Heatwave - The Canadian Woodstock?

 Although many think Woodstock was the greatest festival in the history of rock, on August 23, 1980, in the Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, there was a massive electronic and punk-rock festival called Heatwave. Organized by John Brower, the event was (cleverly?) promoted with lines such as "Punk Woodstock," and "New-Wave Woodstock."

A large crowd

85,000 people came to attend the show, with 15,000 positioning themselves in the perimeter of the park. As the sun went down, and the Talking Heads took the stage, Bower agreed to add the 15,000 to a "guest list," bringing the attendance up to a whopping 100,00 people! 

Folks, it's also worth knowing that hosting a new wave/punk fest outside was seen as a novelty act. Most of the names on stage that day were rising stars, or at the peak of their careers, and preferred to play at night in clubs or small venues. 

The lineup

The photo above is the poster hung to promote the event. As you can see The B-52s, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Kings, The PRetenders, Rockpile, and The Talking Heads, were listed as headliners.

What about The Clash? Even though they were listed on the poster, they wound up pulling out last minute, or, another popular explanation states that they missed their slot due to being held up at customs.

B-52s: Formed in Athens in 1976, the B-52s were unusual for having several female members taking on more than just singing. By the time of Heatwave, they had issued two albums - 1979's self-titled debut, and days after Heatwave, came their second LP Wild Planet, featuring their breakthrough hit, Private Idaho. Their set included songs from their debut, and a few promotions from the follow-up.

BB Gabor: A little known Hungarian-Canadian singer, he had a hit with Nyet Nyet Soviet (Soviet Jewellery), and Metropolitan Life and Jealous Girl. Gabor died in early 1990, which was declared to be a suicide.

Elvis Costello/The Atractions: An important, but forgotten figure in the punk/new-wave era, Costello got his start in London's pub rock scene. His debut, 1977's My Aim is True, curiously features the majority of Huey Lewis' band, The News, backing him (Lewis himself was not present on that record). The LP scored him hits such as Pump it Up, Radio Radio, and I Don't Want to Go (To Chelsea). Thereafter he started The Attractions, and up until Heatwave, they released three albums, their most recent at the time being 1980's Get Happy!!, with New Amsterdam being the mega hit.

The Kings: Formed in Vancouver, BC in 1977, the Kings may well be considered one hitters. The Jagger-like voice of David Diamond can be heard on their hit This Beat Goes on/Switching to Glide, which was a hit in North America; otherwise, the band has not had much success since.

Holly and the Italians: A short-live ensamble formed by Los Angeles born multi-instrumentalist, Holly Beth Vincent in 1978. Shortly thereafter, the band moved to London, where Vincent shared an apartment with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits fame. The band issued a minor hit single, Tell That Girl to Shut Up, and one LP, 1981's The Right to be Italian. 1982's Holly and the Italians, is credited to Holly Beth Vincent herself, and IS NOT a follow up.

The Pretenders: Undoubtedly one of the biggest names of the night. The Pretenders released their self-titled debut at the beginning of 1980, and hit the top of the charts with Brass in Pocket (I'm Special). The band also gave a sneak preview of their forecoming EP and second album, which would prove to be the second and final with the original band of Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers, Pete Farndon, and James Honeyman-Scott.

Rockpile: I'm listing these two side by side, as Rockpile crossed paths with The Pretenders several times. Nick Lowe was responsible for producting The Pretenders' debut album, and gitarist Billy Bremmer would join The Pretenders in the summer of 1982, along with Big Country's Tony Butler, to form a "band-aid lineup," due to Farndon's firing, and Scott's death. 

The Rumour: They made a name for themselves backing Graham Parker (under the moniker Graham Parker and The Rumour); however, they released LPs of their own, starting with 1977's Max, an answer to Fleetwood Mac's 1977 LP Rumours. They went into hibernation following 1980's Purity of Existence, but resumed touring in 2011, backing Graham Parker along the way. Their final show was on October 17, 2015 at the London forum.

Talking Heads: Another "big one," of the day, Talking Heads were also unusual as they featured a female bass player, Tina Weymouth, and singer David Byrne is of Scotish descent. Nevertheless, the Heads scored big starting in 1977 with Psycho Killer. They also had hits with Take me to the River, Life During Wartime, and Once in a Liftetime. Hits later in the 80s included, Burning down the House, Wild, Wild Life, and And She Was. Weymouth temporarily left in 1981 to form the Tom Tom Club, who in 1982 had perhaps one of the earliest rap hits, The Genius of Love.

Teenage Head: Formed in 1978, in nearby Hamilton, Ontario, Teenage Head was an important act in the Canadian punk scene. Their self-titled debut spawned the hit, Top Down, followed by 1980's Frantic City featuring Let's Shake. Teenage Head had several more Canadian hits in the 80s, and officially broke up in 1989.

Heatwave was indeed a "Woodstock" in its own right. Like Woodstock was done in near New York City, Heatwave was held near Toronto, and featured both the British and New York punk scene, as well as some of the big Canadian acts of the day. In my opinion, I think Blondie should also have been included.