Our Lady Peace & Bif Naked headline Surrey’s Canada Day Celebrations

One of Canada’s largest birthday parties … Surrey BC outdid themselves this year with 12 straight hours of music on 3 stages …

The only indoor stage was the Rodeo Stage and people took refuge from the hot mid day sun to catch the harmonizing vocals of local Vancouver country trio, The Heels.  There were picnic tables and of course the bleachers for people to sit and enjoy the music.  Some of the younger fans took advantage of the space in front of the stage to sit and watch while others who were walking past inevitable found themselves stopping in their tracks when they hit their crazy high notes.

 

Ben Klick was arguably one of the busiest performers in BC for Canada Day … he had 2 sets as part of Surrey’s party … first on the Rodeo Stage then outdoors at the Tim Horton’s stage .. only to have to make a mad dash a few hours down the road to ALSO perform in Hope BC.

 

Sam the Astronaught took to the stage leading into the hottest point in the day but that didn’t stop people from sitting in … just spread them out a bit more to make room for all the blankets and umbrellas that came out.  Side stage became a makeshift dance area where some of the other performers were spotted bustin’ a move or two before and after their sets.

 

Folks hanging out at the main stage early for an up close viewpoint of Bif Naked and Our Lady Peace didn’t know what hit them when Her Brothers took the stage … but then even if you follow the band and have seen them live before, you know to expect the unexpected … like lead singer Gabe literally jumping off the stage and not only standing up against the barricade but actually walking along TOP of it without missing a beat!

 

Camera crew was a little taken aback by all the movement on – and off – the stage. Once the rest of the media realized what was happening on the main stage they flooded the photo pit with photographers and videographers in a scramble to capture what they could with what they had left of the traditional first 3 songs access.

 

 

From indie alt pop of Her Brothers to the folk souls / reggae sounds of Buckman Coe, the main stage was just as eclectic in musical selection as the other 2 stages on site. Buckman may not have gotten up close and personal with the fans like Her Brothers did, but the crowd was still wowed by the music and the horns section. They had they own version of jumping around the stage.

 

 

Bif Naked was her quintessential self in front of her hometown crowd … and they ate it up and showered her with a lotta love and cheers pretty much during and between every song and story … right down the her shirt of the Rickshaw Theatre … a local legendary landmark for the music scene where pretty much everyone from Blue Rodeo to Billy Joe Armstrong have performed. Organizers stepped in quickly after having wrapped up her set and made sure to bring her back out for an encore and the crowd couldn’t have been more thrilled.

 

 

 

Our Lady Peace wrapped the night with an extended set stretching from day into night … and when the lights and fog machine when into high gear after the sun went down, the crowd seemed to find even more energy. Children and adults started making their way onto shoulders … the traditional hockey stick with the Canadian flag came out and in some cases, the audience of almost 100,000 people was louder than the speakers!

 

It’s fair to say that everyone, including the performers, all had a great day celebrating the country’s 152nd birthday … both Bif Naked and Our Lady Peace carved out time to whip out the cell phones and capture photo and video of the crowd.

 

Check out the event website at https://www.surrey.ca/canadaday/ and be sure to sign up for the mailing list so you can get a head’s up on next year’s performers so you can get your party planning done early!