Amnesia Rockfest: Another sold-out hot rocking weekend

MONTEBELLO — Any sane person would have sought out shade and a cool drink on one of the hottest weekends of the year.

Well, that wasn’t the choice for Alex Martel and the tens of thousands of rock fans who attended the 11th annual edition of Rockfest, the event Martel founded in his hometown of Montebello when he was 17 years old.

Instead, they devoted the weekend to camping out and seeing bands, including Rise Against, Blink-182, Limp Bizkit, Jane’s Addiction and Korn, to name a few of the dozens of metal, punk and hardcore acts on the program.

What may have been the biggest, hottest, dustiest and most colourful edition of Amnesia Rockfest wrapped up three days of eardrum-blasting rock in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Organizers declared the 2016 edition another sellout, the fourth in a row, with this year’s attendance on track to match that of last year. Close to 200,000 people are estimated to have made the trek to the West Quebec village for the event. It takes place in the parking lot of the municipal marina.

“It’s the best year so far in terms of everything running smoothly,” said Martel in an interview on Saturday. “We really have our formula.”

For the most part, things were peaceful, except, of course, for the thrashing and shoving that went on in the mosh pits. With a lineup that appealed to men in their late 20s and early 30s, diving into the pit was an effective way to relive a misspent youth. 

Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst was one who did his best to rile up the testosterone-fuelled Saturday-night crowd with an intense performance, which included an offer of free alcohol, supposedly from Martel. However, he also gave props for looking out for each other in the pit. “I see you going f—ing insane but I see you respecting each other. That’s the way to do it,” Durst said at one point.

A rubber dinghy, a dude in a furry panda suit, lit firecrackers and a large section of metal fencing were some of the more unusual life forms to emerge from a Rockfest mosh pit that night.

Other highlights on Saturday included Ice Cube and his determination to show that Hollywood hasn’t erased his thugness, an epic grand finale by Chicago punks Rise Against and Lamb of God making up for a few minutes’ lost time, due to a technical delay, with a ferociously raging late-afternoon set.

My favourite discovery was the Finnish band Korpiklaani, a folk-metal crew that included a dreadlocked screamer of a frontman, a bearded bassist in a kilt, a punk accordionist and a blond fiddler who was one of the few women on stage playing an instrument during the entire weekend. They supplied an entertaining blast of anthemic metal with elements of ska and a dab of polka, a refreshing kickoff to what would be a relentless onslaught of metal, thanks to the likes of Corrosion of Conformity, Anthrax and Sodom.

Also memorable was the groovy Jane’s Addiction show on Friday, which saw lead man Perry Farrell questioning the audience on their festival experience and what it’s like to be in “Montreal” in the winter. (Some of the acts knew they were in Montebello, but others seemed to think the festival was a part of Montreal.) Their acoustic segment might have been the mellowest moment of Rockfest.

Other Friday highlights included the fun ‘n’ furious romp by L.A. veterans NOFX; a triumphant comeback by Canada’s Sum 41, whose singer Deryk Whibley looked (and sounded) in good shape after nearly drinking himself to death a couple of years ago, and an intense workout by Billy Talent, who dedicated a song to the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie.

With 130 bands spread over five stages, including one devoted to Quebec talent, sets had to be short to pack it all in. After an onstage complaint by Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider, who objected to his band’s 45-minute slot, Martel was asked if he would consider booking fewer bands to give each one more time on stage.

“I’m not sure,” he said, noting that bands always want to play longer. “Sometimes we put more money on one big band and sometimes we place it on several smaller bands. It always depends on who’s available. Sometimes there’s more bands, sometimes there’s less bands. We try to give sets as long as possible.”

Speaking of the future, he hopes a new partnership with two Quebec promoters alleviates some of his administrative duties.

“They’re helping restructure some things, but it’s more behind the scenes. They’re helping with things like grants, sponsors, food concessions,” Martel said of the deal with Just for Laughs and La Tribu. “That part sucks. I’m into the music,” he added.

No kidding. Under Saturday’s hot sun, with temperatures in the 30s, thousands were packed cheek by jowl on the gravel parking lot in front of the main stage. The pale, dark-haired Martel was right up there with them, albeit on the staff side of the barricade. He handed out bottles of water and hosed down fans sweating it out as they all waited for Florida metalcore faves A Day To Remember.

Meanwhile, in the village, festivalgoers streamed back and forth along the main drag. A vendor village popped up on the church grounds, attracting clusters of folks seeking shade. Lines were long at the corner store and restaurants did a brisk business. A couple of locals armed with hoses offered a cooling spray to passersby.

Residents generally tolerate the noise, crowds and unauthorized parking that accompanies Rockfest, and many were renting out camping spots or showers. Unfortunately, vandals tagged the church doors at some point over the weekend, one of the few incidents to mar the town’s festive spirit. The festival is expected to cover the damage.