The rain held off Friday night as the CityFolk Festival entered its second day. Friday’s main stage was occupied by Summersault 2019, a touring festival headlined by Our Lady Peace.
The main stage throughout the night was packed as Dear Rouge kicked off the acts. They were followed up by London, U.K. rock band Bush, who energized the crowd with hits such as “Glycerine” and “Machinehead.” Lead singer Gavin Rossdale was lively and belted out tune after tune as the crowd sang along.
+LIVE+ came onto the main stage next. The crowd was electric as the band took the stage and played their hits. Next, Toronto-based band Our Lady Peace rocked the crowd.
Despite the amazing rock bands on the main stage, CityFolk truly shined on the Ravenlaw stage in the Aberdeen Pavilion. The Pairs, a fun, lively folk band, kicked off the evening there and kept the crowd dancing and jumping.
They were followed by Donovan Woods and The Opposition, who put on an amazing, intimate acoustic set. The band’s pianist had gone home last minute due to his child’s birth, and they decided to do an acoustic reimagining of their album that would work without the keyboard. Their set felt welcoming as Woods cracked jokes between his soft guitar playing.
At one point, he and his band brought out a giant colourful parachute reminiscent of one you’d find during an elementary school recess. Aucoin then ran into the middle and sang with the crowd under the parachute as lights bounced through the colourful sheet. The show ended with the band singing an energetic, if frantic, cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Aucoin’s set closed out the festivities for day two of CityFolk and left it on a high note. The crowd seemed to leave exhausted, but the immersive and unique experience of their set thrilled.
