LIVE: Stars Make Summersonic In Halifax
Tuesday July 22, 2008 @ 03:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

July 19-20, 2008
Citadel Hill Garrison Grounds
Halifax, NS
By Shannon Webb-Campbell

This year's version of Tokyo's annual Summersonic boasted such acts as The Sex Pistols, Vampire Weekend, Alicia Keys, Coldplay and The Verve. Halifax's inaugural Summersonic Festival might have had a smaller budget to work with, but it's hard to imagine anyone left the Garrison Grounds disappointed. Situated at the foot of Citadel Hill, a national historic site formed by a glacial drumlin, the view alone could impress ticket holders.

Saturday began with local electro-folk songstress Rebekah Higgs taking the stage shortly after 4 p.m. Some people love her and others loathe her. The beauty of Higgs is she's the epitome of what it means to be an entertainer and doesn't let anyone else's opinion distract her. She's a woman on a mission and stars, vintage ball gowns, red carpets and bright lights lie straight ahead. She got up there, sung her heart out, gushed about her rather sugary handmade merch — think Rebekah Higgs chocolate bars, cupcake posters and knitted heart-shaped broaches — and now moves on to her next stop: Guelph for Hillside. Higgs could easily take the cake for most performances per year, as she's criss-crossed the country at least three times in the past few seasons.

Hometowners In-Flight Safety have been slightly more reclusive lately, as they've just finished up their forthcoming follow-up to 2006's The Coast Is Clear. They played a seamless set of new material while Tokyo Police Club watched from the side stage.

It wasn't long until TPC took over and ploughed through their power-pop set. The majority of their boyish high-energy songs blurred into one soundtrack of adolescence, though the small crowd that gathered seemed enthralled by their hijinx.

Winnipeg's legendary wimps The Weakerthans took the stage earlier than scheduled. Accompanied by Ottawa's Jim Bryson, the ever-so charming Manitoban boys-next-door warmed hearts with their literate indie-pop ballads. Move over Tragically Hipsters, as The Weakerthans define what it truly means to be Canadian. John K. Samson's narrative lyrics sound like an audio version of the expansive and egalitarian landscape that defines this country.

Local radio personality Dave Ewenson (of Let's Get Baked With Mat And Dave) stunned more than a few passers-by because of his lookalike status to a certain Canadian rock star. At random intervals throughout the day strangers would point and whisper "Is that Dallas Green?" and then approach him for an autograph. His 15 minutes were up when City And Colour hit the stage shortly after 9 p.m.

Sunday started with local paddlers I See Rowboats. Their ethereal, moody and melodic performance mirrored the ever-changing weather. The fog rolled in just as Newfoundland's Hey Rosetta! took the stage. Their virile set highlighted some of the finer tracks on their latest release, Into Your Lungs (And Around In Your Heart And On Through Your Blood), including "I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time," "New Goodbye" and "Red Heart," though I was holding out for "A Thousand Suns."

Akron, Ohio's The Black Keys were the only international act on the bill, and obviously highly sought-after. The majority of the folks seated on the side of the hill left their blankets and empty $6 beer cans to catch a glimpse of the gritty guitar/drums twosome. Dropping the constant lazy White Stripes comparison, the band seemed more akin to Vancouver's Black Mountain than anything candy cane coloured. Singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach's threat to overdose on scallops brought a roar of laughter from the audience. When you can perform like they can with just a guitar and a drum kit, on-stage banter is trivial at best. Just keep rockin'.

Hometown heroes Wintersleep (who recently relocated to Montreal) avoided all seafood references and gave praise to the evening sky up above with rather lengthy renditions from their latest release Welcome To The Night Sky. The quintet were welcomed back to town with open arms, endless applause and every second person decked out in Wintersleep swag.

But the evening truly belonged to the massive luminous balls of plasma, as Haligonians were swooned by the roses artfully placed on stage before Stars even stepped on to it. The Moz-aping floral decor merely accented the looming fog and downpour of rain that broke mid-set. Inspired by the romance of the weather and the lush instrumentation, both Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan thrived on the magic of the moment and gorgeously gave it their all. Their vocal duets flooded the national historic site with hope, as the waterlogged listeners danced and pranced like fairies in an indie rock storybook. At one point, Campbell requested that everyone turn around and look to the hill and the picturesque postcard image behind them. All nights should end footloose and fancy-free like this, tossing flowers and twirling in the rain to a Stars soundtrack.