As country superstar Morgan Wallen took the stage in front of a sold-out, jam-packed party crowd of more than 20,000, a second group of curious country fans gathered outside the gates at 6 Street SE and 8 Avenue to watch a bit the show.
There were quite a few East Villagers walking dogs, scooter riders, and even a few couples who looked like they were on a date and sat on the conveniently placed park benches on 8th Avenue, where they managed to get pretty much the same experience as the crowd inside the gates – minus 21,000 people block from cheek and beer.
Crowds outside the Country Thunder festival, Saturday 20 August 2022 That’s because the Country Thunder experience is as much a multimedia spectacle as it is a bit full of Budweiser, late-summer frames. The huge stage raised from the ground at the south end of Fort Calgary features numerous projection screens with cinematic presentations of anyone performing on stage. The video version of the show is so well produced that the truth of the 2022 concert experience is that it’s quite possible to watch Morgan Wallen sing on the biggest big screen TVs ever – and not even feel like you’re missing out on the actual experience of you’re watching the real Wallen, standing on stage singing his songs. Screens showing Morgan Wallen, Country Thunder Calgary August 20, 2022 Projected images aren’t new to live concerts, but Fort Calgary is new as a host venue for Country Thunder, which led to the late-night watch party outside the gates of the country festival. Those screens and the rocking sound and proximity of the gates to the actual stage made hanging out outside Country Thunder almost as much fun as inside — the festival even installed half a dozen porta potties for non-ticketed fans to access.
21,000 PEOPLE MOSH PIT
Inside the venue, there was a combination of heat, booze, gigs and youthful energy that resulted in what at times felt like a 21,000-strong pit – which some loved, while others (particularly the taller, shorter concert-goers) were a bit underwhelmed. on the fence approx.
Even though this is a country music festival, there was nothing subtle about texting if you were chatting with your neighbor.
“This is a sh-t show,” said one woman, who admittedly was herding four small children, as a steady stream of concertgoers filed past us, during the break between Hardy’s set and headliner Wallen’s.
Country Thunder, Saturday 20 August 2022 The combination of increased capacity and much less space than the previous venue at Prairie Winds Park, along with the late summer heat that was missing in 2019, made the experience difficult at times, even though the music was served up by Hardy and Wallen Saturday evening was top country. Hardy brought his brand of country rock to a warm Saturday night in August, and it seemed to go down well with the well-oiled crowd, who knew all the words to his songs almost as well as they knew Wallen’s. as in tunes like Ain’t a Bad Day (for the world to end). “Let’s put our finishing touches on it, bro!” Hardy shouted, then donned a Flames jersey with his name and number 69 on the back for the final tunes. Hardy on Country Thunder, August 20, 2022 He got the crowd singing along with his line “My town’s smaller than your town” and introduced a melody that sounded like it explained where many country songs come from. “I wrote this song about being proud of where you come from,” he said. “Are you proud of where you come from?” He then launched into a tune called “Unapologetically Country as Hell,” where the first verse is “My trucks where my money go,” and it’s safe to say he had 21,000 Country Thunder fans on his side.
COUNTRY COSPLAY
It was also a bit of a bummer to get to downtown Calgary to discover a country music mecca, but the crowd was as charged up for the festival as the geeks are every time Comic Expo comes to town and bust out their Groot suits.
The only difference is for this festival, there were thousands of hats, including a woman in a baseball cap that said, “Wish you were beer.”
There were many daisy dukes and more pairs of Wrangler jeans than even Wrangler jeans could hope for.
It was country cosplay at Country Thunder — or, as a young woman dressed in daisies and boots and a hat said on the way to the site Saturday, “This is the most Alberta thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Fans at Country Thunder, August 20, 2022 The festival ends on Sunday. You can’t buy tickets, but if you happen to be walking your dog in the East Village, the party doesn’t stop at the fence. Country Thunder Fans, Friday August 19, 2022
