Broken Social Success - Olympic Island 2006

With a lineup that some were calling lack-luster, after 3 years of epic summer shows on Olympic Island, local heroes Broken Social Scene sold it out (the Island, not themselves, so shut it, all you nay-sayers.) Saturday's festival was perfect weather, a near-perfect crowd, a proper (yet not overbearing) security team, and nary a hitch throughout.

Care to re-live the day (or live it vicariously through photos)? Right this way...

Raising the Fawn - they played at the height of the afternoon heat & sun, so I choose to enjoy them from afar under a shady tree. I soaked in the size of the growing crowd and the band (whom I couldn't really see, but sounded great). No photos of them, sorry.

J Mascis - Those who paid big bucks to see Broken Mascis Scene at the Mod Club the night before might have felt a little ripped off to see them doing it all again, but I was grateful. Dinosaur Jr. was on heavy rotation during my college years, so hearing songs like Feel the Pain and Start Choppin' sent it all flooding back. I think much of Mascis' set was a little lost on those that weren't familiar with his band, so I was probably one of the more enthusiastic fans on the barricade during this set (Feist was also dancing backstage, so I felt a little bit vindicated for my shameless abandon). Large props to the members of BSS for doing Mascis' songs very proud. Mascis still stays true to his roots and seriously brings the hair. Forget Phil Spector's famous 'wall of sound' - witness instead J Mascis famous wall of hair...

Feist - Ms. Leslie was suffering from a bad flu, and her voice showed it, but where she was short on breath she was long on charm. She requested tomato soup of the audience to soothe her throat (no, no one had any on hand) and graciously thanked the fans for their understanding. Unfortunately she choose to omit Inside and Out from her setlist, but there are some tough notes to hit there, so it was understandable. And if I could look this good sick, hell, I'd be sick all the time.

Bloc Party - They initially seemed the odd-ball choice in the lineup, but proved to be a HUGE crowd favourite. Their sound was outstanding and energetic, and I was surprised by how captivating and charismatic lead vocalist Keke Okereke is. The moshing and crowd-surfing got a little out of hand, so monumental big thank-you's to my group of fantastic friends for being TeamProtectTheCameraGirl.

BSS - To love this band is to not only experience the exhilaration of brass anthem blasts and voices raised to the sky in multiple harmonies, but also to see the members interact with each other, family, and friends. In the wings to the side of the stage, there was much dancing of moms and children alike. There aren't many 10+ year old bands left that haven't grown bored and now just dial it in live, but with every back-to-back note of Shorelines / Cause=Time / Fire-Eyed Boy it's plain as day that they still get a huge rush out of playing together. It is to this love of their band and each other that my photo set is focused and dedicated. (setlist).

Emerge (promoters and organizers of the event) have been all over themselves with apologies for insufficient catering and disposal management. But really, who came for the food? Most of the fans attention was focused on the reason we were there - the music. Triumphant is a cheesy word, but for this, it's also a perfect word. As the fans sifted home to the strains of KC Accidental (their closing song), and you looked back to see stage lights illuminating the water & the sky for miles and 10,000 hands held high - it was just nothing short of triumphant.

PHOTO LINKS:
J. Mascis - GALLERY or Flickr slideshow
Feist - GALLERY or Flickr slideshow
Bloc Party - GALLERY or Flickr slideshow
BSS - GALLERY or Flickr slideshow

(Photo credits: Rock Paper Pixels. Please do not re-use or republish in any manner. Thank you.)