An enjoyable first rodeo

TicketMOMster review: Interstellar Rodeo @ The Forks (Day 2)

August is a busy month for me. Family events and birthdays prohibit me from attending all the festivals and summer concerts I want to see. Perhaps if this was my job, it would be easier. “I have to work” sounds much more acceptable than “I know it’s your birthday, but I bought a ticket to a show and I’d rather do that than almost anything else.”

(To any family members reading this review: I don’t mean you. OF COURSE I want to come to your birthday, don’t be ridiculous).

The stars must have been aligned because I managed to sneak away for seven and a half hours to attend my first Interstellar Rodeo.

I arrived just in time to see Skydiggers and while I enjoyed their set, I think I enjoyed the woman in green and brown dancing to their music more. I’d forgotten how integral people watching is to the festival experience. She was behind the crowd in an open part of grass and she must have had some sort of Contemporary Dance training because she moved in the most unique ways. It was hard not to watch her.

After their set, Sean McManus from Manitoba Music spoke with a curator about which wine would go best with the music we were about to hear. A wine curator at a festival. How civilized! If I drank alcohol I might have been all over that.

I saw Fantastic Negrito open for Chris Cornell last month. He performed an acoustic set with his guitarist that blew me away.

As I watched the techs set up for Fantastic’s set, I wondered if the crowd knew who he was and what a treat they were in for. He’s such a performer and I’m such a fan. I love his tone and his range and I love his energy and his unpredictability; I never know what he’s going to say.

This is a bit of a double edged sword, though. I’m afraid the next two sentences out of his mouth will be so offensive I’ll have to stop supporting his music. And I think he knows he’s offensive because between songs he yelled “Ladies and Gentlemen, if I’ve offended you, I don’t apologize.”

You can tell he’s been through some hard events in his life; you can hear it in the lyrics for Rant Rushmore (“b#$@& eat my cancer”).

It’s also in his cover of In The Pines which he dedicated to his Mother, who buried his brother; heavy stuff. And yet he’s so entertaining and commanding on stage, you can’t help but be riveted.

I liked Fantastic Negrito acoustic as well as with a full band. I loved the addition of the organ and the wah wah pedal in Hump Thru The Winter and Lost In A Crowd was so hard that it chased the clouds away.

I thought he stopped the songs a bit too much which killed the momentum, but otherwise, a strong set by Fantastic Negrito. I’m sure he gained some new fans with that performance.

Margo Price took us to the country with a solid set; her voice and her band were great. They played all toe-tapping tunes, but in general I don’t usually listen to her type of music. It’s not bad music by any means, it’s just not the kind of music that turns me on. The largely male audience standing in front of the stage seemed to like it though.

The sun went down and the crowd grew in front of the stage for Wilco…

IF YOU’RE A FAN OF WILCO, THIS REVIEW HAS COME TO AN END. THANKS FOR STOPPING BY AND ENJOY YOUR DAY!

I don’t know anything about Wilco. I’ve heard of them, but I couldn’t tell you any of their songs. I’m on a musical journey and that journey includes discovering “new” bands that have apparently been around since 1994.

My first impression was that I liked their music and the very large crowd in front of the stage liked them too. I decided to go closer to the stage to get the full Wilco experience. The crowd swayed and bobbed their heads around me.

I’ll never get tired of being a non-fan in a crowd of fans. I love being an outsider looking into what makes people tick and how they express the things they love, the things they relate to, the things that mean something to them. Wilco certainly had that affect on them.

Usually when I go to shows where I don’t know the artist or band, I’ll hear at least one song and I’ll think: “Oh they sing THIS song! Okay…”

I kept waiting for that to happen with Wilco and IT NEVER HAPPENED. I don’t know what they played at all.

One song that stuck in my mind was mid/slow tempo with a nice feel and then all of a sudden the drummer and guitarist went insane and ripped through the song while the other members kept playing. I was so stunned that I almost fell into the guy behind me. It happened another time but I was more prepared and grounded my feet.

Wilco stayed on stage for their one song encore and then the show ended.

So what did I think of the Interstellar experience? I’m at the age now where I appreciate three things: smaller events, assigned seating and toilets that flush. Interstellar is definitely a smaller festival…and I made do with the rest.

There was always room on the bleachers, so I camped out there and the lines for the porta-potties weren’t too long. Weather-wise it was a perfect day to be outside enjoying a music festival.

I can’t go back Sunday, but I’m looking forward to the artist line up next year and I’m hoping I can sneak away again.

Good night.

TicketMOMster is a Rock and Jazz-loving Mom; single-handedly keeping Ticketmaster alive in Winnipeg. Follow her musical journey here: www.facebook.com/TicketMOMsters