Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell leaves the Round Up crowd wanting more more MORE

It was the killer punk / rock line up including Blondie and Billy Idol that Round Up a sold out crowd of 40,000 people and invaded the Shaw Millenium Park in downtown Calgary in the middle of Stampede season.

The day kicked off with the a couple of iconic Canadian bands … Doug and the Slugs, celebrating their 40th anniversary.  They got the crowd started up a little after the doors opened and the energy just kept escalating from there!

 

It took less than one song to get a crowd member to volunteer donating a cowboy hat to the band to get into the Stampede spirit … they took it and ran with it … making sure everyone on stage got a turn at wearing it, where they wanted to or not!

 

There was a brief sobering moment when the band dedicated a song, Drifting away, to Doug Bennet, their original lead and writing genius that penned all of their hits … along with everyone else on their team that they’ve lost through their history … but that didn’t damped the celebratory spirit of the set via taking pride in their creation of “waspafarian” because 5 white boys from West Vancouver have no business playing Regee.

 

At the end of 2018, the Headstones reissued a fully remastered Picture of Health for it’s 25th anniversary and kicked off on a tour, which did NOT include a stop in Calgary.  Needless to say fans were more than ecstatic when frontman Hugh Dillon strode out on stage and announced, with typical profanity not printable for an all-ages publication, that the party was on and throughout the set, the Headstone wave (aka the middle finger salute) was used just as much if not more from the crowd over the traditional horns.

 

 

Hugh Dillon got as up close and personal with the camera on stage as he could so it was projected onto the big screens on either side of the stage … but in true Headstone fashion, he eventually made his way off that ridiculously high stage and made his way into the crowd by the end of the set.  Luckily, he switched to a chordless microphone for the crowd antics because the poor crew had a doozy of a time constantly untangling the chord on stage to give Dillon the freedom to roam end to end on the extended stage

 

Esthetically the all black completely stays on point with decades of branding but functionally, they had to play a 90 minute set in the middle of summer outside at the hottest time of the day … needless to say a LOT of water was brought out on stage and clothes were clinging with sweat even more that usual given the typically high energy set they bring, regardless of the size of the venue!

 

The crowd scored MANY harmonica souvenirs from Hugh throughout the set … pretty much every time after he played one for a song, he tossed it out into the crowd and I lost track of the count!

 

 

Blondie has been writing ground breaking music and thrilling crowds for almost 50 years, BUT NEVER in Calgary, until the Round Up organizers pulled off what some audience members called a miracle.  Most had never had – and didn’t ever expect to have – the opportunity to see her live.  So July 10th was a historic moment for Blondie fans in Calgary.

 

Arguably the early pioneer of the new wave and punk movement, Blondie was also the first to ever feature RAP MUSIC in her songs!

 

 

Like the Headstones, Blondie ventured out onto the newly extended stage, past the speakers and big screen BUT unlike Hugh, she opted for a tangle free wireless mic to venture and dance back and forth … and yes, even having just recently celebrated her 74th birthday (on Canada Day!) she still has the style and flare … and hair!

 

She walked out on stage to Call Me and pretty much played the classics with a few newer songs sprinkled in … among them along with a themed message best explained on the bright red robe she came out wearing … Stop F*cking the Planet.

 

 

It wasn’t just the 40,000 in attendance that wanted to catch a glimpse of this set … Doug and the Slugs band members and the Headstones all made their way into the soundboard area and into the crowd to watch and capture the moment with their phones.

 

When the opening notes for Flesh for Fantasy started up, Idol walked back by the drum set and started taking off first his jacket, then his shirt, then the tank top, leaving him with his back to the crowd shirtless.

 

 

“Give him a pole to dance with already!” shouted a likely inebriated female member of the audience, before Idol started re-layering sans tank top and unbuttoned shirt and jacket.

 

 

I think it’s safe to say the people that caught Idol’s sold out show in Edmonton the night before might be a bit green with envy at the performance the Calgary crowd got.  He gave 110% for a full 90 minutes going end to end on the newly expanded stage out past the big screens and often onto their custom platforms on the stage, which really came in handy for those chinking their necks trying to see what was happening on the 10+ foot high stage lined up along the crowd barricade.

 

 

Guitarist Steve Stevens has been a featured performer on this latest Idol tour, with good reason … he’s been playing guitar for and writing songs with Billy for 30+ years but he’s also won a Grammy for his instrumental “Top Gun Anthem” whose considered one of the most original and talent guitarists coming out of the 80s … not a small feat given the company he was in and the style of music that was popular … if that wasn’t enough, he also a bit of a TV personality in his own right starring alongside wife Josie Stevens in E! TVs Married to Rock.

 

 

While Idol interacted with all the band members on stage almost as much as the crowd, the clear favorite was Steve Stevens … even stopping to watch and admire his guitar solos after all these years performing together.

 

The fist pumping, lip snarling antics of Billy Idol left the crowd wanting more and virtually the entire crowd stayed put to not miss a thing instead of trying to skip out early to avoid the mayhem of 40,000 people trying to get out a park in downtown Calgary all at the same time.

 

Kudos to the organizers for putting together an amazing line up of performers for the 21+ capacity crowd – yet again!  If you want a head’s up on next year’s line up be sure to follow their social or sign up for the newsletter on their website https://roundupmusicfest.com/