More than 135,000 people came out for the sold-out three-day Osheaga music festival event at Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau this past weekend, playing host to a number of big acts including reunited rap legends Outkast, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Lorde, AFI, Hey Rosetta!, Serena Ryder, Sam Roberts Band, and Skrillex.
It was the last weekend for the international fireworks competition L’International des Feux Loto-Québec as well, which took place next door to where Osheaga was being held and lit up the sky for the second day of the event.
The Gazette writer Mark Lepage, who was reporting from Osheaga, and he had this to say about some of the acts: “It took them the lifespan of the average Osheaga fan, but the Replacements finally made it back to Montreal for the hero’s welcome the Alternation seriously owed them,” he said of Paul Westerberg’s reunited band. He also wrote about Lorde’s young age of 17, “It is simply inadmissible for the singer who faced down a massive crowd and even more massive expectations … with Glory and Gore to be under legal drinking or anything age.” Finally, Alex Turner led his “itchy, sketchy, high-energy Sheffield band” Arctic Monkeys on Sunday, “and leaned into a Brit-indie set with appropriate swagger to close out the fest,” Mark Lepage wrote.
Photo: Rory Biller
