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It was about 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday night when Daniel Caesar posted on his Instagram account that he would be holding a surprise pop-up concert at John Hendry Park (aka Trout Lake) at 5 p.m.
It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Caesar did this, as he pulled similar stunts with very little notice recently in Toronto and Montreal. What was surprising was the location for this one.
I live a block away from Trout Lake. I’ve traced most of its grass and gravel, whether schlepping kids to play sports at its fields, running around it, visiting the farmers market, shooting hoops, or skating on it the rare time it actually freezes over. I had no idea where in the park the Canadian R&B star was going to hold such an event, as nowhere seemed to be adequately set up for it.
It turned out the answer was “In that grassy space just north of the lake where kids play soccer.” As I made my way down to the park, like I’d done hundreds of times before, it became apparent right away that this was going to be very different.
Nathan Caddell
If you’ve ever doubted whether Vancouverites can mobilize quickly, or even want to leave their houses (especially when rain is in the forecast), you were proven wrong today. The streets immediately around Trout Lake quickly filled up, bumper to bumper, as teens and 20-somethings poured into the area. Cops quickly set up barricades. Traffic came to an abject halt.
Nathan Caddell
At the show itself, you’d be lucky if yout got even a faint glance at the singer. While he crooned away on an acoustic set, the small stage around him was so packed in every direction that he was almost impossible to see, even if you were relatively well-positioned.
Nathan Caddell
The trees, signposts, and fences around the park were treated like gym equipment, as concertgoers climbed and hung off everything in sight. Four dudes climbed one tall bulletin board and were taking photos on peoples’ phones in exchange for cash. Yes, I’m serious.
Nathan Caddell
An hour and a half later, as the rain poured down and Caesar’s set ended, the crowd (my extremely non-mathematical guess: several thousands of people), drenched to the bone, made their way out of the area en masse.
Trout Lake’s brief cameo as Downtown wasn’t perfect. It was messy and chaotic. But it was fun. And we need more of it in the city.