What a night!
We cancelled our show, knowing we couldn’t compete with Game 7. But we couldn’t afford to loose the revenue and we had the space and the liquor license sooooo…we held the first (and probably last) Rooftop Post-Game Parkade Party!!!
We fired up our mega-speakers and charged up the vibe with danceable beats and rockin’ grooves. What started out as an intimate gathering of cast members and friends quickly morphed into post-loss booze-fest with jerseys and face paint galore. Given the Canuck’s failure to “Get It In” and “Keep It Out” the mood was relatively jovial and upbeat. Our random assortment of hockey friends were, for the most part, chill fun lovin’ peeps just looking to blow off some post-game steam. We did have a few rowdies and had to bounce some drunkards but all in all it went great.
That was until the skyline was overcome with billows of black and grey smoke. From the rooftop we could see the Fan Zone quickly turn into the Riot Zone. Sirens where blaring from all corners of the city and helicopters circled endlessly overhead. As if on a timer, everyone’s smart phones began buzzing with news of the riot all ready underway; unsubstantiated reports of death, stabbing, murder, suicide, and flaming automobiles followed. The mood turned sombre for some while others continued to drink and dance the blues away. Despite a brief security breach and the threat of impending doom, everything worked out rather well. The streets bellow the parkade were eerily quiet with the occasional elderly lady or couple sauntering along. You’d never now that the apocalypse had erupted on the other side of town, not but a ten minute walk away.
Biking home, Chelsea and I caught a glimpse of Granville St. at around midnight. The wreckage was unreal. It looked like a war zone, which, I guess, for a while it was. I couldn’t help but feel so disappointed with my city. And not because we didn’t bring home the cup. But because of how we reacted when we didn’t. If that’s how Vancouver responds to loosing than we don’t deserve to win.
At least now that the dust has settled and the debris has been cleared up (partly) we can all move on. I know the Bridge Mix team is looking forward to not having to cancel any more performances. We’ve got seven shows left and two more Saturdays of excellent post-show live music on the rooftop. We hope to see you there!
Sebastien Archibald