That night in Toronto, with its checkerboard floors.

Happy belated Canada Day! I had one of my best Canada Days in memory. It was a start of what I think of as my looooooooong weekend because I won't be working 'til after Labour Day. And holy fuck, I feel free and relaxed. Insert contented sigh.

I went to a big Canada Day show at Downsview Park here in Toronto with my "co-parent". We used to co-teach a course for students-at-risk a couple years ago and formed a lasting friendship. We called our class the dysfunctional family, and that's why we refer to each other as co-parents. I was pleased to find out that my co-parent like shows as much as I do; in fact, this came in handy when I had an extra Broken Social Scene ticket back in December and I introduced her to that band.

We met up for a leisurely lunch before the show. Going to a big outdoor concert reminds me so much of the festivals of my teenage years in the 1990s. My first large outdoor show was at Molson Park in Barrie to see Alanis Morrissette on her 1996 "Jagged Little Pill" tour. The Go9 once was involved in a 3-car convoy to see the Tragically Hip's 1997 "Another Roadside Attraction" festival. After that I attended Our Lady Peace's Summersaults of 1998 and 2000, and so did my co-parent! (Obvs we didn't know each other then.) I haven't been to a big outdoor show since then, so it was really fitting that my return to big shows featured some bands from my teenage years.

When we got to the show, Buck 65 was onstage, and we enjoyed his eccentric show. Then one of my currents favourites, Hey Rosetta!, took the stage and played a great set in the sun. It made me really want to see them in a smaller venue, like Lee's Palace, yet again.

Next up was my beloved Broken Social Scene. They played a really great set, albeit shorter that I would have liked. Highlights were "7/4 Shoreline", "Fire Ey'd Boy" and a great closing instrumental "Meet Me in the Basement". A lowlight was that a couple of ghosts from summers past showed up during the BSS set, and set up camp about 20 feet in front of me. Seriously Toronto! Sometimes you feel smaller than St. Ratford! Luckily, an even bigger ghost, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man shall we say, was not with them. It's all about the glass being half-full.

After BSS was Weezer and their always delightful giant W lights. I've always loved Weezer, even though I haven't kept up on their past couple albums. They opened with the very fun "Troublemaker" from the Red Album, and kept to the classics. My favourite was the "Buddy Holly" closer where Rivers ran over to the sound stage in the middle, and greeted the fans, like us, who were sitting near the back of the park. Weezer are such a fun live band, and I appreciate that they always fill their set lists with a lot of fan favourites.

Last on stage was the quintessential Canadian band: The Tragically Hip. Seeing them live brought me back to being 17 in 1997, which incidentally was the last time that I saw them. They played so many classics like "Grace, Too", "Courage", and a great melange of "New Orleans is Sinking" with "Nautical Disaster". Anyone who was a Canadian teenager in the 1990s would have freaked to watch that live. Songs from post 1997, like "It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken" (one of my favourite song titles ever), and "Bobcaygeon" were awesome. The crowd went absolutely nuts when Toronto was name-checked in the latter.

After the Hip's last song, "Music at Work", we were treated to some very nice fireworks. What a perfect way to celebrate Canada, and awesome music, and SUMMER!