Festivals
Phillips Backyard Music Festival – Day 2 Recap & Photos
If Friday introduced the Phillips Backyard Music Festival, Saturday showed its full range. The lineup moved comfortably between indie folk, alternative rock, experimental pop, and singer-songwriters, creating a day where every set brought something different. The result was a schedule that rewarded fans who stayed from the first performance until the headliner.
Carmine opened the Main Stage and quickly drew people away from the food vendors and beer garden. The audience continued to grow with every song, creating a much busier atmosphere than the previous afternoon’s opening set. Flower Face followed with a thoughtful performance that fit perfectly into the early evening slot. Her songs created one of the quieter moments of the day, yet the audience remained fully engaged.
The Music BC Stage continued to highlight local artists throughout the afternoon. Madisyn Gifford delivered a confident performance, followed by Tiger Really, whose indie rock sound brought a noticeable lift in energy. Both artists showed why the Music BC Stage has become one of the festival’s strongest features. It consistently gives emerging musicians the opportunity to play in front of audiences that may not have discovered them otherwise.
Jon and Roy were one of the biggest draws early evening. Playing close to home, the Victoria duo looked completely comfortable on stage. Their relaxed style matched the atmosphere around the festival grounds, where people gathered with friends, or danced near the front of the stage, enjoying the music. Their performance felt like the perfect soundtrack for a warm summer evening.
Jon Bryant followed on the Music BC Stage before Sudan Archives delivered one of the day’s most distinctive sets. Combining violin with electronic production, R&B, and experimental pop, she created a performance unlike anything else on the lineup. Rather than slowing the evening down, her unique approach pulled the audience in and held their attention from start to finish.
Father John Misty closed the night with a performance that was equal parts entertaining and musically impressive. His band sounded outstanding, and his dry sense of humour came through between songs without distracting from the music. He has a natural ability to command a stage, and that confidence carried through the entire set. The audience remained fully invested until the final song, ending Saturday with one of the weekend’s strongest performances.
By the end of the second day, every block of the schedule offered something worth seeing, making it easy to spend an entire day moving between stages without running out of great performances.
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery! You can find our recap and photos of Day 1 here.
FATHER JOHN MISTY
SUDAN ARCHIVES
LUCA FOGALE
JON BRYANT
JON AND ROY
TIGER REALLY
FLOWER FACE
MADISYN GIFFORD
CARMINE
FESTIVAL
All Photo Credit: Kelli Rothwell
Festivals
PNE Summer Night Concerts – Nelly
Nelly brought a career-spanning party to Vancouver’s Freedom Mobile Arch on August 26 as part of the PNE Summer Night Concerts, packing more than two decades of hits into a fast-moving set.
DJ Trife got things started with the Derrty Entertainment logo filling the big screens, then quickly brought out the headliner with little buildup. Nelly opened with “Where the Party At,” the Jagged Edge collaboration that launched straight into a run of familiar tracks. “E.I.,” “Air Force Ones,” “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” and “Batter Up” arrived early, with music video clips playing behind him and keeping the show firmly rooted in the era that made him a household name.
The Country Grammar material landed particularly well. Nelly performed the album’s title track with an added beat switch. The set also moved through his later musical evolution. A country-leaning stretch included “Hey Porsche,” “Cruise,” and “Lil Bit,” showing the range of an artist who has spent years crossing between hip-hop, pop, R&B, and country. He continued jumping through his catalogue with tracks such as “Pimp Juice,” “Grillz,” and “Move That Body.”
The biggest singalongs came near the end. “Hot In Herre” turned the Freedom Mobile Arch into a full-on party, followed by a phone-lit performance of “Dilemma.” Nelly closed with “Just a Dream,” ending the show abruptly after roughly an hour with no encore.
The short runtime may have left some fans wanting more, but the crowd still got what they came for: a greatest-hits-heavy celebration of an artist whose music has reached multiple generations.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
NELLY
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Festivals
PNE Summer Night Concerts – The Beaches
The Beaches have a knack for making a concert feel like hanging out with your funniest friends. Their August 25 stop at the Freedom Mobile Arch, part of the PNE Summer Night Concerts, was no exception.
Before The Beaches even took the stage, they paid tribute to Dolly Parton, who sadly passed away earlier that day. A photo of Parton was displayed on the venue’s big screen, while an extra microphone stand sat onstage with a white cowboy hat resting on top. Dolly’s music played through the venue before the show, making the tribute feel like a quiet but fitting send-off from one group of musicians to another.
This was my third time seeing the Toronto rockers in the past year, with the most recent being their set at All Things Go Toronto earlier this summer. Somehow, they still manage to make every show feel fresh. The songs are catchy, the musicianship is tight, and the banter is half the fun.
Frontwoman Jordan Miller has a natural way of connecting with a crowd. She jokes about relationships, asks for stories from the audience and turns the space into something that feels more like group therapy than a standard rock show. Before “Did I Say Too Much,” Leandra joked that she invited her ex to go to Whistler while they were in Vancouver, shaking her head in shame as the crowd laughed.
The night got a fun surprise when the cast of Off Campus joined the band on stage. A nod to their song “Edge of the Earth” that went viral on social media after appearing on the show.
Of course, “Blame Brett” remained one of the biggest moments of the night. Miller’s invitation to blame the exes was met with a massive response, turning the song into a full-room singalong.
The four members are just as comfortable showing off their musical chops. Kylie Miller and Leandra Earl traded guitar work throughout the set, with the solos during “Can I Call You in the Morning?” standing out.
Three shows in, I still easily understand the appeal. The Beaches know how to write songs people want to sing, but they know how to put on a show, too. At the PNE, they delivered another fun and entertaining night.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
THE BEACHES
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer