and Thorogood and the Destroyers), and internationally-recognized names like the Barenaked Ladies.
This year was no exception, especially regarding the festival’s local contingent.
Tuesday, Aug. 5 – Great Big Sea / The Dardanelles / Dave
Whitty Band
On Tuesday evening local act Dave Whitty Band made their GSF
debut and warmed up those who gathered in front of the stage early on. Whitty,
a St. John’s native who’s spent time in Toronto, offered a mix of new tunes and
a handful of songs from his 2011 EP Let It Rest with support from his band, featuring
members of other local acts Baytown and At Ship’s End.
If there was any confusion among visitors as to the present state of Newfoundland music, The Dardanelles surely would have reaffirmed some expectations and destroyed some stereotypes at the same time, with their take on contemporary traditional music. Led by front man and CBC Radio host Tom Power, group readied the crowd for Great Big Sea, with band member Emilia Bartellas’s fiddling mastery garnering more than a few cheers from excited festival goers.
Between sets people pushed to the front gates and launched
into the customary “Great Big Sea, Great Big Sea” chants, much as they did for
Rosetta the previous night. Before too long Great Big Sea took the stage and
spit out song after song from their recent 20th anniversary album XX, a
collection of the band’s most beloved songs.
The audience clapped and tapped their toes to classics like
When I’m Up, The Night Pat Murphy Died, Sea of No Cares, and their own
rendition of Pete Townshend’s Let My Love Open the Door. Great Big Sea filled
the street with high energy and good spirits song after song. It’s no shocker
the band has endured a demanding industry for two decades, if the dedicated
fans, young and old, who lined the street were any visual representation of the
band’s success.
Festival organizers couldn’t have chosen a better act to end
the week. A homegrown, expectation meeting, feel good band like Great Big Sea
was the perfect finale to a week of music, celebration and appreciation of the
talent hat seeds from Newfoundland soil.
Monday, Aug. 4 – Hey Rosetta / Repartee
The early evening rain wasn’t enough to keep festival goers
away from downtown St. John’s Monday evening, where local acts Repartee and Hey
Rosetta headlined the festival’s second last night. Fans sporting rubber boots
and rain gear filled the street through Repartee’s set, and by the time Hey
Rosetta took to the stage shortly after 9 p.m. you were hard pressed to find
some wiggle room.
Outside the front gates striking Labatt employees held signs
in protest of their company’s deal to hold exclusive beer sales rights at the
2013 festival. A pamphlet they were handing out read: “Local workers of Labatt
are currently striking to achieve a fair collective agreement. With worldwide
profits of over $9.4 Billion, Labatt and its parent company are demanding major
concessions from worker in our province. It’s not justified. We are asking for
your support. Please do not buy Labatt products during this strike.” Inside the
gates, people seemed to be consuming beer as abundantly as ever, but between
sets on Monday evening one concert goer was overheard saying they were drinking
liquor instead of Labatt beer in support of the striking workers.
Their first time playing the festival, Repartee did not
disappoint. With a tight stage presence – a result of non-stop touring – the
band energized the crowd with songs like Hello Hello Hello and Conversation
Piece from their latest album, Hello Hello Hello. I Would Die Before You, from
their 2011 self-titled album, was also a hit, as was some of the band’s new
material and their take on Beyoncé’s Crazy in Love. Lead singer Meg Warren,
known for her excellent stage fashion, outdid the audience’s ponchos and
waders, sporting sparkling streamers that reflected the remaining daylight.
After a short wait, the thousands in attendance greeted Hey
Rosetta – St. John’s most popular rock export – with sparklers and cheers, an
almost re-enactment of the band’s music video for the song Yer Spring, from its
2011 album Seeds. The audience swayed and sang along, enjoying the company of
strangers on the blocked street.
Rosetta performed a few numbers from Seeds and its sophomore
album Into Your Lungs but offered up a hefty selection of new material,
introducing titles like Belle of Batoche, Alcatraz, and Harriet. With the help
of the organizers of The Victoria Park Lantern Festival, illuminated lanterns
were paraded in front of the stage and through the crowd as the band
performed Little Shove for the first time to its hometown fans. The new
songs were well put together, as if the band had been performing them as often
as their earlier material, a notable achievement.
As the catchy chorus of Red Heart rang through the street,
illuminated beach balls were thrown amongst the crowd.
Rosetta ended the show with the hopeful lyrics of Bandages,
leaving those in attendance on a positive note and with smiles on their faces.
