Joestock ’98
Louisdale Parish Hall
May 23, 1998
It all started as a class project for host and organizer John Willy MacLeod, but Joestock has become a major event for area youth. In its second year, the show featured local bands like Test Tube Babies and Voodoo Jive as well as North Sydney based Aries Latitude.
The show kicked off with the Test Tube Babies, proving they’re a band to watch out for. They performed songs from their first release Tuesday 4 a.m. (reviewed in wgo # 21) and took many requests from the audience. Had the evening ended there it would have been worth the price of admission, but the party went on. The evening’s host, John Willy MacLeod, played a good set with his band Voodoo Jive, including songs made famous by bands like Pearl Jam and Collective Soul.
The evening concluded with Aries Latitude having the distinction of being the only band that had members of the audience dancing alongside them on stage. The band’s self-titled debut release is due out in June.
When the reviews came in from the audience many said the show could have benefited from a wider variety of musical styles, but, in general, they still had a good time. Everyone I spoke with had nothing but good things to say about the evening’s bookends, Test Tube Babies and Aries Latitude and seemed satisfied that it was a Saturday night well spent. – Dana MacPhail
