The 16th edition of Osheaga broke records with an impressive 155,000 attendance over the 3 days.
Osheaga is not only a music festival, but a cultural phenomenon where art meets fashion as attendees strut their costumes like a musical cosplay.
Matt Maltese
The day started with a chill vibe from Matt Maltese as he performed You Deserve an Oscar.
The 10 song set ended with As the World Caves In, with an impressive 10 million views on YouTube.
Was Matt predicting our summer “as the earth burns to the ground”?
At least we have music to lighten the mood, and Matt did a great job easing us into the 2nd day of Osheaga.
Alicia Moffet
Alicia Moffet showed off her pop prowess with a set that energized the local crowd. A dream come true for the Quebec artist, Alicia revelled in the moment and danced across the stage.
Fall Into You, a song inspired by Fred Again.., was well received as well as Ciel when Rapper Fouki joined Alicia on stage.
The set ended with Lullaby, which you would probably not sing to an infant unless you want to show them which finger is most used in Montreal driving.
Cults
Joining a cult is pretty far down my bucket list, but seeing Cults live is way less dangerous, and more enjoyable.
They starting us off with High Road, now a decade old.
Madeline’s voice seems to come from an innocent past, while Brian Oblivion fill in the musical landscape. I enjoy a band that take their time releasing material, as each album is allowed to simmer and fully explore it’s distinct flavour.
Highlights were Gilded Lily, Bad Things and set closer Always Forever.
Fans of the current bedroom pop trend will probably now add Cults to their playlist.
Lido Pimienta
Although I missed Lido Pimienta‘s set, the buzz was that Nelly Furtado & Li Samuel (Bomba Estéro) joined the band on stage for a very colourful Latin-infused Pop set.
Goth Babe
Goth Babe is neither a Goth nor a babe. Choosing a name that is the antithesis of his persona, Griff Washburn would more likely be called Granola Dude, or Nature Bro.
One thing is certain, Goth Babe can throw a party, and it was my Saturday discovery.
When Goth Babe is not surfing, snowboard or rock climbing, he’s producing music from his tiny home. The video screens displayed his love of nature, the inspiration behind many of the songs.
A typical Goth Babe gig will feature flying cupcakes, inflatable pool floats and Elf crowd surfing.
Maybe Lil Yachty could learn a lesson and include an inflatable yacht for the enjoyment of the crowd.
One thing for sure, the crowd had a blast with, not cupcakes, but flying pizza slices being thrown, an inflatable pool with the band’s designated crowd surfer and the blow up yatcht which was eventually boarded as two brave souls set sail across the sea of fans.
Will Ferrell’s ELF character cut-out was launched from the stage to surf the crowd mid set.
Songs like Moments/Tide, Casita, Sometimes turned Osheaga into a beach party. Absolutely a joy to watch.
Po Lazarus
While FLETCHER seemed to be getting the crowd into a dance mood, local band Po Lazarus tore up the SiriusXM stage with their energetic set.
They describe themselves as Passion Rock, which is a fitting label. Joshua Carey (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar) & Paul Mascarenhas (Bass) are the core members of the band, who have been winning over fans in Montreal directly as the result of their live performances.
The SiriusXM stage was no exception as the band played hard, and seemed to be having the time of their lives.
Joshua was the preacher whose body couldn’t contain the musical energy stored within, backed by talented apostles of Rock. That was a blast and a half.
Lil Yachty
Hip-Hop artists are a crowd favourite at Osheaga. While I was wandering the site, getting a look at the Valley/Green stages, Lil Yachty started with the Prog Rock sounds akin to Pink Floyd with the BLACK Seminole.
Sometimes, artists take chances, which later turn out to be brilliant creative moves. Take Paul’s Boutique, an album that flopped at the beginning, but turned out to be ahead of its time, a stroke of genius. Only time will tell if Prog Rock and Hip-Hop will have the same effect.
SOFI TUKKER
SOFI TUKKER is the band that Oppenheimer would create, if he focused on music, rather than becoming a destroyer of worlds.
SOFI TUKKER are a destroyer of stages, with high energy dancing in a musical playground setting.
Songs like Drinkee has Sophie Hawley-Weld, a Brazilian stuck in German body, bursting with larger than life exuberance. With a flowing outfit, she kept the energy at peak levels while Tucker Halpern brought the beat to a frenzy.
Emergency had us playing SOFI says during the song, and we couldn’t help but obey.
You have to love SOFI sporting a Flying V guitar for songs like Purple Hat. There was no doubt that the party was now in full swing.
The National
Osheaga has a soft spot for The National, and rightly so. Matt Berninger is a mesmerizing frontman, twisting in musical agony, while delivering a set filled with crowd favourites.
Tropic Morning News and Eucalyptus off the latest album started us off.
Visiting our old friends off previous albums, song after song were played covering their discography.
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness has that iconic guitar riff, that is as enjoyable as any guilty pleasure, such as the après Osheaga Poutine.
