Experiencing Osheaga 2017 as a Virgin Mobile Member reminded us how sweet life can be.
Day one of Osheaga featured one of the strongest festival lineups of the Summer, with acts such as BADBADNOTGOOD, Sampha, Belle and Sebastian, MGMT, and Lorde.
BADBADNOTGOOD took to the stage early in the day as the skies opened up and poured hot rain, but the crowd seemed unbothered while the Toronto natives kept them dancing.
The sun then made a brief appearance during Sampha’s expressive set. The London singer was backed by a three piece band made up of a keyboardist and two drummers. They kicked things off with a performance of “Timmy’s Prayer” before Sampha shredded his brown and beige track jacket and continued to feed into the crowd with “Too Much” and “Plastic 100° C.” They ran through a few more choice cuts before wrapping up with “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano.”
Belle and Sebastian commanded the crowd’s attention in the most sincere way possible. Their hour-long set left the audience wanting more as they performed songs like “The Party Line,” “I’m a Cuckoo,” and “We Were Beautiful.” Before leaving the stage, frontman Murdoch told festivalgoers “I’m not gonna get f—ed up and dance to EDM — I did that 20 years ago.”
One of the opening day’s standout acts was MGMT. Taking to the main stage, they performed classics like “Electric Feel,” “Congratulations,” and “Alien Days.” The crowd was waiting for “Kids” and they delivered with an extended rendition. Although it rained, it was still a good time.
Lorde hit the stage with an umbrella to close out night one, but the fans didn’t let inclement weather damper the mood. We had the best view possible watching from the Virgin Mobile VIP Lounge. As her dancers swayed, Lorde told the crowd, “I’m going to bring someone out.” “She’s kind of a freak, like us, so it’s OK,” she added. This was followed by none other than Tove Lo (who had an amazing set earlier in the day) coming on stage for a joint performance of “Homemade Dynamite.”
The second day of the festival brought beautiful weather and great music. There were live performances by HONNE, Broken Social Scene, Danny Brown, and Major Lazer to name a few.
UK duo HONNE made sure their Osheaga set was a must-see. They impressed with songs like “Someone That Loves You” and “Warm On A Cold Night.” Meanwhile, on the Green Stage, Danny Brown headbanged in an all Moschino outfit as his fans started a mosh pit.
Broken Social Scene put forth a strong show and it was evident that they belong in front of a large audience. Effective leader Kevin Drew encouraged the crowd to “give it up for friendship,” while Emily Haines of Metric sang along with the rest of the collective. She belted out the words to “Protest Song” to finish their fun-filled set.
We took a break from partying to experience another perk of being a Virgin VIP Member at Osheaga, Artist World. This is where everyone from artists to production managers go to hang out, refuel, and relax in-between sets. With food from Chef Chuck Hughes, who wouldn’t want to be there all day. We ate from the enormous buffet and sipped iced coffee from the cafe before heading back to the field.
We knew the final act we had to see on day two was Major Lazer. Die-hard fans swarmed the stage before their set began. As soon as Diplo and friends brought the noise, everyone went crazy. Even with sound issues 15 minutes in, the group kept the crowd entertained until they could serve up more of their signature sound.
Having finally made it to day three safely, we looked forward to a nice “relaxing” day with Run The Jewels, Die Antwoord, Alabama Shakes, and The Weeknd.
Being Virgin Members, we were able to experience Run The Jewels from the photography pit. We also got soaked when the water cannons cooled everyone off. Fans poured in from around the festival grounds to see the duo on the main stage. Killer Mike paused and El-P said, “people are getting crushed up front; everybody take one step back.” He then instructed “everyone take one step back again.” Once the audience settled, the party continued.
Die Antwoord were over the top, naturally. Festivalgoers flocked to the Valley stage to see the infamous group live as they delivered “I Fink U Freeky” and “Baby’s on Fire.”
The Alabama Shakes kept the audience hyped during their extended set as a crowd of nearly 30,000 people assembled to see Brittany Howard and the band.
Our favorite act of the festival was The Weeknd. While we’ve seen his live show a number of times, it never gets old. His performances become more and more polished as he matures as an artist. Abel treated the audience to material from his newest album Starboy such as “Reminder” and “Party Monster” in addition to iconic tracks from Trilogy like “Loft Music.” He definitely gave Montreal a night to remember, complete with fireworks.
See our photos of artists, installations, and more from Osheaga 2017 below. You can become a Virgin VIP Member too! Head here to find out how.
Can’t get enough Osheaga? Find out what life lessons we learned at the 2016 festival.
Tags: Montreal, Osheaga, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile Canada
