I was freaking out the day before day 1 of X-Fest 2016, and not just because I’d be seeing some of my favourite artists live. My first year attending the festival, 2014, was interesting to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun for the most part and I saw a lot of my favorite artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Foster the People, however I found myself the victim of a horrible situation. I lost my phone in a moshpit and was separated from my friend. Yes, you heard that right. That happened to me. I eventually relocated my friend after some nice Torontonians let me borrow their phone so I could panic to my mom because of course, she was the only number. It was scary but luckily I was also able to find my phone which was slightly damaged but in good condition considering it was underneath a crowd of concert goers jamming out to Cage the Elephant. So yes, you could say my anxiety skyrocketed the night before.

DAY 1

When Saturday finally rolled around, I was excited but so nervous. I was afraid I’d lose my phone again, or become the victim or an even worse situation. Nevertheless, I tried to not let my anxiety keep me from having a good time. The day started by running errands before I was to be picked up by my friends. A quick trip to Walmart ensured I was ready to go with my plentiful pile of snacks and my trusty, fashionable red rain poncho (I never got to wear it so be glad there’s no photos because trust me, it was a terrible look).

We got through the gates around 1:30pm and sat on the ground for a couple hours, enjoying the first smaller acts from the comfort of sitting rather than standing in the pit for 12 hours straight (how do they do it!?). To my surprise, Jake Bugg was doing a signing at the autograph tent that day. He’s relatively unheard of, but I was super stoked personally. I’d been a fan for a few years and unfortunately missed him when he opened for The Black Keys at the Saddledome two years ago. I was happy to learn he was playing X-Fest and when I was waiting in line to meet him, I was more or less starstruck. Of all people, I never thought I’d meet Jake Bugg. I managed to get him to sign my copy of his latest CD, “On My One” and we posed for a picture together. After meeting him, I can say he’s very quiet in person but I don’t feel disappointed in the slightest. It was surreal to meet him and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

After meeting Jake Bugg and subsequently watching his set, Arkells took the stage. This was my 2nd time watching them, the first being last year at Squamish Valley Music Festival. My brother and I are huge, die hard Arkells fans. After my brother caught a free Arkells concert in Whistler this past summer, I was eagerly awaiting my turn to see them again. They were just as great as they were the last time I saw them and I only wish they were higher up on the setlist so their set could be extended.

Afterwards we watched Vance Joy take the stage who in my honest opinion had the potential to be great but left me feeling a little disappointed. Vance Joy is great, though the obnoxious bass drowned out everything. His band was fit with a saxophone player and trumpet player, who would’ve complimented Joy’s indie folk songs if it weren’t for the fact that we could barely hear them. Overall, I was very bored with Vance Joy and I think I would’ve enjoyed it better if it was at a smaller venue.

The Lumineers were the final act of the night. I admired their set design, which was fit with cute crystal-like lights. Even though they were playing to a huge crowd, it felt more intimate then compared to every other set that day. After playing their hit “Ho Hey” early on, they asked the crowd to put away their phones, to which I obliged. I found it easy to enjoy their set, focusing on the songs they serenaded us with. Their latest release, Cleopatra, is full of songs that I’d listen to at night with the lights off and the covers pulled close. One minute you’re listening to them alone in your room, and the next they’re standing 15 feet away from you playing those same songs, and it’s a surreal experience. At one point Wesley Schultz, the lead singer, walked straight through the crowd in which I got to be a foot away from him for a moment. It was amazing and I feel like they don’t receive enough attention. They sound just as good live as they do in studio and I’m glad I got to see them.

DAY 2

I attended the second day with a different friend. She picked me up and after a series of detours due to the pride parade, we ended up arriving at the gates at 11:30am. I got to see my friend Shane who lives in Saskatchewan whom I met during my trip to Ottawa this past April (which you can read about here) and we managed to get in pretty quickly. The last time I attended X-Fest, the wait was long so I was happy to see things run smoothly this time. We bundled up in blankets, ate vermicelli and watched some more smaller bands.

Fort Calgary was totally overrun by Twenty One Pilots fans as well as Halsey fans. I got nervous that we’d be too far back so we joined the crowd around 3pm and watched Hannah Georgas, Atlas Genius, and The Naked and Famous take the stage. All of these acts were great and helped the crowd warm up by getting them to dance.

