Canada Day 2006
Date: July 1, 2006 Spelling It Out in Block Capitals With the Canada Day festivities bringing some quality Canadian bands to the nation's capital, I made it downtown to catch some of the concerts. Although the sets were short on the busy day, the performances were solid, particularly on the side stage at Major's Hill Park. I started at that stage in the afternoon, where Buck 65, K'naan, Kinnie Starr, and Joel Fafard were performing in the singer-songwriter circle. A late arrival meant that I only caught the end of the event but I did see all of the artists in action. Although I primarily came to see Buck 65, I was very impressed by K'naan's sound and stage presence, foreshadowing the great evening set to follow. Kinnie Starr also did a good job, adding to the laid-back afternoon mood, while Fafard's skills on the acoustic guitar were fun to take in. After a diversion taking some company around Ottawa, I returned to Major's Hill Park in time to catch K'naan's evening concert. As with the afternoon set, the rapper utilized a three-piece backing squad, consisting of a djembe player, a guitarist, and a vocalist. The stripped-down instrumentation worked very well, complementing K'naan's rhymes. K'naan proved to be an excellent frontman, delivering clear vocals and engaging the audience between songs. Although the crowd mostly stayed seated on the grass, the reaction to K'naan's set was very positive. (One lady was particularly dismayed that the half-hour schedule would not be extended.) While I was unfamiliar with K'naan at the start of the day, I left with "Smile" stuck in my head, determined to hear more. Next up, Kinnie Starr offered a solo set. Starr's web site includes a quote referencing PJ Harvey and De La Soul and her playing followed that sequence. She started by singing over electric guitar before dropping raps over programmed beats. The diversity definitely kept the short set fresh. While I wasn't blown away by her songs, she was decent. Buck 65 followed Kinnie Starr with almost no delay. It was obvious that much of the crowd was here to see him, as people finally took to their feet around the stage. This was my tenth time seeing Buck and he remains as entertaining as ever, continuing to bring something unique to every performance. Confined to a short set time, Buck limited his song selection to newer material, commencing with the infectious opener, "Bang!," from his download mix album, Strong Arm. That album later provided another highlight, when Buck announced that he'd need everyone in the crowd to take a deep breath with him because "this next one is almost impossible," before launching into the relentless "Old-Time Stuff." Although he didn't reach farther back than "Wicked and Weird," it was a treat to hear a few unreleased songs make it into the mix. For the most part, Buck performed solo, supporting his rhymes with turntable work. At the end of the set, though, Claire Berest joined him for a sexy duet of "Drawing Curtains," remaining to assist on "Kennedy Killed the Hat." Overall, it was another excellent effort from Buck 65 but I'm definitely hoping that he'll return to Ottawa for an overdue, full-length headlining affair. When Buck wrapped up, I switched to the main stage on Parliament Hill, where I caught a couple of extremely short sets from long distance. Just before Stars wrapped up the night, I was given an opening to get to a reasonable proximity of the band. Although I am a big fan of Stars and I think that they played well, the effectiveness of their set was limited by its shortness and the subpar sound quality. Parliament Hill is not an ideal concert venue, as the sound projection required to fill the space leads to echoes from the nearby buildings. There was also notable popping in a mix that was rough enough to prevent the songs from reaching their potential. (Amy Millan's usually haunting voice was certainly hampered.) Despite the limitations of the sound and the brevity of a four-song slot, it was still a fun four songs. "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" benefitted from the supporting strings, "Reunion" felt joyous, "Elevator Love Letter" was smooth, and "Ageless Beauty" added a jolt. While none of the short sets could equal a full concert, Canada Day 2006 provided me a great chance to see some proven favourites and hear some new music, in a celebratory setting. <--Prev (Bright Eyes) | Next (Calexico)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |