Day two of Hockeyfest started off with long lines and, surprisingly, smiling faces as concert-goers patiently waited to enter the park for their chance to see some of Canada’s biggest and best musical talents. It seems that even the wait couldn’t discourage the excitement in the crowd for what was turning out to be one of the biggest and most successful events to hit Brantford in recent memory.

The weekend festival featured well-known musicians as well as up-and-coming acts, each hitting the big stage and entertaining thousands of screaming fans. From Street Pharmacy to Mariana’s Trench to Our Lady Peace, the concert showcased a variety of musical styles.

The headliners of the show, Our Lady Peace, were the last act of the day. As they prepared to come on stage, the weather began to worsen and rain started to fall. But, for lead singer Raine Maida, the show had to go on.

“I’m excited to play and see the crowd,” he told the audience. “The rain’s coming down now, so we’re going to put on a good show for these amazing fans.”

The band performed some of their biggest and most well-known songs, including “Superman’s Dead” and “Innocent,” and impressed not only the audiences, but other performers.

Backstage, Jesse Wilks of Mean Tangerine took the opportunity to thank the OLP lead singer, who also happened to be an idol and source of inspiration for Wilks.

“[Our Lady Peace] was the first concert I ever saw,” Wilks told Maida, “and to get to open for you is one of the most exciting moments in my life so far.”

Wilks’ band received a lot of attention after their appearance on the MuchMusic show, disBAND, and will be doing shows this summer all along Canada’s east coast with fellow Hockeyfest performers, Street Pharmacy.

As day two of the concert ended without being rained-out (although the audience was definitely rained-on), the crowd was exhausted and ready to head home after a long day of beer and music. Both concert-goers and performers can agree that Brantford’s first Hockeyfest was a big success.