07/26/08 - Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Festival

[thedarkcanuck]

maybe tomorrow when the party ends

[BrenTheodore]

I feel as if we are left out and will never know if new songs or some great gems were played...

Must have been a huge after-party

[direwolf74]

Setlist? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

[Gortron]

Jesus Christ, still nothing?

[NWOntario]

This has to be some sort of record...

...

...we should make up a setlist. (In which case, they opened with "When the Weight Comes Down," played "Get Back Again" mid-set and closed with a version of "At the Hundredth Merdian" in which Peter Frampton sang a duet with Gord. So that would've been cool.)

[Gortron]

Don't leave out the amazing new stuff.

[mojo_mattv]

really... really...!?
Perhaps it rocked SO hard that everybody who heard it had their heads literally explode, and are thus unable to communicate setlists...
Or their just assholes.

[Tthip]

http://communities.canada.com/theprovin ... light.aspx

The Hip are the highlight
Sure, Coldplay is playing at Pemberton. But the festival's peak for many was Saturday night's set by the Tragically Hip.

The beloved act has played its share of mega shows and really knows how to take the energy to the next level from the opening notes.

Much of this appeal comes from the fact that the Kingston band provided the soundtrack to so many Canucks' first kisses, drunks, road trips and grad weekends. And the rest can be credited to the bizarre, yet effective, antics of lead singer Gord Downie.

He was in awesome form; executing some leaps that came straight out of the Simpsons, traversing the stage like the chief of staff at the Ministry of Silly Walks and so forth. All the while with that distinct voice laying down those stream-of-consciousness lyrics.

The audience was by far the largest for any band so far -- even the Bacardi B-Live tent had probably emptied. Because everyone just had to be there to sing along to "Courage," "Music at Work" and many more.

It was a sweaty, hit-laden concert by the band that everyone at Pemberton had come to see; even if they didn't know it at the time.

Live Nation's Shane Bourbonnais had said he felt that the Hip had to be at the Pemberton Festival. It surely seemed to be a match made in music.

Perhaps the band should come next year and do one of its albums from beginning to end. Such gigs are the rage at major festivals everywhere now. Fans who bought early-bird tickets could vote on which album it would be.

Honestly, the only losers in this was Vancouver's Black Mountain, which had to start when the Hip was chugging full steam on "Poets."

[NegPhil]

At one point the band was rocking so hard that when Robbie tore into a full on balls out guitar solo, it ripped the dust laden rain clouds apart and spilled golden sunshine on the valley. No shit. Golden rays of sun.

They stole the show. The flaming Lips knew it. Tom Petty knew it.

[Summiteer]

Well it was a great Weekend and Like Phil said the clouds parted ways and it was a beautiful day when TTH hit the stage, which for mostly all dam day was real dam gloomy,dust and shit blowing around,raining but not badly,but I knew it would let up for the boys(really I did ) Met alot of fans in the VIP,not a bad spot,got alot of pics of my tattoos,my buddy was calling them the Papparazzi , but i was cool with them taking pics. hilites for friday was NIN of course,they kicked my ass throughly,wicked live show,and ya the Lips just didn't do shit for me,and I try to have and open mind,but blah on them,Tom was great,everyone was rockin for him.I got interviewed for Live Nation as well after the Hips gig,I fucked that interview up but good,put me on the spot,but I was more the half in the bag and couldn't articulate my thoughts on Hip very well at that point,and christ she was hot as hell so that didn't help, i'm hoping she burns the tape

[Spycouple]

Spycouple scored the two free tickets I gave away. I'm suprised he was the only person to throw his name into the hat but the dude totally deserves them.

Spycouple shot those cool one takes of the Moore show and Redmond last year so lets hope he's up for it again. It would be a shame not to have this baby on tape. Any other tapers going?

Watching the new MAv vid the other day I started giggling like a school girl every time they mentioned Pemberton. I hope they bust out a new song or three. It seems like the perfect opportunity to road test some new material before they head to Bobs place for the final vocals and mix.

