Looking back at Roundup Music Festival
By Ansharah Shakil, July 27 2024—
With sold-out tickets and huge crowds, Roundup Music Festival took place on July 10. The festival returned after a one-year hiatus at the venue of Prince’s Island Park for the first time instead of Fort Calgary, used in the past. The festivals held at Prince’s Island Park, an expansive outdoor music venue, are part of what make the city’s music scene so special. Headliners for Roundup Music Festival included the Goo Goo Dolls and the Gin Blossoms, while openers were Uncle Strut and Crash Test Dummies.
Vancouver-based indie-rock band Uncle Strut were the first to take the stage for their first time performing in Calgary. Though they had little stage presence to speak of, their enthusiasm was clear to see, from the one band member who lost his hat dancing on stage to their cover of “Twist and Shout” to their numerous shoutouts to family members, friends and spouses in the audience. They weren’t afraid to make their audience laugh, asking the price of cowboy hats and joking that the next song they’d play was called “Iris”, in a nod to the Goo Goo Dolls’ famous hit.
The second openers for the festival were Juno award-winning Crash Test Dummies, a Canadian folk-rock band from Winnipeg whose line-up has changed over the years but whose distinctive sound has remained constant. They’re well known for the prominent singles “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” and “Superman’s Song”. In their performance, they were crowd-pleasers who took up every aspect of the stage. With his low, gravelly vocals, singer and guitarist Brad Roberts kept their sound sure and steady.
Next on stage was American alternative rock band Gin Blossoms, who gained success after the widespread acclaim their 1992 single “Hey Jealousy” afforded them, and kept up their frequent touring and popularity until they broke up in 1997, preceding their reunion in 2001. Part of what makes Gin Blossoms’ sound so enduring is the introspective quality of their lyrics, which strike a chord in the ears of any listener, and their catchy melodies, combining pop and rock.
When they performed hits like “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You”, the crowd came to life. Near the end of the set, they finally played “Till I Hear It From You” — the lead single they released for the film Empire Records in July 1995 and one of their greatest songs, tied only with “Follow You Down”, featured in several films but most notably How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Both “Follow You Down” and “Till I Hear It From You” share snappy hooks and a captivating sincerity, making both songs classics. On stage, Gin Blossoms did “Till I Hear It From You” justice, getting the entire audience to cheer and sing along.
By the time American rock band The Goo Goo Dolls took the stage, the crowd had only grown in size and in levels of anticipation. You probably know them best from their signature, stunning love song “Iris.” Goo Goo Dolls have received critical acclaim and mainstream success over the course of their vast and varied music career, but a thread that’s remained is the passion in their music.
Founder, frontman and guitarist John Rzeznik kept up an undeniable, teasing and contagious animation throughout the entire set. When he asked the audience if they felt good, felt alive, the only answer was yes. Live, Goo Goo Dolls were fierce and visceral, consummate performers. A highlight of their set was their performance of 2016’s “Over and Over.” Another was the stirring rendition of 2002 hit “Sympathy”, a song I first heard on the soundtrack of A Cinderella Story that took on a new gravity in this performance. But one of the most unforgettable moments was their performance of “Name.” With its unusual, unique guitar tuning and tender, heartrending lyrics, “Name” is the kind of song to stop you in your tracks. Rzeznik’s rich vocals and the audience singing along ensured its runtime was a moment of intrinsic connection with everyone present, where for a while, nothing else mattered.
More about Roundup Music Festival can be found on their website.