Calgary Music Festivals and Concerts

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by artvandelay

There was a great all around vibe, I didn't see a single fight there all weekend.

I saw one on Saturday during Above and Beyond. That was my cue to leave, plus I wasn't really feeling their set. Was really hoping that they would have sent Tony and Jono; Paavo just doesn't seem to get it anymore. I've never seen anyone kill the energy in the room like him.

I need to say it again. Union/Ink did a really good job this weekend.

[kw5150]

The best part about all of the downtown festivals was the amount of foot traffic all over the ENTIRE inner city.

Was great to see all the late night pedestrians all over the east village and stephen ave.

[sync]

any attendance estimates for forever summer?

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by sync

any attendance estimates for forever summer?

Less than the Stampede Roundup. I heard a rumour of 10k, but I don't think it was that many.

I think the Stampede Roundup sells 15k tickets.

[kw5150]

I would have loved to see chasing summer right downtown with the bass echoing off the buildings. It seems a bit isolated in Fort Calgary.....but that will change soon I suppose...

Just for fun, It would be cool if they could have a DJ playing from one of the Bow skygardens (with a light show) and the music could be played at street level. Not a huge organized event, just a surprise DJ show with music on the street.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by WIGS

source: stickycomics.com

Hope everyone enjoys the Chasing Summer festival! Living above Bridgeland all I'll get to hear is the bass thumping with occasional shout outs by an MC.

and to the rest of ye, also have a good weekend.

Got to listen to them from Mount Pleasant on Friday night quite shocked we could hear them that far away.

[Riise]

Exceptional.

Union did an exceptional job with Chasing Summer. It was very well-organized and thought-out but more than anything you can see they took pride in their work. While the stage wasn't as fancy as the major festivals or didn't have an extreme lighting set-up, they got the best out of it and it looked great. The entry lines were a breeze and queuing for everything (e.g. food, the bar, and porta potties) was kept short to reasonable.

It was an enjoyable weekend. I had a blast and really look forward to going again next year. The festival was top notch and pulling off a proper festival made Calgary look very good on the EDM scene, a scene in which I think we already punch above our weight.

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[kw5150]

This was an amazing part of the "Above and Beyond" performance. The spinning planet earth graphic was really cool and the lights were all "spinning" around as well. Nice to see the quality of show go way up in the city. Finally, some dance music that is coordinated with the lights again (like back in the day at the Palace!).

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[Riise]

Originally Posted by kw5150

Nice to see the quality of show go way up in the city. Finally, some dance music that is coordinated with the lights again (like back in the day at the Palace!).

Most DJ/EDM events in Calgary that are not held at night clubs feature synchronized light shows.

On Saturday, I thought it was wicked how Above & Beyond let a girl who I believe was just an audience member drop it for Sun & Moon.

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[kw5150]

Yeah, I know. I just hope they start doing it at clubs more too....(before I'm too old to enjoy it ).

Originally Posted by Riise

Most DJ/EDM events in Calgary that are not held at night clubs feature synchronized light shows.

On Saturday, I thought it was wicked how Above & Beyond let a girl who I believe was just an audience member drop it for Sun & Moon.

[RyLucky]

Calgary's amazing summer music scene continues tonight with GOGOL BORDELLO and TRIBE CALLED RED! Two very unique acts - a must-see for music lovers who can sacrifice some weekday sleep.

I'm DEFINITELY going to chasing Summer next year if the line up is anywhere near as fresh as it was this year. Instead, I went to Afrikadey, which was awesome! Common and his band put on a killer show. I especially enjoyed the special shout outs to his adopted hometown, including a freestyle rap about his favourite places in Calgary. Get that man a white hat!

[KilgoreTrout]

Hip-hop fans: Danny Brown is coming to Calgary September 10th.

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by KilgoreTrout

Hip-hop fans: Danny Brown is coming to Calgary September 10th.

1) He's playing with Action Bronson. The two are perhaps the most original yet traditional underground hip-hop artists active. Both have hilarious videos too.

2) On a very non-hip-hop note: Dixie chicks are playing on Halloween. No doubt those tix will be well sought after.

3) On another entirely unrelated note: What are everyone's favourite music venues lately? Commonwealth, Hifi, and Flames Central have been booking great acts this summer (all through Union Events I think). The Ship&Anchor, Oak Tree Tavern, and Ironwood have become great places to catch an afternoon ceili or folk-funk-rock session. I went to Blues Can yesterday - that place is consistently solid. Gravity Cafe has become a surprisingly good place for casual weekday music. My personal favourite venues over the past year have probably been NMC and Festival Hall. As for large scale venues, it's hard to beat Prince's Island or the Jube. Has anyone been to the New Black or the D? Are Palomino, Verns, and the Distillery still a good time? Mikey's? The Trop? Beatniq?

