TORONTO—I believe in B-Live.
The Toronto leg of the Bacardi B-Live tour took place at the The Toronto School of Circus Arts on Nov. 3, and the location could not have been more apt as the combination of 2000 fans, three DJs and a night of unforgettable music made for an evening unlike any other.
Known as the largest spirit-sponsored music festival in the world, the Toronto stop of the 25-country free concert featured some of the top DJs in the world, including James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem, DFA), Diplo and local boy Nasty Nav.
The interesting thing about listening to DJs of this caliber is that it is almost impossible to predict or keep track of what is played or what will be played next. Each show is unique, and unlike an artist on tour that makes subtle to changes to their set list for every concert stop, Murphy, Diplo and Nasty Nav managed to keep the crowd entertained with their free-flowing jams and fast-paced dance mixes.
Combined with a spectacular lighting display, a custom Barcadi mojito bar and eclectic music throughout the night—and even some costumed attendees—the Barcadi event was unlike any other.
Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the show was the wide range of observations that could be made by anyone that was there. Young ravers danced shoulder-to-shoulder with older fans obviously trying to recapture the feeling of partying late into the night with music to which they shouldn’t be listening. Beers were traded in for custom-made Barcardi drinks as guys still tried to buy drinks for attractive female singles (with the most receiving nothing more than a polite “thank you” for their misguided attempts). And yes, there were hot girls dancing in almost every corner of the room.
The best part was the fact that it was still easy to manoeuvre through the wide space, despite the number of people inside. While I went in expecting that securing a date with Posh Spice would be an easier task then getting to the bar, this was not the case, and drinks were just as easy to get as the good times.
What I liked most about the B-Live experience was the same thing that I appreciated at the B-Live tent during the Virgin Music Festival earlier this year—its originality. While electronic and dance music can be listened to almost everywhere, I have a hard time remembering the last time an event that even remotely resembled B-Live took place in Toronto.
Highly recommended.
The next Barcardi B-Live event takes place in Quebec on Nov. 16. More information is available here.
