The Maritimes were treated to world-class entertainment this Canada day weekend on PEI. The re-named Big Red Music Festival opened to large numbers in Prince Edward Island at the brand new event grounds in the heart of Charlottetown. The festival provided an assortment of musical acts to accommodate all musical tastes for all ages, which really added to the appeal of the weekend.
Big Red Music Festival opened Friday afternoon, and despite the rain, fans flocked to the new site to hear the great music scheduled for the day. Local favorite Paper Lions opened to a great listening crowd with great success as the first act of the main stage. Grammy award winning rap artist, Ludacris graced the main stage next where he entertained the fans with all of his greatest his through his over 10 years of music. Our Lady Peace closed out the first night of the festival as only they could. To the surprise of no one, the Canadian rock powerhouse’s set had the crowd singing loud and rocking hard.
“I absolutely loved Friday night! Especially Our Lady Peace! I saw them here on the island a few years ago, and like tonight, they did not disappoint! I don’t think I have ever sang so loud in my life! Especially when they played Starseed” fan Kourtney H exclaimed.
Sadly for Metric fans, due to increased rain and electrical issues, they were not able to perform on the Main stage to close out the night.
Saturday was definitely a nice change of pace from all of the wind and rain of Friday night. As Presented by The Guardian, The popular pop group, R5 opened the day for special separate ticket holders. Their fun, pop music was a great way to start off the day. Punk Rock group, Courage My Love then graced the main stage with their high octane rock. Fan favorites, Faber Drive and Hedley then closed out the night to huge numbers and a very successful second day of the festival!
Sunday was a beautiful day and a great way to end the 3 day festival! The day started out in great fashion with Maritime and ACR favorite, David Myles. With his Buddy Holly style and smooth sound, he quickly grabbed the attention of the crowd and with his amazing unique style. It wasn’t long before he was a fan favorite among the people since he was stopped several times on the way to greet fans in the merchandise tents! Next on the main stage Sunday was Larry McCray out of Michigan. He blew the crowd away with his amazing band and voice, like that of Stevie Ray Vaughan and playing ability of BB King and Jimi Hendrix, combined, it made for an extremely entertaining set! They had everyone tapping their feet and clapping their hands. Canadian gem, Serena Ryder then took to the main stage with her unbelievable musical talent and amazingly powerful voice captivated the crowed and she had everyone in awesome spirits cheering her and singing along! The last act of the night was certainly the best way to close out the Big Red Music Festival. Newfoundland based group and the pride of Atlantic Canada, Great Big Sea took to the stage and closed out what was definitely the biggest and most anticipated night of the weekend! They had the crowd singing and dancing along with their hits the entire time.
“Great Big Sea put on the greatest concert I have ever been to! They are fantastic live! I have never been so happy to be at a show in my entire life. I live a childhood dream tonight, and I will never forget it!” said Ashley M, a long time fan of the Newfoundland founded group.
It’s definitely safe to say that fan response to this festival was hugely positive and that we will see this awesome festival at the Charlottetown Event Grounds for years to come! Big concerts on Canada Day weekend were always something Atlantic Canadians looked forward to attending on PEI for years, and it’s nice to see that they have finally returned!