Thanks a ton to NegPhil for the tickets. I was hoping to get some filming done, and the other ticket went to a pro photographer who was ready with his camera, but no camera confirmation came about from the event organizers (for obvious reasons if you've seen any of the reports on the festival).

We got dropped off in Whistler via a buddy who was heading up there for a wedding, and when we heard the horror stories of backed up traffic, I wasn't sure we'd even be able to get a bus to Pemberton in time for the Hip, let alone getting clearance for the camera or even finding the right person/booth to ask for info. With filming prospects unlikely and no car to leave a camera behind if turned away, I decided it was better to leave it with my buddy who had just dropped us off (it was actually his HD camera anyway). Five minutes after getting dropped off and just about to buy a bus ticket to Pemberton, we were picked up by a hospitable couple who needed two more in their carpool so as to get through the pricey parking fiasco. All systems operating smoothly at this point, we felt like Hunter S. Thompson and his attorney setting off for the desert. Follow the Great Magnet, it bends all to its whim!

Three long start-and-stop hours later on a normally half-hour drive, and feeling not-so-much like Hunter S. Thompson, we got to the venue just in time for the Hip. Unfortunately most of their set for me involved receiving txt/phone messages from buddies now trying to find us in the crowd and vice versa (yeah, I guess I was that guy with the freakin' cell phone at a concert, much to my chagrin while moving to the back of the crowd). The Hip's set list was standard, nothing new or of surprise, expertly delivered, and manically infused by their frontman, but "Fully Completely" was off the hook and caught my attention again. I gave up on trying to coordinate meeting up with anyone at that point.

Naturally, a completely different set of friends who I didn't realize were even at the concert randomly spotted me trying in vain to figure out my keypad while under the influence of music! Once again, I was distracted from the Hip's set, but part of the festival magic is running unexpectedly into old or new acquaintances at the beckon call of the Great Magnet. Regardless, the Hip's set seemed to be very well received and well-attended, as we noticed while making our way over to the second stage for Black Mountain.

Unrelated to the Hip's set is this... Black Mountain is an incredible live band. Can't say enough about how worthwhile it was to see them. It was a small stage where you could just walk right up and tune in. I was really wishing I had the camera at that point actually, since the sightlines were excellent. The photog who came with me actually worked with two of the guys in the band, so it was pretty sweet to see them playing this festival and putting down such a monstrous sound surrounded by... what else... MOUNTAINS!

About an hour or so later, after the Flaming Lips now trademarked set of ridiculousness (with special guest appearance by King Larvae!), we had to make a split second decision as to whether we should stay and ride out the rest of the night or try to get back to our ride in Whistler. I'm not one to bail on music and nights of adventure, but once it started getting dark, with storm clouds moving in, and as more and more stories of near-riots and traffic SNAFU's from Friday night emerged, we decided to get the f**k out of Dodge.

It was starting to feel like an episode of Deadwood (complete with requisite curse words throughout), or, like being on on electric transit bus at night in the Downtown Eastside and the power grid going down (this has happened... fun times ). Yeah, the term "foreboding" comes to mind, as does "Whoa, this thing could get ugly in a hurry". We decided to bail on Petty and any hope of busting through the scantily dressed lineup for the Bacardi DJ tent. Yes, the infamous Bacardi tent, with its awaiting oasis of Mojitos that we couldn't actually witness firsthand, but still beckoned like the dancing sugarplums of the well-proportioned sirens in the lineup. Mmmmm.... mojitos....

In retrospect, and in getting back to Vancouver early Sunday morning dry and in one piece, I'd have to say that bailing out was one of the best decisions I've made under the influence of a music festival (dancing sugarplums notwithstanding). Really happy to have seen 3 bands I was hoping to catch, but glad we didn't push our luck - or the Great Magnet - any further. Hopefully, everyone makes it out of there tonight okay.

Nothing more to report. No known recordings. Over and out.

