Music
Here Comes Virgin Festival 2008
This Saturday September 6th and Sunday September 7th Branson's Virgin Festival will roll back into Toronto, bringing promises of an even bigger, better show than the last two years. Having enjoyed substantial success, this year's Vfest features headliners Oasis and Foo Fighters capping off each of the festival's two jam-packed days.
I'm a huge fan of Vfest, if only because it is (hands down) one of the best-run concert events I've attended. I'm even more interested in the 'side' bands rounding out the festival, and blogTO will be bringing you lots of Vfest coverage of all the talent coming to town. If you're coming along for the ride, check out some of my recommendations and band links here.
This year, along with big names such as Oasis, Foo Fighters, Sterophonics, Siversun Pickups and Bloc Party, Vfest brings 4 stages of music - including the BLive DJ tent - to Toronto.
Each day doors open at 1pm - the ferry schedule starts running much earlier and you'll want to leave lots of extra time to get to the Island. The sets start at 2pm and run from 35-110 minutes, getting longer as each day goes on; however the BLive tent gives DJs at least an hour each!
Saturday September 6th
Main Stage:
The Airborn Toxic Event
Shudder To Think
Constantines
MGMT
Against Me!
Bloc Party
Foo Fighters
Lake Ontario Stage:
The Midway State
Mark Robertson
Spiritualized
The Fratellis
Wintersleep
The Kooks
BLive Tent:
Nasty Nav
Mario J
Drop The Lime
Lets Go To War
Thunderheist
Flosstradamus
Sebastian
Switch
On the other two side stages on Saturday, you can catch The Fratellis doing a second set at 8:45pm, as well as Saint Alvia Cartel, Lights, The Waking Eyes and more.
Sunday September 7th
Main Stage:
Spiral Beach
Danko Jones
The Wombats
The Weakerthans
Silversun Pickups
Stereophonics
Paul Weller
Oasis
Lake Ontario Stage:
Songs From A Room
Paper Lions
Sebastien Grainger and the Mountains
Matt Costa
Yoav
Sons & Daughters
The Pigeon Detectives
BLive Tent:
Harmonik Rage
Evan G
Doman and Pettigrew
Sydney Blu
Lee Burridge
Deadmau5
Moby
Side stages on Sunday feature both Yoav and Stereophonics repeat performances, as well as OPOPO, Arkells, The Secret Broadcast (who also play the afterparty) and more.
We're getting geared up, and will be bringing you lots of Vfest coverage, including both the rock stages and the BLive DJ tent. As long as the rain holds up and we don't end up swimming in Wakestock soup, this should be yet another amazing Virgin Festival - light on the virgins, heavy on the fest!
Photos: Ryan Couldrey (top) and corecorina
Discussion
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I'll forgive ya, though!
What?? Last year I spent the whole time in lines for everything.
After attending Coachella and Outside Lands this year , it really hit it home how POORLY Vfest is run (hell, even Rogers Picnic was better). Since when does it make sense to ID people every single time they want to go into the beer garden to get a beer.
Line up to get on the ferry, line up to get off the ferry, line up once you get off the ferry just to be let into the grounds, line ups to get in the beer garden, to get a beer, to pee after said beer, then even more line ups to get food. Then don't forget the hour+ line up to get back on the ferry to go home.
I would have to say that our Vfest is hands down the poorest run festival I have ever been to.
Lines are sort of part of the deal - I don't know any large festival without any lines, and if you're going to be on the Island there's no way to get off other that a) lining up for the ferry or b) planning ahead to catch a water taxi. Given the number of people attending relative to the ferry capacity, Vfest did a great job moving people.
My friends who spend concerts stuck in the beer tent always seem to complain about lines too... I spent about 8 minutes in line last year for beer, which was fine with me. But I guess it depends if you're there to pound drinks or watch the show. I still say Vfest is one of the better run events in Toronto!
I've been to Vfest before and it is definitely not as smooth running. The beer line-ups are long and discouraging. Getting onto the island is less stressful as people tend to get on at different times. However, exiting is horrible. I understand that the ferry can only accommodate so many people but maybe our island just isn't the best place to hold as many people as vfest does? Maybe there is some solution to the exiting issue that the organizers should think of? It's very frustrating to wait in a 2 hour line-up to exit the island after a long day. Definitely doesn't call for a pleasant end to the day...
Is Downsview park the preferred alternative? or Fort York? Rogers Picnic looked amazing, but I heard many line related complaints. Hmm... where should Vfest relocate?
p.s. updated link to Toronto's own Evan G too.
How can you insinuate that just because I complain about beer lineups means that I am only there to pound beer? Did you not read that I traveled across the country twice this year to attend Coachella and Outside Lands, both in California? Pretty sure I wouldn't do that just to pound back beers. However, I do love a nice cold one now and then when there isn't a band I particularly wanted to see playing, especially on a hot day. It shouldn't take hours just to get a beer. Why not wrist band everyone once, so they don't have to ID them each and every time? Problem solved.
And I also mentioned a number of other lineups being extremely long. Crappy food and ATMs being high on that list.
All in all, my point is that if you think Vfest is HANDS DOWN (!!) the best event you have ever attended, perhaps you should venture out to attend more events. Especially if you write about them.
I'm not lucky enough to go to giant festivals yet, but that's why we have a comments forum, for people like you! And I hope I was clear in saying that my friends often complain about lines b/c they want to pound beer. It's not all about you, and I mean that in the nicest way ;)
I don't think an 8min line up is that bad, grabbed my 2 beers and split. You probably understand, in your festival wisdom/experience, that they purposely limit the amount of alcohol people can consume. The IDing is part of that... and part of controlling the crowd, I suspect.
Anyway, only being able to speak to my own experience, I'll continue to comment on festivals and leave it to charming informants like yourself to fill us in on amazing festivals like coachella etc... Thanks for the input!
See ya in the ferry line!
1. 30,000 people and 2 ferries= disaster
2. Check ID once, give wrist bands. Simple.
3. Where is the staff telling people where to go? Nothing like a bunch of drunk people wandering around a dark island looking for the 6 hour ferry line.
See Vegoose, Bonorroo, any Phish event, any of Canada's folk fests.... those are properly organized. this was ridiculous.
The thing is about the dude that attacked Oasis- yes, a crazy thing to do, but I bet he got home before I did!