This year was our first time attending Kelowna’s Rock the Lake, held in the parking lot of Prospera Place arena and although it may seem like an odd location for a concert (as opposed to the grassy park with lake view next door) it really isnt!
With a killer line up Saturday of Streetheart, The Romantics, 54-40, and Tom Cochrane, it promised to be a great night – and with Saturday night tickets sold out weeks ago, seems everyone else agreed! Streetheart and The Romantics recalled a bygone era of anthem rock, big hair and fancy duds and the mostly baby boomer audience ate it up – with smiles of nostalgia, the odd fist pump and a lot of hip bumping/dancing and it was great fun!
54-40 came on around dusk so the first part of their set was in daylight which was a nice change! Front man/singer Neil Osborne and band could see the size of the crowd, all the way to the back and that perhaps influenced how much Osborne mugged for the audience. Dancing in place, smiling, teasing the crowd, and his bandmates, he was in fine humour and the rest of the band were likewise. Bassist Brad Merrit couldn’t stop smiling and guitarist Dave Genn played up to the audience as well. Drummer Matt Johnston kept the beat while looking out into the audience between cymbal flashes.
The crowd! The crowd was so into the songs that it truly became a singalong for the more well known 54-40 hits.. and at one point, Osborne softened the band holding the mic out to us and letting us just go for it.
Special mention to the song ‘One Gun’ and Osborne encouraging fans to videotape the song and post on Youtube.. mentioning briefly the troubles the USA has had lately with gun violence.. adding that ‘maybe it will change a few minds’ (by seeing the song and video). Our video is coming shortly!
My two fav songs rounded out the band’s set – ‘Casual Viewing’ and ‘Ocean Pearl’ and the band was gone too soon, to a loud and appreciative applause and whistles.
Tom Cochrane was freaking amazing.. find our review of his show HERE with pics!
As for the actual experience of Rock the Lake? Awesome. The entire fenced off venue is a ‘beer garden’ which eliminates people squashed into that cattle fenced, loud area scrambling to down 2 beer so they can go back and watch the bands.. people CAN go back with a beer, hit their chairs or standing spots, and watch the band.
Security was awesome! No egos, no pushy uniforms and when two fellows up front got into a scuffle, they separated it in mere seconds to not let them interfere with everyone else’s concert experience. The layout of the venue was awesome.. lines painted on the pavement for those preferring to sit and chill, with adequate walkways. FLUSH Toilets! With access to the arena for everyone, bathrooms were available also enabling washing up. AND for those needing a cooling moment away from the sun, you could wander into the ice surface, have a seat in the padded bleachers and literally chill out. With our summer temps rising, this was most welcome.
The best though? Allowing die hard fans up front. Most festivals push the super fans off to the side in ‘zones’ so that those on low level lawn chairs have the best view.. we love that Rock the Lake puts the dancing party zone right in front of the stage.. and with the lay of the land (a slight rise toward the arena) those in the back actually still had a great view of the stage (and better sound actually) . All in all the event was awesome. Definitely adding this to our summer list for next year! OH! and tickets for Rock the Lake 2020 are on sale now!
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written by BSmitty
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