Vancouver JazzFest came to a close yesterday with some free shows at David Lam Park in yaletown. There were a few bands playing, but I stopped by just to see Hey Ocean!, as I'd never seen them live before, so what better than a free show to check them out?

Admittedly, I'm not as familiar with them as I should be. I've heard the latest album a few times, and while I think it's good, I guess it just kind of fell through the cracks for me. But their live show, wow! Not to seem detrimental of their recorded material, but their live show just seemed so much better. Full of energy and incredibly engaging. The show started with everyone seated in the grass, but a few songs in they threw out a new one called "New Dance" which got everyone up and moving.
The set lasted over an hour, which is awesome for a free show, playing a mix of old and brand new, from the upcoming album, and even threw in a cover. Mid-set they decided to do some 90s reminiscing (the amount of people that cheered when Ashleigh Ball asked "who was born in the 90s" made me feel old) and launched into a cover of The Cardigans' Love Fool, which somehow segued into the theme from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with accompanying kazoo.

The set wrapped up with more audience participation for "Fish" before they were brought back for an encore -- surprising for a free show like this, but the crowd was going pretty nuts. They played a couple more before finally ending the set, and I am pretty sure they have made a fully fledged fan out of me.