Advertisement

Concert reviews Music

Shows that rocked Toronto last week

DRAKE, LIL WAYNE, KANYE WEST and many others as part of OVO FEST at Molson Amphitheatre, Monday, August 5. Rating: NNNNN

At the fourth annual OVO Fest, Drake emerged at 8:30 pm in symbolic all-white. One performance of Headlines later and the rumours were dispelled for good: onto the stage bounded the Weeknd for a duet of Crew Love, proof positive that there is no feud between the two Toronto stars. It was also the first in a long and extremely high-profile list of guest appearances.

The rest of the show was a ball of momentum that got harder, faster and stronger as it barrelled toward 11 pm. Drake alternated perfectly grouped solo mini sets with increasingly more shocking guests: Big Sean, French Montana, Wale, TLC (they’re back!), J.Cole, Miguel, Puff Daddy and Mase (together!). By the time Drake brought A$AP Rocky onstage, it was a veritable Oscars of hip-hop/R&B.

Then, it happened. New Slaves happened. Kanye West appeared under flashing red lights, striking a pose that can only be described as godlike, with an entitled, fierce expression, soaking up the fandom as if he needed it for fuel to perform All Of The Lights and Can’t Tell Me Nothing.

After that, the show could only end one way: Lil Wayne – the man who “made” Drake, “the greatest rapper alive,” according to Drizzy – helped him close out with HYFR before Drake finished solo with Started From The Bottom, his most Drakian anthem, and the words on the Toronto billboard.

Julia Leconte


KENDRICK LAMAR with EARL SWEATSHIRT and TRE MISSION at Sound Academy, Friday, August 2. Rating: NNNN

It was still light outside when Kendrick Lamar appeared at 8:39 with a tantalizing teaser of Money Trees, squeaking out a “ya bish” before starting his show in earnest. Lamar has reached A-list fame, but his show is still very pared down – just him, his amazing Creature From The Black Lagoon-printed jogging suit and his DJ.

Lamar’s about as humble as you could expect a hip-hop megastar to be. If he was faking shock and gratitude that everyone could chant along to songs from Section.80, Overly Dedicated and earlier material, he’s a great actor. But it was tunes from good kid, m.A.A.d city that had the crowd tripping over themselves with admiration, and forgiving the Sound Academy’s sightline issues the show was its most turnt up for Backseat Freestyle, Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe, Poetic Justice, Real, The Recipe and Money Trees.

Better still was a powerful a cappella version of the prophetic I Am interlude from his 2009 self-titled EP: “From Chicago, my daddy and my momma/Came to Compton to accomplish one thing / Raise a king, reign supreme, named Kendrick / I ain’t lying, it stand for king and I am one.”

All hail.

Julia Leconte


PHOENIX, HOT CHIP, GIRL TALK and many others as part of THE GROVE MUSIC FESTIVAL at Fort York Garrison Common, Saturday, August 3. Rating: NNN

Originally slated for Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Grove Music Festival moved to Toronto and, in doing so, lost a number of its big-font acts. Thankfully, Fort York Garrison Common has its advantages: there’s always a good view, and you’re not hiking for ages to find toilets, beer or provisions. Truthfully, the toilets, beer and provisions left something to be desired, but otherwise, Grove Fest was a pretty good time.

Most of the daytime buzz surrounded 19-year-old Odd Future rapper Earl Sweatshirt. His set was largely a repeat of the previous night’s opening slot for Kendrick Lamar at Sound Academy, but the bright sunlight lent the Sweatshirt sound – deep and brooding – a pleasant amount of lightness.

The three headliners – Phoenix, Hot Chip and Girl Talk – worked as an evening unit, all hitting the same upbeat, good-times dance-rock vibe that plays well outdoors. Unfortunately, Fort York also has its downsides, which were especially apparent during Hot Chip. The quiet/muddy sound, which had been an issue all day, became a major problem. (We assume it’s the result of nearby condo complainers.)

It took Phoenix a while to set up, but when they took the stage it was like the scene in The Wizard Of Oz where black-and-white changes to Technicolor. Their show was impeccably rehearsed, choreographed and full of top-notch production values.

In the end, despite the bad-omen beginning, Toronto may have accidentally gained another annual music festival.

Richard Trapunski & Julia LeConte


GREEN VELVET, HOT SINCE 82, SOUL CLAP and others as part of ELECTRIC ISLAND at Olympic Island, Monday, August 5. Rating: NNN

Toronto clubs might be less busy in the middle of summer, but there are more outdoor festivals going on than ever – many drawing big crowds. If you can’t get to a cottage, might as well party outside, right?

Previous editions of the Electric Island series this year had some glitches, but everything seemed to be running smoothly this time, which is a big part of whether an event like this is actually fun. All of the DJs seemed to favour chunky, aggressive tech house more than usual, possibly a reaction to playing on a big stage for thousands of people. Azari & III singer Starving Yet Full balanced out that vibe with some soulful improvised vocals over Green Velvet and Soul Clap’s DJ sets.

Green Velvet’s jacking Chicago house went over well with concertgoers, many of whom looked younger than some of the classics he was mixing in. He’s a hard act to follow: in comparison, Hot Since 82 came across as slightly dull and plodding.

Benjamin Boles

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted