Field Trip 2014
Fort York in Toronto, ON
June 7-8, 2014
Review by: Chad Hutchings
Photos by: Matt Klopot
I got high at Field Trip 2014.
Luckily, Arts and Crafts' sophomore summer party was a friendly festival for lazy bad behaviour. For a full 48 hours (give or take). deep-deep-downtown Toronto played host to some incredible acts on a bill that was curated as the perfect summer soundtrack for a guy just like me. And, for those two days, I realized that there are a hell of a lot of guys like me in the city, because the grass at Fort York ended up pulpy and bruised and broken from thousands of feet by the time Broken Social Scene wrapped up their characteristically triumphant set on Sunday and sent everyone home.
Whether it was intentional or not, though, Field Trip wasn't oversold, and those thousands in attendance fit side by side with plenty room to breathe. That was just fine for everyone who made their way there, forming loose crowds sprawling across the Fort York fields for the two dozen sets on the two main stages; that was just fine for me, who spent most of the two days staggering between laying in the grass and wandering from one amazing food vendor to the next like a grazing, gooey-eyed cow. And between those big stages boasting big talents, select family-friendly zones offered up fun of their own in the way of non-hula-hoopers who couldn't hula-hooping very well at all, and kids bravely brushing off faceplants in a bouncy castle that was very (and I mean very) restricted for the under 4' variety of festival goers.
And all the while, those bands - those bands! There was a dreamy quality to every set, but each a different dream in their own right (Fucked Up and Do Make Say Think would hardly stand up together in the same eight hours of R.E.M.). From my spot, flat on the grass with a fistful of wood fired pizza, all of those acts put on the best damned show that you could hope for - a line-up hand-picked based solely on how unbelievably each band could burn through an hour on stage. And the crowd - that crowd! A weekend in the sun finally made summer seem real, and everyone was feeling it and looking it, breezy fashionistas loving the sun and being friendly to everyone, because everyone felt so goddamned grateful to live in a music city like Toronto and have stunning musicians and great new friends in their backyards. Then again, I could have misread it all. I got really high at Field Trip 2014.
Check out Matt's photos for an objective interpretation of what went down.
Lord Huron - Day 1
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Kevin Drew - Day 1
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The Kills - Day 1
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A Tribe Called Red - Day 1
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Interpol - Day 1
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Hydra - Day 2
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Constantines - Day 2
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Washed Out - Day 2
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CHVRCHES - Day 2
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Fucked Up - Day 2
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Broken Social Scene - Day 2
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