By Stephanie Garrison
Saturday, July 13, morning
If only all outdoor shows could start off as smoothly as EDEN
Musicfest. Sunny weather and some great bands gave the 45,000 happy
campers already staked out in Mosport Park a chance to soak up the
low-key atmosphere and relax for three days of music.
Although the main stage was crammed with such popular artists as The
Cure, Bush, Poe, Sloan and Spirit of the West, the side stage seemed
barely able to contain the younger set of bands ready to burst forth
and claim their space on the world stage.
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"Can you say, Happy Camper?"
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Brit pop boys Shed 7 played a pumped set of music that drew heavily off
of material from their latest album, dispelling once and for all that
they're not some pale cloning of The Charlatans. Stabbing Westward
claimed the stage afterwards, and though this band's biggest single to
date may be called "What Do I Have To Do," the group's assured set and
rock star gear (PVC, vinyl, etc.) wasn't marred by a hint of
self-consciousness or doubt.
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Poe
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But Gravity Kills, the final band on the second stage, blew everyone
else out of the water with their intense live show and brutal slashes
of songwriting. Singer Jeff Scheel taunted the audience with such
remarks as "Is the audience still with us?" while keyboardist Douglas
Firley thrashed about his synthesizers. Actually, it was the other way
around: mounted on some 360 degree stand that could twist his keyboards
in any number of ways, Firley was jumping around the stage even more
than Scheel was. Their show, rapturously embraced by the large crowd
watching, showed that after years of trying things in other bands, the
"overnight success" of this quartet is no mistake.
Then, of course, there was The Cure. Some people might dismiss the five
members as the Grateful Dead of alternative rock, but the truth of the
matter is that this band has endured for as long as it has through a
steady stream of albums and consistently excellent stage shows. The
Cure aren't the kind of blokes to jump all over the stage and scream
"Are you ready to rock, Canada?" (something another band had the cheesy
distinction of doing yesterday). Instead, a Cure live show features
dreamy versions of their songs set to a seamlessly beautiful show of
lights and smoke.
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The Cure
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Although the band is currently on tour in support of the latest magnum
opus, Wild Mood Swings, Mosport's outdoor setting prevented the group
from bringing in the full version of its show (a set best described as
a carnival gone wrong). But the stage was by no means empty as the
pyrotechnics complimented tunes from the latest album, and even four
from Disintegration, (the spider-like guitars of "Lullabye," groove of
"Fascination Street," bleakly atmospheric drone of "Prayers for Rain"
and a fantastic version of "Disintegration," which closed the show).
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The Cure
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Unfortunately, a strict 12 a.m. curfew cut off The Cure, effectively
preventing any encore. Despite this, scores of tired campers milled
around the beer tents and littered concert area before turning in much
later. But their sleep was probably sound, due to sheer exaustion from
the day's revelry and the soothingly blue lullabye goodnight from The
Cure.
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