Big Music Fest (featuring Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, Monster Truck, Extreme, Glorious Sons, The Mohrs and Modern Hearts) @ McLennan Park, Kitchener, Ontario 7-11-15

While western New York was rocking with the Stones, up in the Great White North there was the second annual Big Music Fest taking place in Kitchener. Featuring a lineup of rising stars and classic hardrockers, Kitchener had the volume turned to eleven and the ground shaking. Headliner Soundgarden had made the journey all the way from their last show in New Zealand to join their Canadian fans while other artist such as Monster Truck had to make the short hour drive from Hamilton. It was a hot day for a concert and the audience was treated to the excellent range rock music has to offer.

The first band of the day was Modern Hearts, last year’s winners of the Big Music Fest’s Breaking Bands contest. Beating out over 1600 bands, they showed why they deserved to be victorious with a short 30 minute burst of fresh rock music. Songs such as “Dream Chaser” and “Want You So Bad” showcased singer Gary Stitt’s vocal range and the bands potential to be one of the next big stars out of Toronto.

Following Modern Hearts was another Toronto based band, The Mohrs. Fronted by Jackie Mohr, the band clearly draws its musical influences from artists such as The Pixies and The Pretenders. With strong guitar work and high energy, Jackie Mohr proved that she can rock with the boys and kick some ass. Keep your ears open for their single “Better” on rock radio. Glorious Sons is a band that has already broken onto the airwaves in Southern Ontario, and with good reason. For me, this was one of the most pleasant surprises of the day as the Glorious Sons tore up the stage(literally) and won over the audience with their brand of in your face rock. Coming onto the stage barefooted, lead singer Brett Emmons shouted at the audience that the black stage was burning his feet. Songs such as “Mama” and “White Noise” are future rock staples and the young Kingston boys are definitely a band you should check out if they come to your area.

Following the young Canadian boys was the American rock band Extreme, fronted by the fabulous duo of Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt. Seasoned veterans on the rock music scene, Extreme delivered the goods as they played a mix of classic hits and new tunes. Songs such as “Play With Me” featured the guitar wizardry of Bettencourt while the timeless ballad “More Than Words” highlighted Cherone’s vocal prowess. In the past I’ve seen bands from the ’80s who should perhaps call it quits but this is not one of those bands.

Starting at 6:20 PM was Hamilton’s Monster Truck, a hard rock act that is on the rise. Garnering popularity in the United States as well as Europe, Monster Truck provides the anthemic style of music that many old school bands would be envious of. Starting the band in 2009, it’s amazing to track the rise of this group and to imagine where they will be going. “Seven Seas Blues” was delivered with the raw energy you would expect while “Righteous Smoke” had the crowd bouncing up and down and singing along.

Jane’s Addiction was given one hour to wow the large crowd and they did not disappoint. Fronted by the enigmatic Perry Ferrell, the band tore through megahits “Just Because” and “Been Caught Stealing.” Dave Navarro, with his tattoo armor and rock god swagger, was on point shredding solo after solo. Jane’s Addiction pulled out all the stops, lacing the stage with fog and having dancers come out on stage to add to the electric performance. During “Three Days” the band even had two girls hanging from wires that were hinged in their skin (yeah it’s gross) which added to the production value. Ferrell joked with the audience throughout the performance and was in good spirits. It’s nice to see how the band has come together as a unit despite their turbulent past. To close out the set the whole band was front and center to give the audience a stirring rendition of “Jane Says.”

At 9:30, the hot July sun finally began to set as grunge icons Soundgarden marched onto the stage. Starting with a bang, guitarist Kim Thayill played with authority the opening chords of “Spoonman.” The guitarist is one of the best, if not the best guitarist in grunge music and he demonstrated that in Kitchener. The band played hits like “Black Hole Sun” and “Rusty Cage” effortlessly as their eager fans soaked it all in. One of the highlights of the night for me was when the band played “Been Away Too Long” from their most recent studio outing King Animal. The song echoed the sentiment that many Canadian Soundgarden fans were feeling upon seeing these Seattle rockers, who had been absent north of the border for a few years now. At the heart of the band is Chris Cornell, who has been working on a solo career for the last year or so. It was nice seeing him at the helm of Soundgarden again as he was in good voice singing songs spanning the bands 31 year career. The band has broken up before and gone their own directions but since their reunion in 2010, it is clear the four piece together is what the fans want. The only criticism I have of the band is that they don’t communicate with the audience as much as some other performers I’ve seen. This may be a part of their Soundgarden image, but I’m sure the fans would be appreciative of a little more performer to crowd interaction.Overall the music was spot on though, and fans of the band were transported back to the days of flannel shirts and grunge.

The promoters of the concert took to the stage in between acts to thank the city and all those in attendance. They also delivered the news that Big Music Fest would be back for 2016. It’s nice to have a festival in Southern Ontario that delivers A List performers and I look forward to seeing what they bring to Kitchener next year!
Setlist:

Spoonman (with Searching With My Good Eye Closed intro)
Kyle Petty, Son of Richard
Attrition
Outshined
By Crooked Steps
Taree
Black Hole Sun
Jesus Christ Pose
Fell on Black Days
Blow Up the Outside World
Hunted Down
My Wave
The Day I Tried to Live
Been Away Too Long
Birth Ritual
Rusty Cage
Slaves & Bulldozers

Janes Addiction setlist:

Up the Beach
Mountain Song
Had a Dad
Just Because
Ted, Just Admit It…
Been Caught Stealing
Stop!
Ocean Size
Three Days
Whores
Jane Says