A Sloan walk through the past pleases festival crowd
Sloan
Arboretum Festival, Ottawa City Hall Reviewed Friday
The wave of ‘90s nostalgia that was stirred up this week by the Tragically Hip’s visit carried over to Arboretum Festival on Friday as Canuck rockers Sloan ran through their landmark 1996 album, One Chord to Another.
Starting with the album’s biggest hit, The Good in Everyone, it was an exuberant song-by-song delivery from the East Coast-bred rock veterans. Singer-guitarist Chris Murphy declared himself to be “very psyched” at the chance to revisit the 20-year-old album, and it didn’t sound like he was being facetious.
The band sounded terrific as they brought the old songs to life in front of a crowd that was probably a few years older than the usual Arboretum demographic.
Murphy and his bandmates – Patrick Pentland, Jay Ferguson and Andrew Scott, all of them looking fit and healthy – played like champs. They traded off lead vocals, depending on who wrote the song, and backed each other with some nicely balanced harmonies. They even brought a horn section to the stage to help fill out a couple of the tracks, a sonic layer that added to the Beatlesque nature of the tunes.
Despite the last-minute cancellation of Toronto-based noise-punks METZ, who were booked to headline last night’s festivities, no one seemed disappointed to hear a double dose of Sloan. After an intermission, the second set consisted of greatest hits from the rest of their catalogue.
No matter who’s on stage, one of the best things about Arboretum is checking out the site. After holding the event at Arts Court and Albert Island in recent years, the fest has found another underused corner of the city to animate.
Not since Bluesfest a decade ago has a festival planted itself behind Ottawa City Hall, on the grassy strip of parkland that divides the municipal headquarters from Lisgar Collegiate Institute.
Ringed by city buildings, with grass underfoot, the urban nook made for a cosy festival site. The main entrance off Lisgar Street opens into the beer garden and festival village ( just $10 admission if you don’t have a ticket or pass), a communal area where you can shop for beard oil or freshen up your wardrobe with a T-shirt that says, “Ottawa is a Place.” Delicacies like steamed buns and Buchipop are available to sample, or you can get a haircut. Naturally, the beer is craft-brewed and local, courtesy of Beau’s and Beyond the Pale.
An illuminated geometric gateway in the middle of the site leads to the concert village, where bands perform on two stages, both protected from the elements by generously sized tents. You need a ticket or pass to gain access. The sets are staggered so there’s never a break in the music.
Arboretum continues at city hall Saturday with mainstage shows by Operators, Mykki Blanco, Junglepussy, Doomsquad and Kina Nimiwag, alternating with performances on the Debaser second stage. Gates open at noon. For complete schedule information, go to www.arboretumfestival.com.