Sunfest lived up to its name as temperatures soared during the first two days of activity, before the first clouds of the weekend gave revelers at the country music festival some much-needed respite Saturday afternoon.
A brief break from the rays proved to be key, as the estimated 17,000 people — some of whom had been exposed to intense sun and long parties Thursday and Friday — was rested and ready to celebrate Carrie Underwood’s first-ever Vancouver Island appearance.
The country superstar from Muskogee, Oklahoma, made her debut in grand fashion. Dressed casually in ripped jeans, boots, and a cropped jacket, she opened with Renegade Runaway, then played to her rock roots with a version of Something Bad (though sans her duet partner, Miranda Lambert). That was followed by Undo It, another ripper.
Three songs in and hardly a country note — but that simply added some spice. Underwood, 33, was in a much more sentimental mood later on, befitting her headline status as a country superstar.
Her production could be heard (on account of the sweet sound mix) and seen (thanks to two massive LED screens) all the way up the mountain in the rear of the concert venue, a bonus for campers in the upper regions of the massive, treed property.
Underwood was a big fish, but she wasn’t the only news at Sunfest. Organizers made waves Friday night by announcing one of its two headliners for the 2017 edition, Grammy Award-winning Nashville act Little Big Town. Shortly before Underwood took the stage Saturday, they announced another Nashville act, Toby Keith, would also headline.
Keith has had 20 No. 1 hits on the U.S. country charts, while Little Big Town has netted nine Grammy award nominations.
Sunfest broke the record for largest paid attendance in Vancouver Island history with 14,000 fans on Thursday, according to organizers. The previous record was set by the Tragically Hip, who drew 12,500 people to Colwood for Rock the Shores in 2012. Sunfest went on to break its own record the following day with a reported 15,000 fans on site Friday, followed by another record-breaker on Saturday.
It’s easy to see why. The festival offered a little something for everyone to start the weekend, with full slates of activity — all hinged around country music, naturally — on Thursday and Friday.
The festival, in its 15th year, continued to buzz Saturday afternoon. Calgary’s Trinity Bradshaw kicked off the main stage shows Saturday at 5 p.m., with a strong set that mixed covers and originals.
Two other stages were also in action, with programming underway at noon. The music was scheduled to go until 1 a.m.
Texas pop-country favourite Chase Bryant made the first waves of Saturday with his 7:50 p.m. set, which showed him to be a superb showman. He tackled Walk the Moon’s Shut Up and Dance, which brought the crowd to the front of the main stage, but it was his own hits, Take it on Back and Little Bit of You, that kept them there. It was a standout set from a rising star in the country ranks.
The festival — in its first year at the new, 172-acre Laketown Ranch site near Lake Cowichan — got underway Thursday, but a throng of diehards took advantage of the Wednesday check-in. The site has nearly 2,000 campsites, all of which were full by midday Saturday.
Matt and Tanya Swann, who offered drinks and games to passersby, were well known to attendees by Saturday.
The couple from Port Alberni had fashioned a saloon-type bar with swinging doors, a full shower and a stocked bar — along with country music and a 1920s fire truck siren. When plugged in, the siren could be heard hundreds of metres away.
“We’re here for five nights,” said Tanya Swann, estimated set-up time at six hours. “I would never do this if I was going to camp in the bush or something.”
Feedback from organizers was positive, with no reports or concerns. According to Emmalee Brunt, the festival’s marketing manager, the audience had been well-behaved and respectful of the grounds. There had been no direct reports of noise complaints, she said.
A representative for the on-site first aid said the majority of patients cycled through the busy tent were suffering from alcohol-related issues and injuries, or over-exposure to sun.
The festival continues today with a headlining set from Arizona country star Dierks Bentley.
