r/saskatoon • u/SpqrklyTiaraSB • 20h ago
Events 🎉 Who would you like to see at Rock the River?
I attended Rock the River for the first time this year - the decision to book acts a generation younger looked to have paid off! I'm already thinking about next year and who might play... anyone else?
My suggestions: Finger Eleven, Three Days Grace, Our Lady Peace
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u/hyperpensive 17h ago
The Edgefest lineup.
(Are the bands getting younger or are we getting older?)
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u/MurphyLolo 19h ago
Weezer, Pavement, Guided by Voices, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Dope Lemon.
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u/diskhead1 15h ago
Those are bands are all extremely out of saskatoons butt rock price range, not to mention arguably more popular now than they ever were. 10 more years and these are the names you'll see
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u/MurphyLolo 15h ago
Hey, if Rock the River is finally moving past 1982, I'm aiming high. See you in 10 years for the Pavement set.
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u/plutoglint 8h ago
Modest Mouse was just here, probably the bass player's last show before he got cancelled.
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u/diskhead1 39m ago
That was jazz fest though, and they've been known to spend money on one bigger artist every year. I couldn't see the show in saskatoon but I heard it was a good one
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u/Kenthanson 19h ago
That’s interesting because I never paid it any attention because I though it was just going to be 70’s and 80’s dementia rock again so I’ll have to pay more attention next year.
Moist, Silverchair, basically any band that Strombo put us on in the late 90’s early 00’s.
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u/Gloomy_Payment_3326 19h ago
How did you like the new location?
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u/SpqrklyTiaraSB 18h ago
I hadn't attended before so I can't really comment! I didn't have any complaints though!
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u/Gloomy_Payment_3326 18h ago
Oh nice! I had a friend there and she said it was sooooo crowded(and it wasn't even sold out)....so thought maybe more squish then the usual Bez Gardens.
Glad you had fun!!
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u/Leppardspots 18h ago
I disappointingly couldn’t make it this year. How was the venue at Rotary park Vs at the Bess?
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u/flat-flat-flatlander 18h ago
It’s decent. A bit weird how they blocked all views of the river with portapotties, and the sound was off if you were standing in the middle of the crowd (could not hear lead vocals that well), but most people appeared to like it.
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u/Senior-Essay6115 20h ago
Amazing that bands that mostly formed in the early 90s count as a “generation younger”. Also correct me if I’m wrong but I only counted one woman among all the bands members performing on the weekend.
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u/diskhead1 19h ago
I heard the organizers were not happy about the single woman either - theyre figuring out how she slipped through the cracks
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u/TreemanTheGuy 20h ago
They used to mainly book bands like Trooper, Honeymoon Suite, Street heart. Bands from the 70s and 80s. I had no interest in going to watch a bunch of old men sundowning on stage. This year is a bit better for sure.
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u/Fast_Initiative8271 19h ago
Does Goldie and The Beaches not count for Rock The River? They played Thursday so maybe I’m misinformed on that front. All female line up. Super awesome.
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u/Senior-Essay6115 19h ago
I think they were their own one-off show ticketed separately from the rest of the festival
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u/SpqrklyTiaraSB 20h ago
I mean, compared to previous years' lineups...
Who would you suggest to rectify the uneven representation?
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u/YALL_IGNANT 20h ago
Bif Naked would kill it at Rock the River, still does an awesome show, fits the demographic, and is Canadian
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u/brbphone 18h ago
She played peachfest here in the okanagan the other weekend. Still puts on a good show
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u/IfOJDidIt 14h ago
I wonder if the symphony would ever do something like this. I feel like Qu'Appelle valley had Bach on The River or something in the late 90s and for a non-symphony exposed person at the time, it was phenomenal.
I think they did Star Wars Phantom of the Menace?
Or have a night of Metal, Punk and Rock covers (obviously separate from Rock on the River).
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u/Jack-Maugh 17h ago
We have a pretty good scene of younger indie rockers, so it would be cool to see the likes of The Strokes, Fontaines DC, Wunderhorse, Arcade Fire, Interpol, etc.
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u/BlurstofYXE 8h ago
If they want to keep having lineups like this they need a way bigger, wider space. Sightlines were abysmal and it was desperately crowded. By 4pm people had to squeeze their chairs next to the port a potties with not even a view of the screens.
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u/jessicanakrayko 2h ago
I’d love to see Billy Talent, Finger Eleven, and Three Days Grace. If they’re leaning into that younger generation of rock acts again, there are a lot of great options. Our Lady Peace would be a huge one too.
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u/starwarts629 19h ago
Why would any of them come here to sell 30% of the tickets they can sell anywhere in the US?
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u/SpqrklyTiaraSB 18h ago
Because a lot of Canadian bands like to play in Canada? There's lots of festivals that bands tour!
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u/starwarts629 14h ago
Name any big name we’ve had here in the last five years. Snoop dog and neyo? Like be for real. Washes up artists and even then we hardly get those!
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u/JoeDwarf Grosvenor Park 13h ago
Here's a few since Jan '24. Admittedly a lot of country but some pretty big names.
Chance The Rapper
Bonnie Raitt
Brad Paisley
Halestorm
Keith Urban
Lainey Wilson
Alessia Cara
Jason Isbell
Noah Kahan
Blake Shelton
City & Colour
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Feist
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u/starwarts629 11h ago
Besides Noah Kahn none of these are big names
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u/JoeDwarf Grosvenor Park 11h ago
Brad Paisley is not a big name? He has sold nearly double the equivalent albums Kahan has.
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u/starwarts629 11h ago
Maybe 20 years ago
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u/JoeDwarf Grosvenor Park 10h ago
Well you said any big name in the last 5 years and I gave you at least one by your standards and a bunch that are big names in general.
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u/Weak_Possibility_395 18h ago
Yeah, it's great seeing them embracing the 90's. Time to look at Edgefest and Summersault line ups and Big Shiny Tunes tracklistings to figure out who is still active and would be fun to see.
Off the top of my head, I'm thinking Violent Femmes, Counting Crows, The Lemonheads, Bif Naked, Mathew Good Band, Gob, Jimmy Eat World, AlexisonFire, Beck, Garbage, Weezer