With almost no rain, Day 2 of Osheaga offered fans a steady mix of rock, rap, indie, Canadian greats and even a bit of worldly pop.

Jain

Jain by Pat Beaudry @ Coors Mountain Stage,

Holding court on the massive Mountain Stage all on her own, the French singer brought her dance beats with a vigor. Stirring up the crowd with cheers and dances, the young singer was a ball of energy that kept the crowd going through the heat. Heavy bass beats moved the crowd through “Come” as she recorded and played back the crowd chanting. Closing on “Makeba” she had the crowd bobbing and crying the song’s signature oowees with endless excitement.

Danny Brown

Danny Brown by Tim Snow / Evenko, @ Sonnet Green Stage

Storming around the stage like a madman, Danny Brown had the crowd in his hand, grinning as often as possible. Playing old tracks like “25 Bucks”, the crowd went wild, screaming every line with him. Blasting through new tracks like “Really Doe” and “Pneumonia” he had the crowd bobbing a little more calmly. Bringing it home on “Ain’t It Funny” he delivered one last hard crowd chanter that had the crowd moshing with the same energy.

Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene by Pat Beaudry @ Coors Mountain Stage

Finally touring again, you could see the joy between each member of the massive Canadian collective as they took the stage, with electric energy flowing between Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Playing “Shoreline,” Ariel Engle immediately proved she was apt for not only adding to the band’s sound but filling in Leslie Feist’s vocals with near sonic-perfection, nailing both her tone and diction. Switching over to “Halfway Home” Emily Haines and Jimmy Shaw joined the band(now known better for Metric than their BSS days) with Jimmy taking trumpet duties and Emily adding to the already soaring vocals. Tackling “Hug of Thunder” and “KC Accidental” the band was as tight as ever, with their bizarre extra instruments making the tracks a feast for the ears. While the set was notably free of some of their few bangers like “Almost Crimes,” the powerful swells of “Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl” gave the crowd one last mantra to send back to the band, with Haines all smiles on stage.

Broken Social Scene by Pat Beaudry @ Coors Mountain Stage

Father John Misty

Father John Misty by Tim Snow / Evenko @ Vans Valley Stage

Josh Tillman proved he’s far from a simple man as he came on stage to perform at the Valley Stage. Starting “Pure Comedy” with a brutal sadness, he led the band in triumphantly as his modern take on Elton John-esque pop found the crowd captivated. Taking his guitar, “Total Entertainment Forever” was found him jamming with his band as the dark lyrics seemed to either hit the audience hard or make them dance. Throughout the set Tillman danced along to his horn section, going into a full freakout later on in the set along to some lights. Taking his performance even further, he dropped to his knees climatically throughout the set, even flailing on his back at one point. Showing a cut on his hand to the audience he remarked, “My kind of music doesn’t really owe itself to wiping the blood on my face, that’s some GG Allin shit.”

Father John Misty by Tim Snow / Evenko @ Vans Valley Stage

Muse

Muse by Pat Beaudry @ Virgin River Stage

Opening on “Dig Down” Matt Bellamy lead the crowd from behind his neon glasses as the giant LCD columns behind him came to life. Blasting through “Psycho,” the band proved their newer material was perfect for the live setting, as the crowd bounced intensely. Knocking out classics, “Hysteria” carried heavy bass and a massive outro, “Plug In Baby” had riffs flying off like crazy and “Stockholm Syndrome” was the synth and guitar anthem for devout fans and new ones alike. Following a scream-heavy take on “Madness” they shifted to tracks like “Starlight” and “Supermassive Black Hole” throwing massive balloons throughout the audience to an already ecstatic crowd. After a cleverly timed performance of “Time Is Running Out” they ended the set on “Mercy” blasting not only confetti through the finale but a massive barrage of streamers that flew over and intertwined the crowd. Returning for “Uprising” the band and crowd had fists pumping, but it was their time-tested closer of “Knights of Cydonia” that brought the house down as always for an encore selection that never gets old.

Matt Bellamy by Pat Beaudry @ Virgin River Stage

Words by Owen Maxwell