Music

Jason Collett embraces his inner hippie at the Hillside Festival

by Anne T. Donahue

Despite the fact that Saturday at Hillside ranged from unspeakably warm to ridiculously rainy, spirits were high and music kept pumping, and as shoes were abandoned and umbrellas were forgotten (it was a lost cause after the two hour mark), a crowd gathered at the Main Stage for the Colossal Jam that only a folk festival could muster.

Though it was pushed from 4 to 5 due to issues with equipment arrivals, the hour break allowed only for a larger audience to assemble, and by the time Sarah Harmer, Jason Collett, members of Zeus, Los Lobos and Calexico hammered out a set out made for festival fairytales, the anticipation for Collett’s solo show at 7 was at an all-time high.

Joined by friends, fellow label-mates and former backing band, Zeus, the Canadian folk icon took to the stage with his trademark mix of energy and nonchalance, and charmed the already entranced audience with handclaps, guitar solos and lyrics bursting with romanticism and Canadiana.

Playing tracks off his latest release, Rat a Tat Tat as well as from the beloved Idols of Exile and Here’s To Being Here, Collett’s enjoyment of Hillside and of being musically reunited with his friends was obvious, and as the clouds began to part and the sun finally emerged, “I’ll Bring the Sun” couldn’t have seemed more appropriate.

The talent of Zeus was also obvious as the four musicians rotated between instruments, led the crowd in handclaps and worked together seamlessly, making it apparent as to why as their own band has been able to so quickly succeed and why such a prominent fanbase has already been cemented.  Of course, Collett’s talents were also on display, as he moved about the stage enthusiastically and strummed his guitar with heart, making it impossible for those of us watching not to sway, dance and bask in the positivity that so defines Hillside.

But aside from the musical high points of the set (particularly “Love is a Dirty Word”), the true highlight included Collett’s Hillside sentiments that most of us festival-goers had begun to live by: “I like being a hippie for a weekend.  I’m a weekend hippie.”