Osheaga 2017 - Saturday
photo by Em Grey

Osheaga 2017 Saturday pics (Broken Social Scene, Father John Misty, more)

Osheaga continued on Saturday (8/5) at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, without the storms that disrupted the schedule on Friday. Solange dropped off the lineup, citing “unforseen production issues,” and Lil Uzi Vert had travel issues and was replaced by Tory Lanez.

Broken Social Scene’s stop at Osheaga was part of their ongoing tour in support of their new album, Hug of Thunder. Montreal Gazette reports that BSS-associate Emily Haines was on hand to join the collective:

You can never be certain who will show up when Broken Social Scene’s caravan rolls in, so Emily Haines (of Osheaga regulars Metric) earned her applause just by bounding on stage for Halfway Home. She spent much of the song singing off mic, but no matter — in this collective, moral support counts for almost as much as the quartet of jigsawing guitars in Cause = Time. De-facto leader Kevin Drew was a model of generosity, exhorting the crowd to “give it up for friendship,” vaulting down from the stage “to be with the people” for Texico Bitches, and happily ceding centre stage to Ariel Engle for a considerable chunk of the show. Haines returned for a more prominent vocal in the biting Protest Song, which built to a celebratory chant. And really, everything about this show was celebratory.

Broken Social Scene return to NYC for The Meadows in September.

Unlike at Lollapalooza, where he walked offstage four songs into his scheduled set, Liam Gallagher played a full set at Osheaga. Montreal Gazette says:

“This one’s called Rock ’n’ Roll Star.” Osheaga could use more of them. Eight years after Oasis’s final brawl, Liam Gallagher arrived at the festival as if he had never been away — tambourine in hand, leaning into the mic, arms clasped behind his back, one of his beloved band’s staples revived by a well-weathered sneer. Hilariously, and completely in character, he zipped his parka up to his neck under the blazing sun.

On one hand, it was a treat just to see that character, as one of the great nonchalant frontmen plunked himself on the drum riser before Morning Glory’s eternal air-raid guitar pealed. But his audience was clearly there out of affection more than rubber-necking. They got a famously combustible personality on good behaviour, even when he endearingly teased a fan who had begged for a tambourine (“Ya got what ya wanted — now ya don’t know what to do with it”).

Songs from the upcoming solo debut were well received, with the pounding Greedy Soul an easy highlight and You Better Run worth it just for the Usain Bolt dedication. But there was no question why Gallagher drew such an engaged crowd, and he didn’t deny them the pleasure, ending with Be Here Now’s tough jangle and a quick but affectionate Wonderwall. If anyone was hoping for a blow-up, they would have been happily disappointed.

Saturday at Osheaga also had sets from Father John Misty, Temples, Dawes, Beach Slang, Cage the Elephant, and more. Check out pictures in the gallery above, and see pictures from Friday HERE.

photos by Em Grey