An Exhibition of Exhibitionism
by Bob Mackin, July 26, 1999

Which fest was best?

You could argue for hours about the quality of the four rock festivals that came to Thunderbird Stadium over the first two weeks of July: Vans Warped Tour, Lilith Fair, EdgeFest and Ozzfest all played to the masses at the University of B.C. venue.

But there’s no denying which fest was biggest.

That honour goes to Ozzfest. Ozzy Osbourne’s annual all-metal road show made its first Vancouver stop on July 16 before 25,000 people.

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Just 48 hours earlier, Courtney Love brought the cross-Canada EdgeFest tour to a grinding, raunchy halt.

Her band, Hole, was at the top of its game. As for Love, she bared her soul in song and a little bit of her body in between selections. The former stripper (at Vancouver’s No. 5 Orange Street) prowled the stage in a provocative manner and bared her left breast late in the set (after the photographers were gone, of course). Montreal-raised bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, wearing a Canada flag design top, sang a cover of the Doughboys’ “Shine,” a song reportedly written about her.

The proceedings degenerated into an exhibition of exhibitionism. Love waded into the crowd and gave some EdgeFesters a closer look at her chest. She returned to the stage and one brave concertgoer jumped on a particle board plank held aloft in the mosh pit and dropped his pants. Love was so amused, she gave him her guitar before leaving the stage.

Auf der Maur told a radio interviewer earlier in the day the band planned to play a Quiet Riot cover in honour of Nardwuar the Human Serviette, who was recovering in Lions Gate Hospital from a brain hemorrhage. With crews waiting to dismantle EdgeFest gear for storage until next year, the band kept to the 10 p.m. curfew. Love wished the West Vancouverite well anyway and encouraged everyone to pray for his recovery.