Great big (wet) fun
By SANDY MacDONALD -- The Daily News
The only thing more predictable than the ecstatic crowds and great music at the now-annual Great Big Picnic is rain. But the early evening downpour did little to dampen the spirits of more than 9,000 people, packed on the Wanderers Ground and swelling up the side of Citadel Hill. Some came in oil skins and sou'westers to fight the rain, but most stripped to T-shirts and revelled in the mid-summer showers.

 The show opened early with strong sets from local pop faves Arlibido and Boston's alterna-pop trio Guster. Los Lobos made its first concert appearance in Halifax with an impressive set of Latin-tinged rock, with monstrous guitar sounds from Cesar Rosas and great singing from David Hidalgo.

 The set closed with the obligatory La Bamba (the break-through hit for the East L.A. band from the 1987 movie of the same name). The band easily dropped the three-chord groove into a rave up of Good Lovin' and whipped up the dripping crowd. Can't wait to see these guys back again with a full show of their own.

 By the time Blue Rodeo hit the stage at 8 p.m., the skies were staying up and the party mood was brewing on the muddy infield. The Toronto roots rock band has shared several gigs over the years with Great Big Sea. The crowd sang along with most every tune, as Jim Cuddy in his black cowboy shirt and Greg Keelor in a shiny silver cowboy hat lead the band through a mix of now-classic Blue Rodeo tunes.

 Midway through the set, the skies cleared, a sweet breeze drifted across the ground and spirits soared. From the infectious Till I am Myself Again through the rockin' Trust Yourself and Lost Together, the band delivered a solid hour set to tee up the hosts of the party.

 The picnic turned into a serious lovefest as Great Big Sea hopped on the big stage. A cascade of stage smoke came pouring over the backs of the boys as the scores of coloured lights electrified the atmosphere. With the first blast of Ordinary Day, the crowd turned to a great big sea of upstretched arms, swaying in the darkness. Over the next 90 minutes, the Newfoundland band spun out crowd faves from its three platinum-selling albums.

 With only a few tools onstage - four strong voices, acoustic guitar and bass, fiddle, accordion and percussion - GBS has energized traditional Newfoundland music into a radio-friendly sound that keeps tearing up the live audiences.

 The huge stage and massive sound system morphs the four-piece acoustic band into festival stars, fuelled by the driving rhythms of the band and ignited by singer Alan Doyle's charisma. It's a formula that can't be beat for the appreciative Atlantic Canadian audiences.

 The set exploded with the high-octane finale Mary-Mac, and the sea of fans roared their approval. A minute later, the band was back for a rousing 20-minute encore, that finished with a tune shared with Blue Rodeo, That Old Black Rum, to send the crowd home.

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