I think this is the first time there have been more mohawks than cowboy hats at the Stampede. And I’m not mad about it. A very large, enthusiastically screaming crowd greeted Alexisonfire as they took the stage Thursday night. George Pettit mouths “what. the. fuck.” at guitarist Wade MacNeil, seemingly in awe that 17 years later their fans are just as crazy as they’ve ever been. Maybe there is a bit more grey hair, both on and off the stage, but punk rock doesn’t see age.
In true AoF fashion mic stands were broken, shirts were destroyed, and a wheelchair was crowd surfed. Special mention to The Path Less Travelled, a local hard rock band in Calgary, who managed to get one of their shirts on stage for George to wear, if only for a moment before it was ripped off. That’s gotta be a bit of a thrill. If performance of this caliber is what we can expect from the Coke stage at the Calgary Stampede this year, I will be camping out there for the remaining 9 days of the greatest outdoor show on earth. What a show.