A Shrugging Spy

[markslog]

Ocean
M@w
Grace
Abac
In view
Giftshop
Courage
Wc
Poets
Fully
Bob c
Family band
New o

[The Heron Outside]

7 shows in 2008 at only 2 appearances of Meridian...here's hoping this one isn't pulled from the set for good..

[Spycouple]

Okay now that I see Markslog's proper song order (so dependable that Markslog!), here's a quick and dirty review in keeping with the dusted theme of Pemberton. As mentioned in a previous post, I had to move back to the edge of the crowd because my phone kept going off from people trying to track us down, so I was not getting the full gale force of the Hip experience as usual but rather was way back where all the "detached" observers were mulling around to and from tents/stages/food lineups etc...

Yer not the Ocean- Wasn't at all surprised by this song as the opener, as it was the opener for the last two or three shows I saw the band play last year. It's still the first song on their new album technically, so it's okay as the opener, but may need to be moved off the leadoff spot for a bit.

Music at Work - With the Ocean/@Work combo, I was thinking about the Marymoor Park show's first two songs, given the similar outdoor + daylight vibe. The "everything is bleak, it's the middle of the night" lyric was a bit odd in light of this, but then again, I wasn't around for Friday night's post show traffic mayhem. I think the lyric may have resonated with a few other concert goes though. Just a guess.

Grace, too - Again, the familiar 3-song series that opened the Marymoor show. The extended intro of G2 seemed to be the right hook that knocked the crowd into heading towards the stage as suddenly there were many many more people around us. And now the cell phone starts to buzz and I have to head over to an ATM machine to try to find a buddy. Bad timing. I was looking forward to seeing Gord's monkey scene reenactment from 2001: a Space Odyssey. I suspect it's now built into to the jam-out at the end. Some newspaper reports confirmed monkey sightings so I'm thinking it happened here.

Ahead by a Century - The right call. Back to back iconic Hip tunes probably locked a few people onto the mainstage activities. I think by this point, Gord had "gone to plaid".

In View - The wrong call. I'm not an In View hater by any stretch, but it was the first single from their last album, has had a ton of play, and really doesn't need more at this point. Especially the case w/respect to a time limited set. In retrospect, Bobcaygeon would've be really good to slot in here, or better still, Fully Completely.

Giftshop - Perfect choice here given the spectacular backdrop. Regardless of some of the less-than-stellar aspects of this first time festival, the scenery wasn't a problem once the dust settled.

Courage - Nice. I love this song live, always have, so great to hear it. Not sure if Gord got a little screamy/ranty at the tail end of it or whether that was on another tune.

World Container - I would've been fine with either In View or World Container in this set but not both. I'd lean towards WC normally, but not after working things to a frenzy with Courage. Took the opportunity to deal with phone messages.

Poets - You can put this song anywhere in the set as far as I'm concerned and it'll work. I'm not sure if they've ever closed with it, I don't think I've ever seen a show closed with Poets, but I think it would work there as well.

Fully Completely - Hello! "We just had a baby born on the left side of the party ladies and gentlemen. We need an ambulance over by the scaf-fold-ding!" This wasn't in the rant as far as I know, but nicely describes the rise in intensification... or "intensity" as the kids are calling it.

Bobcaygeon - Hypothetically speaking, right song, wrong spot (see comment on In View) but glad to hear it regardless.

Family Band - Has become my favorite from WC. No arguments.

New Orleans is Sinking - Expecting something else? I believe Robbie intro'd this with the Voodoo Chile riff? Can't confirm that as it might have been another familiar riff, or something else entirely kicking in at that point. Maybe it was Black Mountain subliminally calling us over to the second stage. 'Nuff said.

Hey, it's a review. There ya be. May see more once people escape the Sea-to-Sky.

-jf

[Tthip]

Poets - You can put this song anywhere in the set as far as I'm concerned and it'll work. I'm not sure if they've ever closed with it, I don't think I've ever seen a show closed with Poets, but I think it would work there as well.

I love Poets anywhere as well.
The only time I remember them closing a show with it was 6-12-02 Club 279 Secret Radio show