Over the weekend, thousands of music lovers from around the region flocked to the Loyalist’s Rugby Grounds in Fredericton NB for what has arguably become the city’s greatest annual event.
What could it be, you ask? None other than the annual FredRock music festival which saw acts such as Steve Earle, Walk off The Earth, Matthew Good, and The Sheepdogs over two nights.
Beginning at 4:30pm on Friday August 10th, fans began coming in droves to get their front row seat for the Poor Young Things, who are gaining much attraction with their hit “Blame it on the Good Times”, which are exactly what fans came for.
Following the stellar opening, another favourite, “Walk Off The Earth” took to the stage performing covers and originals including their stunning rendition of “Somebody that I used to Know” which has gained world-wide acclaim on YouTube with over 100 million views.
The night continued with the stellar stage presence of Matt Mays who performed hits such as “Tall Trees” and a classic ode to his hometown of Dartmouth NS, “City Of Lakes”.
“WE ARE AWOLNATION, WE ARE AWOLNATION” a band exclaimed as they played to thousands of screaming fans, although it seemed like no introduction was needed as fans belted the words to their smash hit “SAIL”.
To cap off a spectacular first night, Matthew Good hit the stage at around 11pm to fans that were showing no signs of fatigue as he took the crowd on a journey through hits such as “Hello Time Bomb”, “Apparitions” and “Load Me UP”.
With one night over, fans may have rushed back to their hotel rooms for a bit of shut eye as festival organizers knew it couldn’t be over yet, a Saturday rock-out was still in order.
It all began at 3:30pm on Saturday as fans again poured into the grounds for another night of ROCK.
At 4:15pm, The Carleton Stone Band took to the stage to warm up the crowd with their hard rockin’ tunes. After a short lived set, Elliot BROOD took to the stage for a slightly softer set that kept the crowd very content.
The rock n’ roll continued when the Sheepdogs, a new Canadian favourite, hit the stage feeling very at home. Throughout their set which lasted over an hour, hits such as “I Don’t Know” and newer stuff including “The Way it Is”.
At 8:15pm, the Trews took the stage to an ecstatic set of fans decided to “Sing their heart out” to “Tired of Waiting”, “So, She’s Leaving”, “Highway of Heroes.
For many fans, the sadness begun as they realized the end of another amazing year was near. The “FredRock is over” blues did not stop the excitement when the final act, Steve Earle & The Dukes hit the stage at 10pm while fans became a singing chorus one last time for hits such as “Guitar Town” and “Copperhead Road”.
FredRock isn’t just about the acts anymore, but about the festival atmosphere, and everyone loves it “It’s just great for us, and great for the city, we love hosting it.” said a worker at the Loyalist grounds, who was not identified.
Even since last year’s event, which featured greats such as Sam Roberts & Classified, attendance has doubled.
The full 2012 lineup included AWOLNATION, CARLETON STONE BAND, ELLIOTT BROOD, MATTHEW GOOD, MATT MAYS, POOR YOUNG THINGS, THE SHEEPDOGS, STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES, THE TREWS, &WALK OFF THE EARTH.
FredRock is just a spectacular event, and fan support is a big part of it. A big salute is also extended to Mike Babineau, Nick Zildjan and all of the staff involved.
With 2012 completed, who would you like to see at FredRock 2013?
