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The View from Vancity

About May Globus

Vancouver City Editor May Globus is obsessed with the sartorial and all that surrounds it: art, design, culture, music and film. Oh, and she really likes writing about it, too. A left coast girl at heart, her Sweetspot finds just might show why the westside really is the best side.

Oh, Deer!

the view from vancity Vancouver (Jul.28.09)

Pessimists occasionally like to throw out an insult at this Pacific Northwest city of mine, calling it so-called "No Fun Vancouver", to which I will have to disagree.

These folk have obviously never spent a significant amount of time here in the summer, a time when festivals of all kinds go on every weekend: the Folk Fest (Arrested Development made an appearance this year), the Jazz Fest (packed out Gastown and David Lam Park for two consecutive weekends), the Lantern Fest (lighting up Commericial Drive), the Caribbean Fest (steel drums!)...and the list goes on.

Despite the heat wave that swept through town this weekend -- it's about 27 degrees celsuis at night, so get those tower fans out on full blast -- local music-lovers made the small trek to Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, including yours truly, for the two-day Virgin Music Festival.

Day One on proved to be interesting as warm rain, thunder and lightning coincided with not only the Celebration of Light fireworks in English Bay (making for some beautiful photographs by many Vancouverites), but with The Roots performance, which was promptly cancelled on Saturday because of the unpredictable weather (and subsequent soggy outdoor venue).

Day Two fared much better, with the blazing sun, fresh lemonade booth, ice cream cart and a smashing main stage line-up that included De La Soul, Jarvis Cocker, Metric, Ben Harper and the Relentless and...Sonic Youth!

Yes, Kim Gordon looked every bit as good (and blond) rocking out on the guitar and mic as she did in the late '80s, early '90s. Emily Haines and her Metric bandmates had the crowd fist-pumping with hits from their latest album, "Help I'm Alive" and "Gimme Sympathy" included -- I really wanted to steal that tri-colored sequin skirt and purple booties right off her.

Then to close out the two-day music extravaganza was Ben Harper -- oh Ben Harper, quite possibly the biggest draw of the whole Deer Lake she-bang. Boy, did he ever have his fans jamming (no Laura Dern sightings, however)!

So thank you, Richard Branson, for keeping the good times alive in "No Fun Vancouver".

Oh, and an extra thank you to the Virgin Fest person who came up with the idea of free mini Freezies all day.

Tags: May Globus, city editors

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