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"Soundtracks" Vol. 1 | Issue 2
Let’s be serious, the Olympics are pretty unavoidable right now. Even non-sports-lovers are drawn into discussion: patriotism, the money spent, our red mittens, the correctness and/or adorableness of our native mascots, our favourite TV shows being put on hold for far too long... Agree with it or not, for the past few weeks (at the very least) this was our inevitable national theme.
Somewhere in amidst all the din of cheers, injuries, interviews and commercials, is another cultural voice that is potentially being overlooked. Every night at 6:30pm (PST), both at BC Place in Vancouver and at Whistler, is a Victory Ceremony for the previous day’s winners. And every night, at 7:30, is a live concert. Most, although unfortunately not all, of the headliners are Canadian/en/enne.
I’ll be honest. I have not yet watched one of these concerts. (Okay, that’s a lie. I flicked through two minutes of Nelly Furtado’s rather dreadful live performance and changed the channel.) I don’t know of many people who have tuned it for the musical events. People either a) aren’t watching the Olympics, or b) are too tuckered out from the day’s events to keep the TV on for a concert. Or maybe – maybe – the concerts just aren’t advertised or organized well enough.
The performances at the Victory Ceremonies vary quite a bit. There are our traditionally “Canadian” bands (Barenaked Ladies, Loverboy, Great Big Sea, Burton Cummings), and a couple of our bigger indie bands (Feist, Stars). They are bookended by safe, popular bands like Nelly Furtado, Estelle, and Usher. INXS and Jet are bumping around in there somewhere. There are a few newer, riskier acts, to give it a bit of an edge. But, looking at all the listings together, it seems fairly jumbled and haphazard.
Personally, I was a bit disappointed that the headliners were not entirely Canadian. This is our country; our chance to entertain and, well, show off a bit. So, we have our standard Canadian bands. We have some of our larger indie acts, and a couple lesser-knowns. We have three francophone acts in there, giving a significant representation to Quebec.
And then... they decided to throw in some Australian, American, and British bands, to... round us out? Is this supposed to be a Canadian representation, or a worldwide representation? Either way, neither is taken to their fullest potential. We could have continued headlining our incredibly talented bands. We could have highlighted our multiculturalism, and the worldwide spirit of the games, by hosting acts from around the world. Instead, we have a medley of bands with little in common. Yes, it is the Olympics, and it is about the sports. But at the same time, we are basically throwing one huge international party, as well as a competition. Planning for the 2010 Olympics has been going on for years now. A little more thought could have been given to our music, to our greater entertainment value.
Of course, a lot of hard work has gone into these games. Besides a few glitches, we are proving to be excellent hosts. Our spirit – our waving red mittens – swells the heart with pride. It’s just a little disappointing that we’re not taking advantage of this opportunity to push our musical reputation – as well as our hockey team – into the international spotlight.
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5 songs to listen to while reading this column:
coeur de pirate – "Comme des enfants" (single off the 20-year-old Quebecer’s debut album; opens for DEVO Feb. 22 at Whistler Medal Plaza)
deadmau5 – "Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff feat. Rob Swire" (single from Toronto house DJ; played Feb. 18)
Pierre Lapointe – "Amour Solaire" (beautiful new song; played Feb. 15)
K’Naan – "Wavin’ Flag" (South Africa’s anthem for the FIFA world cup; plays Whistler Feb. 26)
Stars – "Take Me to the Riot" (a song about love and sports riots!; played Feb. 20)
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