Halifax VFest Feels "Alternative" Like The '90s

It wouldn't be summer without a muddy festival on Citadel Hill.

This past weekend Halifax hosted the inaugural Virgin Festival Nova Scotia, free of charge due to The Tragically Hip's last minute cancellation. Virgin headquarters sent out notice less than 24 hours before the show, which stated there was an unforeseeable family emergency that forced the band to pull out of the show.

But in typical Maritime fashion, a foggy overcast day and a Hip no-show didn't seem to put a damper on festival-goers' spirits. It's tough to beat free admission.

Local acts Dog Day kicked off the day playing for devoted hometown followers clad in rubber boots. It certainly wasn't a day for flip-flips or popsicles, but "Happiness," Dog Day's first single from Concentration, could soundtrack the sentiments for such a bleak start to the season.

In-Flight Safety brought a little more optimism to stage, performing hits "Model Homes" and "Actors" from We Are An Empire, My Dear. The previous night, In-Flight's singer/guitarist John Mullane and his fellow navigators Daniel Ledwell, Brad Goodsell and Glen Nicholson showed the chaps from the Arkells around Halifax.

Said Arkells took the stage shortly after 3 p.m., and didn't appear particularly hungover. As attendance thickened, the looming fog began to dissipate. Crowd pleasers included songs from Jackson Square like "Ballad Of Hugo Chavez" and "Oh, The Boss Is Coming!"

Plants And Animals relived their teenage years, as part of the band grew up in Halifax, and spun tales of getting drunk for the first time on Citadel Hill. Guys on stilts and folks dressed as trees made many wonder, how truly devoted are Plants And Animals fans?

Newfoundland six-piece Hey Rosetta! shone nearly bright enough to rouse the sun from behind the clouds. Lead singer/songwriter Tim Baker turned almost every song into an epic six-minute single. Their short set included a new piano-ballad, "Red Heart," "There's An Arc," and "I've Been Asleep For A Long, Long Time."

Married twosome Handsome Furs sparkled with rock 'n' roll fury. Alexei Perry thrashed over her keyboard in a killer jumper and turquoise eye shadow, even adding a few high kicks here and there, while husband and Wolf Parade band member Dan Boeckner nonchalantly strummed the guitar. Their onstage chemistry made their well-suited matrimony an obvious one.

Shortly after the notes of "Radio Kaliningrad," stopped buzzing, roadies began stacking amps on the stage in preparation for Dinosaur Jr.'s set.

Earplugs were necessary during the legends' performance. The band ripped through material spanning their 25-year career, though it was their rendition of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" that was sure to make cock-rock history.

The majority of the crowd seemed too young to remember the year Dinosaur Jr. originally split in 1997, but rocked out anyway. Many seasoned listeners knew they were witnessing history, but if plaid shirts and shaggy hair wasn't your style, Dinosaur Jr. were still worthy of deep respect.

A gathering of teeny-boppers stormed the stage as Metric were on next. Emily Haines, a star everyone loves to hate-on, inspired a slew of drunk girls into a chant "Emily, Emily, Emily, Emily," while in response the dudes with their arms-crossed muttered Metric under their breath.

Clad in a sparkly dress and overcoat, Haines stole the show as she danced across the stage and posed in true rock 'n' roll fashion. Whatever one may think of her, Haines knows how to put on a show. The band ripped through "Help I'm Alive," "Gimme Sympathy" and "Sick Muse" from their latest, Fantasies. Haines even gave a shout out to The Tragically Hip, saying our hearts should be with the band today, adding "We're here to rocking your fucking face off."

An overwhelming sense of early 1990s nostalgia continued when The Offspring took the stage. The Offspring were wise enough to dole out their hits early on in the set and played to their crowd. Halifax heard "Come Out And Play," "Bad Habit" and "Gotta Get Away" for the first time ever. Lead singer Dexter Holland's face may show his age, but his voice and bomber-jacket style kept with the alternative era where the band climbed to fame.

As much as I love to relive my brutal teenage years, I opted to check out early during their set only to drag through the mud while a slew of liquored frat boys sang along to "Why Don't You Get A Job?" Consider the shock on my face when I noticed there was a still a line-up of people hoping to get in to see the final leg of The Offspring's set.