Virgin Festival – 2006 – Toronto

This past weekend, Olympic Island in Toronto was besieged by a massive marketing campaign disguising itself as a concert. The very first Virgin Festival outside of England was held, with little to moderate success.

I was first left with a bad taste in my mouth after dealing with “Tyson Biggio,” the individual responsible for dealing out the tickets given away through Virgin’s text-to-win contest. I don’t know if this guy is real, or if he’s an idea of some marketing whiz (a term I use sarcastically). Either way, the communications I received were nothing short of rude… But the ordeal was something I let roll off my shoulder, since I was more interested in the show itself rather than how I got the tickets.

The second strike against the organizers came when Massive Attack pulled out of the event. The group had not completed the proper documentation to gain entry to the U.S., and a result cancelled its shows both in Canada and south of the border. Classy. This wasn’t a major issue either, since Broken Social Scene was added as their replacement. I was actually more excited to see BSS than Massive Attack.

The third strike. The one that hurt the most. Pulling the plug on The Flaming Lips only 30 minutes into their set. I had never seen The Lips live before, and I found myself in a state of wonderment during the time they actually were on stage. Balloons were flying in all directions; confetti was being launched into the air, only to fall on my head minutes later. It was an amazing experience. I understand, believe, and appreciate all the hype surrounding their shows. But then, Captain America entered from stage right, whispered in Wayne Coyne’s ear, and left. The look on Wayne’s face said it all. The show was being brought to an abrupt end. Thanks Virgin, thanks Emerge, thanks City of Toronto, and whoever else was involved in that decision (and the terrible scheduling leading up to it).

The fourth strike – that’s right, I even gave them an extra strike – came when Lupe Fiasco decided to ruin my Sunday. By not getting there on time, scheduling was again mixed up. Wolfmother ended up taking the stage 30 minutes early. Unfortunately, this meant I had to decide between them and Jose Gonzalez. To my disappointment, my choice, Wolfmother, was the wrong one. This could have been avoided again, if the promoters had managed the schedule better.

So Virgin, Emerge Entertainment, Tyson Biggio, and many others have successfully tarnished what would have been an otherwise great event. But as we all know, the bands and their music can transcend such nastiness. They can even transcend the cold and damp weather, and the constant barrage of advertising that was V-Fest. Without going into much more detail, here are my best and worst of show:

Best in Show

The Flaming Lips
Completely mind blowing. If only the band was allowed to play their entire set, I’m sure I would’ve had some sort of accident in my pants. Not sure which one, though.

Gnarls Barkley
Dressed in Karate Kid apparel, Cee-Lo and Dangermouse did not disappoint. Despite my cries for some Goodie Mob, none was to be heard. Oh! And did anyone else notice Jack White on guitar for the whole set? Or did I dream that?

Broken Social Scene
The darlings of the indie world. They did their thing, and their thing is to rock.

The Strokes
They seem to get tighter every time I see them live. I swear they were lip syncing… or they were just that good.

Kid Koala
This came out of nowhere. I was absolutely blind-sided by his set. His cover of ‘moon-river’ has to be heard, and seen, to be believed.

Phoenix
I called this one since the show was first announced. They surely impressed all in attendance, and likely won over many more fans.

The Raconteurs
While I’m not the biggest fan, there is no denying their musical abilities.

Eagles of Death Metal
Very funny, very good.

Muse
The band, whom I actually hate, managed to win me over. I still can’t believe it.


Worst in Show

Wintersleep
There is so much hype behind this product of the east coast, it’s no surprise they failed to live up to expectations.

Thrice
They were doing okay, but then they started yelling.

Wolfmother
Not as impressive as I would have thought. I’m still mad I watched this set over Jose Gonzalez.

The Dears
I love The Dears, but I think their set was quite the downer, and probably not best suited for an outdoor event.

Matt Mays & El Torpedo
Matt Mays & El Crapo. Yeah, I went there.

Buck 65
Like another Halifax export, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale, those who like Buck 65 like him a lot. The rest of us can't figure out why.

Sam Roberts
Good old Canadian cottage music. I actually don’t mind his stuff, but the set had as many lowlights as it did highlights.


Head over to chromewaves for some nice pictures from the event...