Last Sunday evening will definitely go down as one of the best times remembered when I think back on the summer of 2015. The combination of being out in perfect weather with excellent people, drinking good beer and seeing a great free outdoor concert, really hit the sweet-spot.
The place was Nathan Phillips Square and the artist was Janelle Monáe. This was part of Panamania, the 35 day art and culture festival that went on in Toronto in unison with our hosting of the 2015 Pan Am and Para Pan Am games.
Seeing live music is at the very top of my list of fun things to do, so when I first scanned the list of the daily concerts that would be taking place during the festival I got very excited. We went to two of the shows (this one and Stars, written about here), and loved them both. I do have regrets about all the good acts we didn’t see, but hey, you can only do so much, right?
Not having seen our pal Andrea for over a month (what?!), we all agreed that a catch-up with some drinks was in order before the concert. We decided to give the beer-garden at the venue a try, picking it more for convenience and not really expecting great beer, and were pleasantly surprised by what they had on offer. I forgot to take a picture of the list, but remember my choice was Lot 9 Pilsner by local brewery Creemore Springs.
One small criticism I have about Panamania was the colours they used for all the promotional banners and signs — who thought that hot pink, bright yellow and acid green together was a good choice? So, I’ll save your eyes with these black and white pictures …
As we sat at a picnic table in the fenced-in “adults only” area, we watched as a happy crowd began filling the square. Not feeling a need to be at the front, we lingered until minutes before showtime.
↑ Churros! ↑
And wow, what a show we had the privilege of seeing. Janelle Monáe was outstanding! Her high energy performance and sound were reminiscent of James Brown and the Jacksons. The audience responded with great enthusiasm. It was so much fun.
Check out this video for her song Tightrope, for a sample of what we heard.
Fireworks after the show …
Nick and I had walked to and from and then danced throughout the concert, so suffice it to say, our dogs were barking when we got home. It was sore feet combined with soaring good moods.
Wishing you a great weekend!
xo loulou
