Another peaceful, 'beautiful', successful MusicFest
By: Spencer Anderson

The 17tth annual Vancouver Island MusicFest has come and gone again, closing on a high note Sunday with rock-hall-of-famer David Crosby.

Other big names graced the stage at the festival as well, including Randy Newman, Jon Anderson of Yes and Holly Cole.

Grammy queen Alison Krauss and Union Station kicked off the festival on Thursday night, wowing the crowd with pitch-perfect vocals and well-honed musicianship.

Thousands crammed the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds over the weekend, but despite the massive crowds, there were no major police or emergency incidents.

"It was run quite successfully, we had our usual few drunks brought back, but it was pretty calm and tame from most of the reports that I got back from the members working on the weekend," said Comox Valley RCMP spokeswoman Const. Nicole Hall.

"The security on site, they're kind of getting to be pros at it now, and we had meetings beforehand to come up with a game plan and hire extra officers, so I guess it worked this year," Hall added.

"The police were well prepared and did a good job. It was a well-behaved crowd and it was a calm and quiet weekend. We've had no noise complaints to this point," said Gary Usher, bylaw enforcement officer with the city of Courtenay.

Not only did MusicFest run smoothly, the festival was as successful as ever, said event associate producer Meaghan Cursons.

This past weekend marked Curson's fifteenth year with the festival, and her first as a new mother. With her tiny daughter on site, as well as her own mother, Curson said her family's presence is indicative of an event with cross-generational appeal.

"The Randy Newman show blew me away," she said. [He's] one of those acts that can touch all generations."

The same goes for David Crosby, she said, an artist whose struggles and triumphs are reflective of common life experiences.

"It was just a beautiful, beautiful weekend," she said.