Contact embarked on a new frontier in 2023.
Vancouver's premier winter music festival has said goodbye to its former home at BC Place. The two-day event jumped into hyperspace and set up shop in a new terminal at the Vancouver Convention Center on December 27-28.
Contact's new boat is compact and streamlined, a promising design that just needs a few tweaks. The most obvious difference with respect to past editions is the scale of the festival. The Vancouver Convention Center has a maximum capacity of 16,000 people compared to BC Place's 54,500. This may seem like a demotion to long-time Contact veterans.
The sentiment, while understandable, is more emotional than logical. The economics of Vancouver music festivals have changed dramatically since deadmau5 and Skrillex headlined the 2012 and 2013 music festivals, respectively. Filling BC Place for two days was no longer feasible. The Convention Center is a solid venue that allows Blueprint and Live Nation Canada to implement some welcome changes.
One welcome amendment for 2023 attendees was the change from an all-ages event to a 19+ event. There was a collective sigh of relief among adults who prefer to have fun without teenagers, and the calm energy spread to those working on the program. Staff interactions were generally pleasant; even the security seemed calmer. I repeatedly witnessed safety rules being enforced and then immediately lived with the concertgoers.
I won't miss the sounds of security tearing down the bathrooms at BC Place. Drinking lines were almost non-existent, a revolution considering I missed entire shows at BC Place waiting in lines. The water stations were wonderfully plentiful and conveniently located inside and outside the showroom. The wardrobe line also went smoothly.
This year's show felt packed. The floor layout was naturally narrower than that of a stadium show, but there was room to dance if one was content to migrate further back. The stage setup was adequate, if uninspired, with plenty of lighting and some pyrotechnics. There are probably limitations with the room's low ceiling, but some creative production elements could make future versions of Contact stand out.
One component that has been sorely missed in previous Contacts is the lack of stadium seating. Sight lines are limited and you won't see much from a seated position. It's a difficult problem to solve, but organizers would do well to expand their seating capacity. The seating area in the back corner of the place, while appreciated, should be larger.
The festival also went from two stages to one. This was a welcome change for someone who found BC Place's hallway side stage uncomfortable and cramped. The concise programming relieves the stress of stage jumps and encourages a more relaxed concert style. Take time to socialize, stretch your legs, go to the bathroom, and drink food or water if a game is not to your liking.
The unique stage featured a tight lineup with six artists each day. Day 1 welcomed Zedd, Dabin, Mau P, Cappozi and more, while Day 2 featured Rezz, TroyBoi and Disco Lines, among others. Any disappointment with the shorter line was remedied by the cost to consumers. The smaller lineup drove down the average ticket price, falling roughly in line with the recent STACKED show with Seven Lions and their Ophelia Records bandmates at Pacific Coliseum.
Zedd's set was the highlight of the weekend and a pleasant surprise for jaded ravers. The world-renowned producer combined beloved classics like “Clarity” with a diverse set spanning multiple genres. There was something for everyone, from the mainstream fan to the bassist still vibing from Dabin's surprisingly unpleasant set.
Rezz closed Day 2 with a phenomenal performance, as expected. Hits like “Someone Else” got the crowd ready, but nothing connected them as much as their remix of Disturbed's “Down with the Sickness.” TroyBoi was a fantastic introduction. His dirty but danceable trap style was a smart buffer between Disco Line's house-focused set and Rezz's darker tone. And a special shout out to Sabai, who delighted fans by playing an electric guitar live on stage.
Dig through the superficial concerns and you'll find a lot to like about Contact's redesign. It's less of a return to form and more of something completely new. It's a reimagining that could be a reliable highlight for the city if carefully honed. 2023 was a promising start for the new Contact saga.
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