So I said I wasn't able to go. And this was true. Something had come up and planning to go to this was just not possible. However, unexpectedly, my engagement on Saturday ended early, so I decided to head over to Y&E with the hope of catching Big Sugar on stage. As luck would have it, I found a killer parking space on Eglinton and could hear the musical bliss of Big Sugar wafting through the air.

As I walked up Eglinton and headed towards the heart of the Street festival I noticed how everyone seemed so calm and friendly. It's very different from the normal hustle and bustle of the city. Everyone was strolling leisurely, and chatting about stuff. It was good to see that the people of T.O. can be warm and fuzzy when they want to be.

Big Sugar. I never really knew much about this band. Was never really aware of their music, their style, or even their fan base. But as I stood in the crowd and watched them perform, I realized, all this r&b/hip hop stuff that's so prevelant now has made people forget the wonders and joys of a good electric guitar. I miss alternative/rock music. Thank goodness for The Edge.

Anyways, I must comment on the fact that this huge crowd was very quiet. There wasn't really a lot of cheering or anything and I was kinda embarrassed by that fact. There, on stage, was this great band, who were playing at this event to help promote our crapped out tourist industry, and there we were, not making a single sound. I cheered, and I would have cheered more, but I was alone, so the people around me were already giving me strange looks.

Music-wise, I was very impressed. The electric guitar got me the most. I *so* miss the sound of that. What I liked was they also mixed in some reggae and soul with their rocker-style music. It was a very unique blend, but well done so it didn't come off like a mishmash of crap.

I know this isn't really much of a review, but I was only there for about 45 minutes and this did happen quite a while ago (I procrastinated when it came to writing this) so it's not very fresh in my mind. I do know that the band performed exceptionally well, I was very impressed with the reggae songs, and the dude with the harmonica was really cool. I would definitely rank Big Sugar high on my list of live performances worth watching.

Nothing like a good ole home grown Canadian band to make you proud.

Their website is www.bigsugar.ca.