More from the Osheaga: Blonde Redhead, Patrick Watson and Stars

Open air fests, you can either love them or hate them. I’m pretty happy right now, the sun is setting and it’s a lot less warm then it’s been all day. I’ve just been going from stage to stage, Blonde Redhead to Patrick Watson. I’d seen Blonde Redhead once before at Club Soda and as much as I love them, the show made me feel a bit drowsy and was just very heavy and a bit too intense for me at the time. I didn’t really know what to expect today and the idea of Blonde Redhead playing an outdoor show made me feel a bit uncertain. The sound at outdoor festivals is rarely all that great and today was no exception. For a band that relies so much on melodies, the sound is a pretty essential part of the performance. Well ok… that applies for pretty much any band. The band left me a bit cold. Maybe it was their lack of interaction with the crowd, I don’t know, but the fact that most of the time, the singer, Kazu Makino, had her back turned to the crowd, left me feeling a bit uneasy and insulted. Are we really that ugly? Geez! She was, however, unbelivably graceful in the zombie like way she moved. It was very mystical though, with the blue lights and the smoke and the blue lighting and the band seemed to feed off each other’s energy.

Where Blonde Redhead lacked warmth, Patrick Watson delivered. This has definetly been the highlight of my day so far. With a cigarette on the tip of his lips, he giggled and delivered from the very first seconds his fingers touched the keys of his piano. He waved and yelled out a ”Bonjour!” and gave one of his characteristic giggles in response to the crowd’s cheers and said ”Je suis loadé comme un gun!”. More laughs. He then got up to perform a new song called ”Tracy’s waters”. I’ve noticed, the few times I had seen him before, how there seems to be absolutely no rules when he plays. The songs are flipped around and it almost feels like we’re taking part in a really well orchestrated live music improv. For example, the performance of Mr. Tom that segwayed into Luscious Life was barely recognisable, but nonetheless, absolutely beautiful. It managed to give me chills despite the very very not-chilly weather. Wow, that sentence has so much gramatical no-nos. The band is constantly giving each other cues and working together in a harmony like no other. The best part, which Tessa has already blogged about, was the accoustic performance of Man in the Sea where he lead the crowd into a chorus. It’s no wonder why Patrick Watson is the only returning artist. Too bad encores are not possible at Osheaga!

Right now, Feist is playing her newest ”My Moon My Man” for an extremely happy (judging from the cheers) of the crowd. Ok, Alanah just came to drag me away from the computer. I’m going to try to catch a little bit of Feist and a little bit of Fucked Up over at the Vice Corn Roast.

Photos? Hellz yeah: