nope, i didn't fight a girl child or a man-boy like our good friend, the doctor. instead, after 5 overnights in a row at the good ol' casino, i headed off the guelph for some incestuously collaborative musical magic only available, it seems, in canada.

 

after getting stuck in traffic for 1000 hours, hillside was the final destination, and it was well worth it.  we set up camp, and unlike last year, managed to get to the grounds early enough to see the friday evening concerts which included some amazing performances from Malajube (can see why they're nominated for the Polaris) and The Stills. 

 

Saturday was jammed with concerts, too.  There was a giant Queen's contingent, but my travel date Leann, and I stuck together in the thick of things on Saturday.  We were up front and in the middle of shows from the Sadies, the COnstantines, Land of Talk, the Meligrove Band, Jason Collett, The Hidden Cameras, Amy Millan, Cuff the Duke, Holy F*&#!, Final Fantasy, the Lovely Feathers, and Sarah Harmer.  It was HOT too - instead of brushing by people in a crowd, you would stick to them - everyone jostling with bags and vendor merchandise and concert tees, and every manner of hippie, tie-dyed, pipe dried, queer pride, dreadlocked, stilted appendage known to earth-friendly (wo)man.  it was a sight to behold.

 

All of this activity on Saturday, meant that on Sunday, Leann and I were content to take a peripheral approach to our enjoyment of the day's performances: The Hylozoists, The Blow, Republic of Safety, C'mon, Torngat, The Hidden Cameras (again), the COnstantines (again), and parts of Cadence Weapon and Feist.

 

My personal faves from the whole thing were Malajube (despite not understanding a word), Final Fantasy, the stills, the Meligrove Band, and Holy F*$#!  At times it was hard to separate one band from another though, as everyone from any and every band seemed to make an appearance on the stage at someone else's performance to chip in a vocal harmony, bang a glockenspiel, smash a keyboard, or lay down some sweet licks in general.

 

Final Verdict: Amazing with a side of Spectacular and Highly Recommended to EVERYONE!

 

Today, after doing laundry, airing out tents, and cleaning up....I'm exhausted.  The nightshifts are catching up to me, the lack of sleep is kicking in...and I wouldn't have it any other way.  This kind of summer tired is a lot different than the type undergone while at school, and I intend to savour every minute of it!

 

::Cas::

 

ps - i'll be updating my Hillside photo album as soon as I get some pictures back from my own camera, and others'.