After seeing BSS and many of their “inter-bands” such as Metric and Stars, all amazing in their own right, I never got a chance to photograph my favourite Canadian collective band as a whole, until last night of course. That’s right Amy Millan, Emily Haines and Leslie Feist (whom I consider the three queens of Canadian indie-rock) where all in attendance and stood alongside the likes of Jason Collett and the crew from Apostle of Hustle.
Waiting at the back entrance to the tiny but mighty amphitheatre, I got to shake hands and greet with Mr. BSS himself, Kevin Drew. What a cool guy haha.
Already 45 minutes behind (the show was suppose to start at 8pm, but that’s cool, because BSS is totally worth the wait especially in this kind of environment ala Harbourfront Centre) the anxious and well over-capacity crowd maintained patience. Because of this gigantic crowd, all media had to actually walk on the stage and step down into the photo pit. This was insane because I’ve never stood in the middle of a concert stage, let alone a concert stage swarmed by like a million die-hard BSS fans.
Once that was settled, it was show time. The crowd immediately felt a sense of nostalgia of the music we hold deep in our Canadian roots. Prior to the gig, the only thing that I was actually praying and hoping for was that they’d play 7/4 shoreline during the first 3 photo songs, and they delivered! None other than Feist came out and sang her part and catchy chorus better than ever live.
For me, this event was truly sentimental and one to be remembered and I am sure it was for every single other fan that day. The atmosphere was just perfect. Remember, BSS cancelled their annual Olympic Island show and many initially felt abandoned. However, being BSS, there was no way they’d let this fly. This event on July 11, 2009 was packed with every notable member of BSS, it was basically a reunion, Harbourfront allowed for the over-packed diehard fans, the fans themselves were all well behaved and respected one another like true family, lake Ontario was just a few meters away, the cool summer breeze was catching everyone’s hair and best of all, it was free.
Broken Social Scene playing at Harbourfront free for all their fans is just another reminded of why Toronto is one of the best places to live.
Chief Editor & Founder of Live in Limbo. Host & Producer of the Capsule Podcast. Sean is an award-winning photographer and Nikon Professional Services member. His work has appeared on the CBC, Pitchfork, and MUCH. He is an Academy Delegate at the JUNOs (CARAS) and has been involved in the Toronto music scene since 2005. He is also an endurance and CrossFit athlete. You should follow him on Twitter @SeanChin.
