We’re just under half way through Juno week, and we’re three for four with the Ruckus On The Edge. Ruckus on the Edge was supposed to take what is usually just a weekend event, and fill it out to take up a whole week.
Apart from that, the ruckus was designed to showcase artists from Newfoundland and Labrador (who are represented solely by Amelia Curran in the actual nominations). According to Maggie O’Keefe, the even coordinator, they are “very pleased with the numbers, and all of the venues have been pretty crowded.”
The concerts might be crowded, but downtown certainly isn’t. I walked around this afternoon conducting a highly scientific survey, and the results are resoundingly consistent. There have been a couple tourists walking around — but certainly not very many. The Franklin Hotel is booked solid this weekend, but people don’t start arriving till tomorrow afternoon. Fred’s records is still in prep mode. They’re looking forward to a busy weekend — but not until tomorrow night.
Business at the Heritage Shop (158 Duckworth St.), one of a few places to buy officially licensed Juno garb, has actually gone down since the commemorative clothes came out a couple weeks ago. Just down the street, Anita Carroll, President of Posie Row (210 Duckworth St.), said “Just today we’ve started seeing people, a few tourists. But I have no doubts we’ll start seeing people on the weekend.”
On it’s own, it’s not clear that the Ruckus has done much to bring business to St. John’s any earlier than it would have come otherwise. But then again, you can’t just start off a concert with the headlining act. You need a warm up band, something to get people in the mood as they trickle in, and in that context, the Ruckus might not be doing such a bad job. I’ll find out tonight at the “Our Music Our Heritage” concert.
UPDATE:
Photo by Emily Wilson
After going to the show, I worry that yesterday’s post might have been a little harsh. Ruckus on the Edge hasn’t really created downtown business, but there were maybe 300 people watching at the concert last night, and they probably wouldn’t have been out on a Wednesday night otherwise.
It was a pretty laid back atmosphere, there was plenty of room for everyone, and even a sitting area reminiscent of (so the performers said) the summer folk festival in Bannerman Park. Sets were short, and it was hosted by K-Rock personality Bill Gregory, who mostly kept things moving along.
It wasn’t all standard Radio Newfoundland fare, either, though with The Once and The Navigators there were enough bass boosted traditional tunes to keep people happy. Perhaps most surprising was a dance performance by Tzu-Hao Hsu, originally from Taiwan.
The people I talked to out by the bar were generally local (or close enough) and enthusiastic about the music and the Junos in general. I don’t know if a ruckus was raised, but it was a very pleasant evening, that’s for sure.
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