July Talk walked on stage around 6:15pm and they give me chills. The grittiness of Peter Dreimanis’ voice contrasted well against Leah Fay’s soft vocals. This was my 3rd time watching July Talk, my first experience being at X-Fest 2014. July Talk is a hard pill to swallow. Their heavy rock is hard to get into, and I initially found myself in that position. Having purely been a pop fan for so many years, I presumptively turned my nose up at their music and I’ve never been so disappointed in my past self. July Talk are amazing and are quite honestly one of the best Canadian bands out there right now. I strongly encourage everyone to listen to them, and if you’re sad that you missed out on them this time, they’ll be back on December 3rd playing MacEwan Hall. To tide you over until then, listen to their new album Touch here.

After July Talk was Halsey. I was hesitant about this performance. I’ve been a fan of Halsey since last spring when she was on her American Youth Tour, a time before her debut album Badlands was released. I first saw her live when she supported The Weeknd last November at the Saddledome. To be blunt, I was disappointed then and I was afraid her performance at X-Fest would be more so the same, but to my delight she managed to blow me away. Despite the booming bass that threatened me with hearing loss at the young age of 16, Halsey turned the Fort Calgary grounds into a full blown party with pyrotechnics and her infectious pop songs. Halsey noted that this was most likely the last concert in support of Badlands, and some of the songs wouldn’t make a reappearance on future setlists. It felt bittersweet but also incredible to be apart of something so special and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for her next tour.

Finally, Twenty-One Pilots came on. After seeing them this past April, I was beyond excited to see them yet again. While their indoor concerts are amazing, I was led to believe their outdoor festival concerts were something on a whole new level, and let’s just say I was right. Their stage was decked out with amazing visuals and lights that didn’t detract from the experience but in fact enhanced it. Before Halsey’s set, my friend and I made friends with two teens from Okotoks who joined us in belting out the lyrics to every song. It was surreal throughout the whole set, especially when Tyler Joseph clambered inside a red hamster ball and literally ran across the crowd. I knew the experience would be unreal, but when I finally let everything sunk it, it phased me how crazy and amazing it was. Their set at X-Fest totally trumped the concert I saw last April, and when it finally ended I was left feeling pensive. I was shocked at how fast it flew by, but I was glad I got to witness every minute of it. I can officially place among the top 5 best concerts I’ve ever seen, and if you know me, you know I’ve attended quite a few.

Meeting Halsey

I’m a bit of a setlist collector. For those of you who don’t know what those are, they’re slips of paper on stage (that are sometimes handwritten or typed up) that list every song played during the set. To date, I’ve got 2 arkells, 1 alvvays, 1 foster the people and 1 mother mother setlist. Thought I didn’t dream of it, I wanted to try my hand at snatching one for Twenty-One Pilots. Nobody could locate it so my friend and I ended up leaving after several minutes. It was only after our failed attempt that we found ourselves walking along 6th st SE when I spotted a white SUV waiting to turn left to head towards Inglewood. What struck me was a crowd of teenage girls crowding around the back window. Initially I thought they were all carpooling and shuffling into the car but after they kept standing, my heart leapt. I quite honestly thought it was Twenty-One Pilots in that car but as I ran towards it and discovered it was none other than Halsey, I wasn’t disappointed.

My heart started pounding and I didn’t want to miss out on my chance to meet her so I carefully ran over to where the car idled and waited alongside on the car to snap a picture. I’d never shook so hard until then. It could’ve been the cold too, but I really struggled to snap that picture. My cheeks were cold and managed to literally make me look like a chipmunk, but the whole experience was surreal and I’m glad we had that chance encounter. Without delaying our departure with my setlist attempt, I doubt we’d have seen her. Afterwards, I was shaking and stuck in a state of disbelief. Looking at my lockscreen, the aforementioned selfie, I still feel surprised. You never think you’ll meet an international pop star, and then it happens. I always had this notion that she’d be a primadonna but she was so sweet. She could’ve easily put her window up, but she didn’t. She cares for her fans and I only wish I had more time to tell her how much she means to me.

And now I find myself thinking of the cheesy quote: “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” and that’s all I can do to remain stable. X-Fest 2016 will go down as one of the best weekends of my life, and I’m grateful for the friends I went with, people I befriended and the overall experience. I was bummed out about losing my phone at X-Fest in 2014, and the infamous cancellation of 2015, but in a closing note, I can say 2016 made up for it and blew away all expectations. Thanks X-Fest. Let’s do it again sometime.

All photos are mine except:

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