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The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival opened on Friday. It's a wonderfully precise one. In its sixth and biggest year yet, it boasts top-tier musicians from all over the world with various levels of acclaim. Some have platinum albums and Grammys to their credit. Others just have a dope mixtape.
But what many appreciated on its first day most is that entering the venue, Montreal, Quebec’s Parc Jean-Drapeau, was mostly hassle free. Each act hit the stage with military timeliness. On the two main stages, Scène de la Rivière and Scène de la Montagne, major acts like Florence + the Machine, The Weeknd, and Fun. performed nearly consecutively, not giving eager fans any downtime.
When the three-day festival wraps on Sunday, A$AP Rocky, Snoop Dogg, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, Common, and the Black Keys also will have rocked out here. For now though, check out what the best performances of Osheaga 2012’s first day were.
Written by Brad Wete (@BradWete)
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Fun.
Stage: Scène de la Rivière
Time: 2:45pm
"Fucking awesome." That’s what Fun. lead singer Nate Ruess thought of his afternoon audience—many who gladly sweated under primetime sunlight to join Ruess and his band mates. He wasn’t so bad either. In a navy blue shirt and slacks a shade lighter with suspenders dangling along his thighs, he resembled a Stateside Freddie Mercury. Their performance of "We Are Young" basically was a gigantic word-for-word sing-along.
Amadou & Mariam
Stage: Scène de la Montagne
Time: 5:00pm
The duo of singer-guitarist Amadou and singer Mariam Doumbia were still and joyous during their set. The blind Malian couple coolly ran through gems from their deep catalogue. Including a few from their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako. “Merci,” Mariam said often. The cheers they earned for their worldbeat grooves were well deserved.
The Weeknd
Stage: Scène de la Montagne
Time: 6:45pm
“I go by the name of The Weeknd and I came all the way from Toronto,” Abel Tesfaye said after opening with "High for This,” the first cut on his 2011 debut mixtape House of Balloons. Really, his trip wasn’t that long. And it felt like he had home court advantage. His druggy R&B had fans addicted to him from start, though it was a bit awkward watching him before sundown. Oddly enough, even tracks like “The Morning” are the joints best suited for the evening.
Florence + the Machine
Stage: Scène de la Rivière
Time: 7:30pm
Florence Welch was gorgeous in her blue gown, floating around the stage like a ballerina and howling like soulful banshee. She opened with the first track from her latest album Ceremonials, "Only if for a Night." The she coached her massive audience into a leaping frenzy during the performance of her smash “Dog Days are Over.” Like Welch, they all rose to the occasion.
Sigur Rós
Stage: Scène de la Montagne
Time: 8:30pm
The Icelandic band isn’t acclaimed in the States, but surely is well know above the border, earning a primetime evening slot after Florence + the Machine. Lead singer Jónsi Birgisson is an incredible vocalist whose falsetto was often on display. Their brand of ambient rock was artfully partnered with a cinematic stage setup. Images of sparkling lights, but also shadowy woodsy backdrops played on screens with their string and organ-laden music soundtracking it.
