Broken Social Scene at Field Trip 2014

I felt really lousy when I missed a weekend of posts as I enjoyed a couple of headlining performances at NXNE. But then when I got around to rescheduling these Field Trip posts, I noticed something rather serendipitous; this final Field Trip post, the one on Broken Social Scene, would land on Canada Day. How perfect. Let's hope I don't fuck it up.

Obviously, a lot of the people who came out to Field Trip were going to be big Broken Social Scene fans. A big crowd would be expected both because this was the last act of Field Trip 2014 and because the Fort York stage was closed for the day, so everyone gathered to witness Broken Social Scene perform.

In addition to the star-studded line-up that is Broken Social Scene, a number of special guests joined the show. Gord Downie hit the stage for "Texaco Bitches". Bill Priddle from Treble Charger graced the stage. James Shaw from Metric was seen blowing the trumpet. Torqil Campbell from Stars was up there, clearly loving the spotlight. The legendary Andy Kim joined the band for "Sweetest Kill".

Seeing BSS on stage with so many friends certainly made the Arts & Crafts moniker seem apt as everyone grabbed instruments and joyously danced around like kids at camp.

Here is every song they played, in the order of the setlist.

"World Sick" from Forgiveness Rock Record

"Handjobs for the Holidays" from Broken Social Scene

"Texico Bitches" from Forgiveness Rock Record

"Cause=Time" from You Forgot It In People. Definitely one of my all time faves.

"Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)" from Broken Social Scene

"All to All" from Forgiveness Rock Record

"Pacific Theme" from You Forgot It In People. That dreamy hook was perfect for the early summer night.

"Sweetest Kill" from Forgiveness Rock Record

"Forced to Love" from Forgiveness Rock Record. Another one of my absolute favourites.

"7/4 Shoreline" from Broken Social Scene is probably my all-time favourite BSS tune, if I had to pick just one. Somehow on this night it was more perfect than ever. That horn line literally brought a tear to my eye as I bathed in the music, the energy of the band and the crowd, and the now-cleared up Toronto evening. Perfection.

"Passport Radio" from Feel Good Lost

"Backyards" from Bee Hives

They closed out the main set with the perfection of "KC Accidental" from You Forgot It In People

They returned to the stage for an encore, of course.

"Superconnected" from Broken Social Scene

"Meet me in the Basement" from Forgiveness Rock Record finished the show. The driving beat and relentless hook was a perfect way to end the show, after which we all went smiling into the night as an incredible weekend of sunshine, rain, food and music moved into our memories. Incredible.

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.

Gord Downie, The Sadies, and the Conquering Sun at Field Trip 2014

Gord Downie has the stage presence of ten men. He is a Canadian musical legend, fronting one of Canada's most popular and influential bands, The Tragically Hip. I was lucky enough to see The Hip a number of times back in the day at such venues as the Ontario Place Forum revolving stage, Molson Park in Barrie for Canada Day and at the ACC. Now, I haven't kept up with The Hip's last few albums, but I liked what I heard from this new hybrid of Downie with local legends The Sadies and looked forward to the performance.

And I came away impressed. The band was just as tight as you'd expect a band as seasoned as The Sadies to be. And Gord was just as magnetic as I remembered him to be, whether he was belting out rockin' blues-country-punk melodies, microphone painting "water colour" art, or sailing across the stage under the power of his own wind.

"Crater"

"Budget Shoes"

You can check out more tunes at their site.

I took pics at Field Trip with my iPhone. Hopefully next year, I'll be in the photo pit with my better gear.