As an audience member, you would not have known that things behind the scenes leading up to Crew Fest were enough to make you pull your hair out.

First, there was a problem with the stage. Fans may have noticed the stage was a bit smaller than expected, and they were right. Five days before the event, Crew Fest organizers were informed that the massive stage they had originally ordered, which takes about 18 hours to build, was not going to make it to the park in time. Without the ability to build through the night due to noise ordinances, there was no way it would have been ready in time for Friday’s performances.

“About five days out from the festival, our production company, PA Shop out of London, was able to pivot very quickly and bring us what they call an SL250, which is by all accounts a smaller stage, a stage we started out with in year one of the festival,” explained Jamie Stephens, one of the organizers. “We’ve since moved up to an SL320, which just gives a little more room on the stage and a little more height, a much bigger presence. But what PA Shop was able to do with a five-day pivot was to secure us an SL250 and then build the stage out with additional wings.”

Then there was the LCBO strike. While the supply of beer wasn’t affected, other ready-to-drink products proved harder to get. “We submitted our order for alcohol before the strike, and when the strike first happened, we kind of figured it wasn’t going to last very long,” said Stephens. While the order to the distribution centre was confirmed and was fine, the union started blocking the distribution trucks from getting in, so they made the decision to cancel all the orders. “We lost our entire order of liquor, ready-to-drink alcohol, so we had about a week and a half to figure that out.” After making calls to Dillon’s, a Jack Daniels rep, Paradigm, and Collective Arts in Hamilton, they were able to secure a few hundred cases of ready-to-drink beverages along with products from Vodka Friday one of the event sponsors for the non-beer drinkers in attendance.

Prior to Crew Fest, there was some crazy weather, including rain that Stephens jokingly called “biblical,” which caused massive flooding throughout the city. Thankfully, the Lion’s Park field was pretty dry, and they were able to move ahead as planned. In past events, the weather hasn’t always cooperated, but “As you know, we had the best weather we’ve ever had in the eight or nine years of our existence, on Friday and Saturday. It was absolutely perfect… it was awesome, full moon both nights, just absolutely surreal,” said Stephens.

If all that wasn’t enough, they woke up Friday to a global IT outage. “We weren’t affected by the global outage,” said Stephens. They initially only had one ATM but were able to get a second machine, and most people were using their debit cards to tap. Flights were cancelled on Friday, but thankfully all the bands had already flown in.

Despite all the stress leading up to the event, it was a resounding success. There were 8,000 people in attendance, no major medical issues, and only one person was removed from the park for stealing a shirt and a case of beer.

“We were delighted with the way things went over the weekend,” said Phil Gillies, part of the Crew Fest team. “Crew Fest 2024 was our biggest festival yet, and it went very smoothly logistically. And the bands all kicked butt!

“The real heroes are the dozens of volunteers who pitch in every year. There could not be a Crew Fest without them.”

The event was a musical smorgasbord that catered to diverse tastes, leaving attendees with memorable moments and new favourite bands. The Headstones received high praise from attendees. The Trews emerged as a favourite among many. The Goo Goo Dolls also garnered significant praise, and their set left a lasting impression on many attendees. Big Wreck received accolades, with many agreeing that they are “always fire.” Sumo Cyco’s performance didn’t go unnoticed either. The band managed to captivate a segment of the audience with their unique style. Buckcherry’s set received mixed reviews. Jamie Stephens, responsible for booking the festival lineup, admitted his bias but LOVED Buckcherry’s performance. Other performers included Sloan, Otherwives, Side Stage, and Junkhouse.

“Music festivals are like running an NFL team,” said Stephens. “You field a competitive team, win over the fans, and hope you win the Super Bowl. This year felt like we won the Super Bowl. Our focus now is to come out next year and defend that title. We’re excited to see what next year brings.”

Goo Goo Dolls and The Trews Photo by Kerry J Newstead
Buckcherry Photo by Trevor Cherewka