Calgary Stampede literally thunders into the weekend

Impeccable timing courtesy Mother Nature meant the “Severe Thunderstorm Warning” that took effect for the Calgary area rolled through and wrapped up just in time to let the music start up for the evening’s outdoor shows.

In typical Nashville North fashion, it is THE place to party on the Stampede grounds … crowd surfing ensued as well as women climbing on shoulders and ledges … and fake palm trees … in an attempt for a better look at the stage and Tebey even though there are 2 giant screens on either side they could watch.

Tebey unofficially announced he would be returning to Calgary in January as part of his first tour as a headliner.

 

Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion was delayed coming on stage thanks to a fire alarm going off … the lights were turned on but no one evacuated … instead the crowd passed the time with a bit of a dance off in front of center stage … everything from “the worm” to “dabbing” and even a backflip had the crowd so enthralled that there was a delayed reaction in wrapping it up when the house lights finally went down ready for the show to begin … and once it did, the opening was, of course, their title song accompanied by a bottle of Jameson.

 

 

Dear Rouge had a wild show … everything from smoke grenades to jumping into the crowd and singing with the fans side by side … to an unexpected spill courtesy a wet stage after the “severe thunderstorm warning” came to light and blew through the Stampede grounds.

It was a smaller crowd at the beginning of the set but by the end there was no way to try to walk past … the bottleneck seeming to come from the gates trying to get into the grounds. Most were definitely Dear Rouge fans given they could be seen singing along word for enthusiastic word even before lead singer, Danielle McTaggert, hopped over the barrier and into the crowd.

 

 

Bishop Briggs was delayed in getting her set started as headliner following Dear Rouge … in part to dry off the stage a bit following the slip and fall during Dear Rouge, but mostly to clear the stage to clear out the extra bits and bobs off the stage to give her to jump and run unencumbered.

The photographers in the pit seemed to have been as hypnotized by all of her movement on stage as the crowd … they literally all lined up in a row and didn’t move.