On this day August 23 1980, the Heatwave Festival kicked off near Toronto drawing tens of thousands of fans for one of the most iconic alternative music events of the decade. Held at Mosport Park in Ontario, it was often referred to as the punk and new wave Woodstock and featured a powerhouse lineup including The B 52s, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and many others.
The festival captured the explosive creative energy building in underground and new wave music at the dawn of the decade. The performances were electric with bands pushing boundaries both musically and visually. Talking Heads in particular delivered a groundbreaking set that marked the debut of their expanded lineup with Adrian Belew and backing singers, previewing the style that would define their concert film Stop Making Sense.
Despite organizational hiccups and financial losses, the Heatwave Festival became legendary for those who attended. It was a gathering of rising stars before many of them had become household names and remains one of the boldest and most artistically important live events of the early 80s.
80s insight: The Heatwave Festival showed that the new sound of the decade had already arrived and it was bold creative and ready to take over the world stage.
The festival captured the explosive creative energy building in underground and new wave music at the dawn of the decade. The performances were electric with bands pushing boundaries both musically and visually. Talking Heads in particular delivered a groundbreaking set that marked the debut of their expanded lineup with Adrian Belew and backing singers, previewing the style that would define their concert film Stop Making Sense.
Despite organizational hiccups and financial losses, the Heatwave Festival became legendary for those who attended. It was a gathering of rising stars before many of them had become household names and remains one of the boldest and most artistically important live events of the early 80s.
80s insight: The Heatwave Festival showed that the new sound of the decade had already arrived and it was bold creative and ready to take over the world stage.
