The Annual George Street Festival is one that most Newfoundlanders (and those who come from away) look forward to each summer. George Street is known as being one of the premier entertainment districts in North America. Located in the center of downtown St. John’s, the street is home to an outdoor stage that hosts many performances throughout the year. This year marks year 38 for the festival, which runs from the last week of July into the first week of August- rain or shine.
Night one opened with a local Newfoundlander performer, Dave White. White played a mixture of his own tracks, combined with some well-known covers. He performed a heartfelt tribute to Sinéad O’Connor with a cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Cover tracks such as “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and “Zombie” left the audience singing along with him.
With over a 20-year career of live performances and a couple of EPs and singles, White is a regular at Greensleeves Pub on George Street. Catch him there when you can!
Next up were The Trews. The Trews are no strangers to Newfoundland as they have been playing shows on the rock since the early 2000s. This Canadian rock band formed in Antigonish, Nova Scotia but are now based out of Ontario and consists of Colin MacDonald (rhythm guitar, lead vocals), John-Angus MacDonald (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jack Syperek (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chris Gormley (drums), and Jeff Heisholt (keyboards, backing vocals).
Their set started with “Tired of Waiting” as the crowd erupted in cheers before moving into “Rise in the Wake.” The set also included some well-known favourites such as “Highway of Heroes,” “Not Ready to Go,” and “So She’s Leaving,” showcasing tracks from different albums and time frames in their career.
MacDonald got the audience involved in the singing on tracks such as “Hope and Ruin” and “I Wanna Play” (a track written during the times when social gatherings were limited), where the audience echoed some of the lyrics. “Paranoid Freak” is always a great tune with so much energy. The keyboard melody in this track is a catchy one. They extended the song with a rendition of “Hush” (a cover of a Deep Purple track).
The Trews had a few special treats for us during the show. First, a new song called “The Bloody Life.” This collaboration with some of the guys from The Glorious Songs is sure to be a hit. Then during “Ismael and Maggie” the band made their way to the center of the street to sing with the audience. This concluded with John-Angus’ signature guitar solo as the rest of the band made it back to the stage.
The Trews finished their solid set with “Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me” and “Hold Me,” two powerful tracks that allowed the patrons of George Street to sing along and brought a little something for everyone. From creative melodies and vocals to audience engagement, it was definitely a memorable set.
Last up for the night was the American rock band Live. This current rendition of the band consists of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), along with touring musicians Zak Loy (lead guitar, backing vocals), Robin Diaz (drums), and Chris Heerlein (bass). Over the course of their career, Live has sold over 22 million albums, with two albums reaching number one.
Live started their set with “Hold Me Up,” a track with a stripped-down melody and dream-like vocals before moving into the full rock show vibe. This track was first released in 1994, on the 25th-anniversary release of their album Throwing Copper.
You can always tell a fan favourite by the cheers and whistles that erupt when the band starts a song. This is what happened with “All Over You” and “When Dolphin’s Cry,” as the audience sang along with every word.
Other great tracks performed include “Freaks,” “Selling the Drama,” “Run to the Water,” and “Pillar of Davidson” – a mixture of faster, upbeat tracks and slower, heart-felt tracks ranging from many different eras.
Like many bands, Live did not disappoint when it came to the 4 song encore. Starting this set was “Overcome.” “Overcome” was released in 2001 and became associated with the events of September 11th as many radio stations picked up the track that fits exactly how people were feeling at the time. The band chose to donate proceeds from this single to charities set up to benefit the victims of this tragic event. This was followed by “Lakini’s Juice,” a track with a completely different feel. A perfect way to set us up for what was next.
A Live show would not be complete without two of their biggest hits, “I Alone” and “Lightning Crashes” (their biggest single to date, was number one on Modern Rock radio for ten consecutive weeks). This was the best ending to one great night. I am sure that those living near George Street could hear the crowd singing along to every word.
Kowalczyk promised that we were going to jump all over the 90s during this set and that is exactly what we did. It was a great set of nostalgia and surely one that I recommend everyone check out if given the opportunity.
I think it is safe to say that night one of the 38th Annual George Street Festival was a hit. I cannot wait to see what the other nights have in store for us!