I Need My Girl never fails to elicit goosebumps, while classics like Day I Die, Fake Empire and Mr. November made this a powerhouse performance. It reminded us of how we might like to listen to The National at home, sipping on some red wine, but seeing them live is an experience taken to another level.
For the set closer Terrible Love, Matt ventured through the crowd as he cried out “It takes an ocean not to break.”
Baby Keem
I will admit that I love the style of Hip Hop. It is truly an inspiring force of music to be reckoned with. Yet, call me old fashioned, my favourite cocktail, but I get turned off by swearing, and it’s rare to find Hip Hop without the curses.
I could not move, between a set of The National and upcoming Billie Eilish, I was there for till the end.
What I can say is that people around me really seemed to know the songs, and they sang out loud while the beat hit my knees. Yes…it was vibrating at a low frequency, busting a few eardrums along the way.
Being well prepared, I had some good earplugs which left me with some hearing for the next act.
Billie Eilish
While the Queen might have shuffled off this mortal coil, the Queen of Pop is alive and better than ever. Yes Billie, we see you in that invisible crown.
Osheaga was packed tight, in high anticipation for the arrival of Billie.
I wondered to myself: What would a 55-year-old look like in a Billie Eilish T-Shirt as so many fans were wearing? Then next to me, I spotted a 60-year-old man and his wife. He proudly wore his Billie shirt, and I think he had crossed the line where it looked good, whereas I believe it would still look creepy on me. Give me 5 years, and we will revisit this fashion choice.
Billie is the Kurt Cobain of this generation, minus the heroin. A creative soul, who uses music to heal her wounds, while doing it entirely her own way, with the help of her genius brother Finneas.
Billie first played the Corona Theatre which fits about 925. One year later, she filled the Bell Center, an insane meteoric rise, just like Nirvana.
Being homeschooled, Billie was able to explore creative freedoms, while all regular school kids were forced into conformity of thought, and actions. Memorization is the key to success in regular school, but how many creative kids are stripped of talent as the education machine eats away their hunger to explore?
This parental support helped Billie and Finneas to express themselves in song, and think outside the box.
As more kids listen to music through headphones, Billie seemed to have tapped into this personal space, with songs that sometimes seems as if she is whispering in your ear. Other times, the bass is distorted, like a teen’s thoughts might be, with all the craziness around them in this world.
Billie’s first song bury a friend is a combination of this soft voice, with a muted heavy beat. Played live, it activated an army of fans.
It was more than just music. Billie connects, and transfers emotions throughout her performance.
I was looking at this beautiful young couple next to me. He was Osheaga stylish, sporting a headband, and was holding his equally stylish girl around the waist of her mesh top. From her youthful delicate face, I could see the tears well up, and eventually snake their way down her cheeks as she sang the words aloud. She was not only hearing the songs, she was feeling them, and reflecting that back to Billie.
What would trigger these tears from a seemingly happy person, in what looked like a caring relationship? Was it the pain of past love? Was it some dark event in her past that Billie uncovered and allowed to heal? What it the weight of living in a world that is crying in agony? Maybe it was tears of joy, finally being able to see someone perform who has sang those songs to her time and time again?
What I witnessed was a beautiful emotive reaction to the music of Billie Eilish. This was amplified as myriads of other likeminded ones sang, cried, and expressed utter expressions of joy.
I felt like this was a moment many had dreamt about, but not yet experienced.
With a great backdrop of graphics on an active screen ramp, she used all the stage, including the catwalk into the crowd for songs like my future.
you should me in a crown shook the ground.
Billie & Finneas got acoustic for Your Power and TV, which had everyone singing…but when were they NOT singing?
A big surprise was having Armani White join Billie for the song BILLIE EILISH., which ended with a big hug and admitting that they just met for the first time while singing this song.
Billie sat alone on a stool, with a video of dark liquid coming out of her eyes behind her as she sang an intimate version of when the party’s over.
Billie did bring attention to our planet with the words “Pas de musique sur one planète morte. No music on a dead planet.”
She shared: “We need to do a better job of taking care of the earth and each other. I love you.”
The crowd went nuts.
It was followed by jumping up and down for bad guy, one of the most energetic songs of the night.
The evening ended with Happier Than Ever, which reflected the feelings of the crowd. There was confetti, fireworks, and a sea of teary eyed young people who experience more than just a performance. This was group therapy for the broken, and aren’t we all broken, just a little bit, after these last few years of hardships?
Billie is an amazing performer that can connect with her fans, no matter how many are in the space. In my mind, she is the Queen of POP because she is not making music for others. She is making music for herself and Finneas, and somehow, others are deeply connecting with this.
Tears of happiness and emotional release were shed tonight by many. For me, it was about seeing a legend perform. Well done Osheaga.
P.S. To whoever help up a cardboard sign for almost the entirety of the show, just know that you blocked the view to a good thousand people behind you.
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
Photos by Montreal Headshot Photographer Steve Gerrard
