Festival Blog
Folkie favourites, Calgary Herald July 25, 2005
By Staff Writers
By press time Sunday, which was before Oscar Lopez took the stage, we concocted a list of our favourite moments of the four-day fest.
- During the Indigo Girls concert Friday evening a parade of handmade
lanterns lit up the night sky. "We want to stand," yelled one fan.
"Well talk to your neighbours," said Indigo Girl Amy Ray, "I'm sure we
can handle this in a very Canadian way." The crowd agreed, and
thousands took to their feet.
- Jeff Tweedy won the opening night crowd over with a solid
deconstruction of music from his critically acclaimed band Wilco. He
turned avant garde, art rock into profound folk tuneage -- it was a
helluva a way to start the weekend.
- While hosting a workshop Saturday afternoon Buck 65 scratched up an
old Jacques Brel record and showed the crowd just how much you can do
with two turntables, a microphone and a ton of talent. When Arrested
Development frontman Speech and K'Naan joined in on the jam, the
lyrical banter was ingenious.
- After a killer Sunday afternoon set by Folk Fest favourite Steve
Earle, the singer/songwriter returned to the stage for an encore, which
is almost unheard of since six workshops are scheduled to begin
immediately following the mainstage concert. One folkie remarked it was
the first time in 10 years she had seen an afternoon encore.
- Xavier Rudd took the stage Friday night with a deep didgeridoo rumble
that parted the clouds and brought out the sun. After playing a lively
set with countless instruments, he departed with a standing ovation
from fans, who left to buy his CD in the record tent. Come to think of
it, the sun took off too.
