Kicking off its sixth year, Rock the Shores hit the ground running on Friday afternoon with a blistering first day of acts. From the slinky, silky, sexy set by Vancouver’s own Youngblood, to The Elwins briefly turning the festival into Victoria’s biggest house party, to a impressively intimate performance by Dear Rouge, there’s no question that the first day of Rock the Shores 2018 featured an eclectic and electric line up of artists.
Juliette & The Licks came out with guns blazing early in the evening, just as the sweltering sun began to dip behind the trees. While the temperature on the field began to recede, the main stage was set on fire by Juliette Lewis — always the consummate performer — and her chaotic, high energy presence.
Nearing the end of the night, X Ambassadors stole the show with their brand of honest, soulful, hard driving rock. They treated the crowd to new, as-yet unreleased music, and shared throughout their set an all inclusive message of tolerance that stole people’s hearts and minds. Watching them sign autographs and take selfies with fans backstage afterwards, you got the sense that their message of integrity and inclusiveness was not just something to sell records; they’re the real deal.
Closing out the night were Whistler’s own mountain music men, Skiitour, filling the lower fields with funky, frenetic electronic beats that kept the die hard dancing until long after the sun finally set.
Day one of Rock the Shores is officially in the books and an unquestionably crowd-pleasing success. Day two has a lot to live up to.
