It’s sad but it’s true, Rock the Lake 2019 has officially come to an end.
Just like the Trooper lyrics state; We were there for a good time, not a long time. While our last day was more than a bit damp, the spirits of attendees were just as high as they were the first two days, making for a final night that will be hard to forget.
Despite the rain being forecasted to drizzle until 2 pm, we did not come up as lucky as Saturday. Having said that, Sunday’s opening act Prism did a great job of revving us up for a day of rockin’ in the rain!
It is hard not to smile when seeing frontman Al Harlow do what he does best, even in the middle of a downpour.
His effervescent energy emulated the sun as he bounced across the stage, axe in hand, lighting up the faces of all he gazed upon.
Wasting no time, Harlow and the guys got things going right off the bat, hitting us with the comet-sized hit “Spaceship Superstar” before nose-diving into “Flyin’” and “Virginia."
Harlow is a true performer, from his tasseled jacket and striped skinny jeans to his cartoonish facial expressions and quintessential rockstar poses — he managed to keep both his own and his audience’s energy levels through the roof — all the while shooting out truly interstellar riffs.
Between sets there were, of course, some attendees who needed to dry off inside. However, the number of those who waited it out to stay at the front of the stage was shocking.
And they did so with smiles spread widely across their faces, I guess that's just the power of rock and roll (or beer.)
Second to take the stage were three times Rock the Lake veterans, The Headpins.
Returning for her sophomore performance at RTL was Kelowna’s own Kat Lawrence, who was inducted into the band in 2016.
In all honesty, I am a die-hard Darby Mills fan, but man, can Lawrence sing. I don’t just mean sing, that woman could tear the roof off of Prospera with those pipes (luckily we were already outside.)
Small in stature but equipped with one of the biggest voices I’ve seen in my 23 years of attending shows, Kat Lawrence is a force to be reckoned with and humble as hell.
It seemed between every break she had, she took the time to thank her native crowd, pointing out friends and blowing kisses.
It wasn’t just Kat that was killing it, the entire band seemed even more polished than the last time we saw them.
Each run around the drum kit, booming bass riff and howling guitar solo was executed perfectly.
The band played tight — and they knew it too, taking time to exchange smiles and laughs after each song they nailed.
Giving fans exactly what they wanted, the group offered us a performance fit to be their newest Greatest Hits Live record, with everything from “Just One More Time” and “Don’t It Make Ya Feel” to “Turn It Loud."
Direct support for Sunday’s headliners, Quiet Riot were up.
Being a metalhead and huge fan of Randy Rhodes, this band was one of my most highly anticipated acts of the weekend — and they did not disappoint.
New vocalist, James Durbin absolutely annihilated it.
From his piercing highs in “Run For Cover” to the deep and smooth tones found within “Love Is A Bitch,” you would have no idea the singer got his start on reality tv show American Idol.
With a vivacious stage presence that had him set at turbo-speed throughout the entire set, and all of the attitude you’d expect from the frontman of a metal band, this young-buck did a wicked job of doing the songs justice.
While we didn’t get the chance to see drummer Frankie Denali, but Johnny Kelly (former drummer of Type-O Negative and Danzig) filled in for him, which was quite the treat.
Bassist Chuck Wright, who played with the group back in the 80s did an insane job of amping up the crowd amidst slaying it, while guitarist Alex Grossi ripped us to shreds!
The best part? Watching a sea of umbrellas moshing along to “Come On Feel The Noize” and “Metal Health” it was equally as bad-ass as it was hilarious.
Quiet Riot’s performance was one that will hopefully prompt more metal acts to be added to the RTL line up in upcoming years.
A serious case of deja-vu rushed over the lot as Trooper took to the stage to close out the final night of RTL 2019.
Giving fans the goods from the moment they took to the stage, the group opened with “Here For A Good Time” immediately followed by “3 Dressed Up As a 9.”
Living up to their reputation as one of the best Canadian party bands, Trooper’s set was a wild one.
With singer Ra McGuire play fighting with his bandmates, dancing on the edge of the stage and often times turning their show into a venue-wide karaoke session — Trooper truly raised more than a little hell in their time at RTL 2019.
Did we mention they brought people up on stage? Yep, they did that.
Welcoming up attendees young and old in addition to members of other acts from the day, they converted the stage into their own dance floor for an encore performance of “Raise A Little Hell” — the sparkling rain only embellished the pure magic of that moment, which is being added to our list of RTL greatest!
The time has come, tomorrow we will have to wake up at a decent hour to get ready to return to regular life.
But each of you reading this, who got to be a part of Rock the Lake 2019 will still have ringing ears, Prism hits stuck in your head and maybe a bit of a sniffle to remind you of the radness that we all got to be a part of this year.
Bonus: We will have one more recap for you guys, so keep an eye out tomorrow afternoon for one final look at RTL 2019. See you next year!
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