All good things must come to an end (or so I’ve been told), and when it came to the last day of Hillside, we took that piece of advice in stride and approached it like our last chance for fun was upon us. (Clearly it wasn’t, but it was our last festival of 2010, so those 12 hours had to count.)
The night before – and yes, I left out this part because I’m a terrible story-teller – we ran into the lovely Andrew Townsend (Seamus’ brother), who was kind enough to set up an interview for us with Zeus the next day. Clearly this was awesome, as we were already slated to speak to Shad that evening, and to bump up our artist count to three was fist pump-worthy to say the least.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing (actually, that I’m not too sure about – but there was a lot of nature nearby), so Steph and I readied ourselves for another day of adventure and musical bliss. After eating lunch and roaming the island (favourite pastime alert), we headed to the Island Stage for Zeus’ performance, and as we waited for Jason Collett’s former backing band to take the stage (they’re fantastic, by the way), Andrew approached us after sending a text I failed to read. Evidently, we were going to have to cut our Zeus time early since we bagged an interview with Gord Downie at 3 (yes, the Gord Downie), so as we scrambled to brainstorm questions en route to the meeting place, we pushed our nerves aside and replaced them with professionalism, thinking “if we can get through this interview without sounding like idiots, we can do anything”.
Surprise, surprise: we are not idiots. We spoke to Gord about how he’s seen the music industry evolve, his collaboration with Julie Doiron and why we’ve returned to “older media” (read: records). And like the true artist he is, he answered our questions with poise and unique insight, stopping only to further explain his answers and to leave us standing there with only the utmost respect. Luckily for you, this interview was recorded, so you’ll have the pleasure of listening to the wisdom of a Canadian icon via the radio waves. (And maybe you’ll even hear a little bit of what Mr. Downie had to say, too. Ha. See what I did there? I’m hilarious.)
But alas, there’s no rest for the wicked, and as soon as we shook hands and bid adieu to The Tragically Hip frontman, we were back to the Island Stage to speak to Zeus. Again, we were blown away by the genuineness and sincerity of the band, and just like Mr. Downie, they engaged us with multi-dimension and actual intellect. We high fived, made the best imaginary Hillside lineup ever and discussed the issues Canadian bands have in breaking into the US, and again, like the bands before them, we recorded the magic so you can hear it unfold for yourselves.
Afterwards, it was time for lunch and caffeine since the sunlight was taking its toll. (In case you’re not already aware, I’m freakishly pale and made for autumn – summer can be a cruel enemy of mine.) So we ended up lounging, eating and hydrating backstage, and while we should’ve been taking in continuous acts, the weekend had caught up to us and sitting was priority one. Yes, we wanted to see Gord Downie’s workshop, but the lineup to get in was out of control. Thus, instead of basking in the continuation of live music, we took a couple of moments to gather ourselves and not fall asleep.
Luckily, few things prevent sleep like interviewing a lovely band, so instead of wallowing in “I’m too warm” woe, Steph and I sat on the grass and spoke to Braids about everything from music to Montreal to being (relatively) young. We cheers’d, chatted and recorded it all, so instead of a descriptive play-by-play of said conversation, in approximately two weeks, it will be up and at ‘em for your listening pleasure.
Afterwards, we met up with Steven and hung out briefly with Judith and Sam before they headed off to see Shane Koyzcan while we sat eating pulled pork on a bun. (I’m a girl that likes her festival food, what can I say?) However, to miss an incredible spoken word artist like Mr. Koyzcan would be a crime, so for his last two pieces we stood outside the Lake Tent gazing in, swelling with emotion as he gave an incredible rendition of a very moving and emotional piece. Behold: the first standing ovation I’d seen at Hillside (and the first encore I’d seen as well). Well-deserved to say the least, we left the Lake Stage behind us as we headed off to see Shad, and though I reviewed him for AUX (read it here), I’ll reiterate once more: the man is a force.
However, since I was also slated to review Holy Fuck, I left Steph to watch and interview Shad as I met with Judith and Sam at the Island Stage to watch as one of my favourite bands delivered what I officially deemed to be “the best set of Hillside“. The tent came alive as everyone and their mother (seriously – a woman who was likely someone’s parent sat in front of us and fist-pumped) danced, head-bobbed and crowd-surfed (though not I – as I hate being touched by random people) to the band’s intense vibe, and even though their set was cut short, it was a hell of a show that was the perfect ending to my Hillside-y weekend.
Yes, as lame as it is, after seeing Holy Fuck, I was ready to tuck in and call it a day. Steph and Steven had to catch a bus back to Toronto, while Sam, Judith and I were exhausted to say the least. We headed back to the car and packed everything up, saying a final farewell to the festival as we sang “Home” by Edward Sharpe at the top of our lungs. (No, they didn’t perform and they had nothing to do with the weekend, but alas, it was – as Judith coined it – an “enormously satisfying life moment”.)
Thus, I hope you enjoyed our official recap. I promise they’ll be interviews coming up soon, and as soon as they are, I can promise they’ll be Tweeted and Facebook’d like there’s no tomorrow. For more Hillside-y goodness, catch a listen to Carly‘s recap from Hillside Inside (from February), or follow Hillside, Steph, Judith or myself on Twitter to further bask in our post-festival glow.
Until Tuesday,
xx
- A.
