Rock the Shores, the biggest concert in the history of the West Shore, came to the West Shore Parks and Recreation fields on July 13 and attracted 12,000 fans to see some of the biggest acts in Canadian rock.
Local bands Jets Overhead and Current Swell, along with national treasures Sam Roberts Band and The Tragically Hip took to the stage on a long summer’s night that featured great spirit, an amazing display of lightning and, yes, some long lines.
Coming into the event there were worries over noise, traffic, parking and whatever disturbances 12,000 excited and potentially rowdy fans might bring to the Colwood event.
In the end though, aside from the weather, the disturbances were mild and both the West Shore RCMP and West Shore Parks and Recreation celebrated the event as an overwhelming success. No major incidents were reported and organizers managed to extend the curfew of the show with no problems after tumultuous weather caused delays.
“They paid a lot of good money and it was a good crowd and we got all the approval from everybody,” RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Max Fossum said at the time.
Extra B.C. Transit busses were brought in, dozens of tents erected and numerous food vendors brought in to service the event.
The Gazette received a number of letters complaining about lineups, including those to get into the event, but particularly for the food and for the beer garden. Aside from those complaints, however, the response was generally positive with organizers and attendees alike singing the praises of the event.
All of this sets the stage for what should be an even more impressive event: Rock the Shores 2013. More on that to come.