[KilgoreTrout]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

1) He's playing with Action Bronson. The two are perhaps the most original yet traditional underground hip-hop artists active. Both have hilarious videos too.

This really makes me want to link to a hilarious video of him that is also wildly inappropriate. I shall refrain.

Joey Bada$$ is here that same week (or somewhere near there); he's great, too - don't be deterred by the name, as some initially are. (Songs: Survival Tactics, World Domination.)

[kw5150]

nice!

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Originally Posted by RyLucky

Calgary's amazing summer music scene continues tonight with GOGOL BORDELLO and TRIBE CALLED RED! Two very unique acts - a must-see for music lovers who can sacrifice some weekday sleep.

I'm DEFINITELY going to chasing Summer next year if the line up is anywhere near as fresh as it was this year. Instead, I went to Afrikadey, which was awesome! Common and his band put on a killer show. I especially enjoyed the special shout outs to his adopted hometown, including a freestyle rap about his favourite places in Calgary. Get that man a white hat!

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

1) He's playing with Action Bronson. The two are perhaps the most original yet traditional underground hip-hop artists active. Both have hilarious videos too.

2) On a very non-hip-hop note: Dixie chicks are playing on Halloween. No doubt those tix will be well sought after.

3) On another entirely unrelated note: What are everyone's favourite music venues lately? Commonwealth, Hifi, and Flames Central have been booking great acts this summer (all through Union Events I think). The Ship&Anchor, Oak Tree Tavern, and Ironwood have become great places to catch an afternoon ceili or folk-funk-rock session. I went to Blues Can yesterday - that place is consistently solid. Gravity Cafe has become a surprisingly good place for casual weekday music. My personal favourite venues over the past year have probably been NMC and Festival Hall. As for large scale venues, it's hard to beat Prince's Island or the Jube. Has anyone been to the New Black or the D? Are Palomino, Verns, and the Distillery still a good time? Mikey's? The Trop? Beatniq?

Palomino is a great spot, but they do play so much stuff that you pick and choose there rather than see everything.

Anything at the Ship particularly open Jam Saturday afternoons is probably one of the best quality open mic shows that exists. Can't say enough about it: always busy, always talented and always more than 5 acts.

Mikey's is a solid spot as well, it's layout is really tight which is awesome (unless you are there too late and are at the back which is not as awesome).

NMC is great, I can't wait to see what their new venues will look like.

Local 510 on 17th has a really solid record for indie music too, they seem to be always putting something on. They were huge during Sled Island, probably had 10 or 20 acts per day from noon onward, on two separate stages.

Cliff House can be very alright, they just don't advertise very well, what with actually just being a house and all. The Village Beer truck in front of their house 5 nights a week is a giveaway

[RyLucky]

Originally Posted by MasterG

Palomino is a great spot, but they do play so much stuff that you pick and choose there rather than see everything.

Anything at the Ship particularly open Jam Saturday afternoons is probably one of the best quality open mic shows that exists. Can't say enough about it: always busy, always talented and always more than 5 acts.

Mikey's is a solid spot as well, it's layout is really tight which is awesome (unless you are there too late and are at the back which is not as awesome).

NMC is great, I can't wait to see what their new venues will look like.

Local 510 on 17th has a really solid record for indie music too, they seem to be always putting something on. They were huge during Sled Island, probably had 10 or 20 acts per day from noon onward, on two separate stages.

Cliff House can be very alright, they just don't advertise very well, what with actually just being a house and all. The Village Beer truck in front of their house 5 nights a week is a giveaway

Some kind of app or website to easily keep track of all these live shows would be useful. Yeah, yeah, some exist already, but nothing is that universal or easy to navigate. I envision something like Urban Spoon in the 4th dimension. Urban Spoon x Google Flights x Beatroute x Facebook Events x ticketmaster x Sled Island. Something with a map, user-updated, some kind of "upvote" feature so you could see what is actually popular, filters for kinds of music, etc. As it is, it's hard enough to even stay updated on all the festivals and major concerts, let alone hip backyard parties, open mics, and local bands.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by RyLucky

3) On another entirely unrelated note: What are everyone's favourite music venues lately?

I'm an EDM guy so I mostly find myself at Flames Central. It's a good venue but, as kw5150 and I discussed, the lights set-up isn't the best. Actually, the lights are sub-par.

There is often talk about the lack of a smaller, more intimate concert venue in Calgary. Although something like the 02 in Dublin or Nokia Theatre in LA would be pretty cool, I doubt that would work for EDM events. Would something like the old Edmonton Events Centre work for the various music scenes in Calgary? Or is this type of venue even really needed?

[kw5150]

Drinkin' (pub crawl) then Madeon at flames central

Moxies
Ming
Backlot
Local (stephen ave)
Flames central

Work next day























quality night out.

[Spring2008]

Not really a country fan, but I might actually go to this one. Shania Twain's a legend lol
http://www.calgaryherald.com/enterta...021/story.html