Written by: Adam Boyd
What is The Ex? A nearly impossible question to answer, but I’ve always found that when I need to grasp something as complex as the CNE, I look to its music. It’s a way of getting a feel for your subject on a much deeper level. The 2012 CNE is a perfect example of this; always looking towards the future, never forgetting the past, and totally engrossed in Canadiana.
One look at the 2012 Bandshell line-up and you’ll see what I mean. Trooper, The Tea Party and The Arkells are three of the bigger names performing at the historic venue this year; all three have topped Canadian charts, had Juno nods, and entertained the young (and young at heart) for years. Trooper burst onto the scene in ’75 giving Canada its very own home grown, hard rock sensation, not twenty years later it was The Tea Party pushing the boundaries of 1990’s alternative music. Now, fresh off two Juno wins in three years, the hardest working band in rock (aka The Arkells) has been added to the long list of Canadian all-stars to grace this stage.
Don’t think the music stops at the big stage, just like that intangible feeling at the CNE, the music is all around us. When you think of the tribute bands getting their chance to perform for an attentive audience at the Midway Stage or Striker’s Bar and Grill, the unbelievable talent of the TTC Busker Competition, or the glimpse at the future of Canadian music provided by The Rising Star Talent Competition, you can’t deny The Ex has played its part in making the Canadian music scene what it is today. It’s hard to imagine that in just 18 days in Toronto anyone can be exposed to this much history, this much culture, and this much Canada.