ROUNDUP MUSICFEST 2026 – DAY 1
@ PRINCE’S ISLAND PARK, CALGARY (AB)
JULY 8, 2026
Calgary’s Roundup MusicFest is back again! This two-day outdoor music festival (for the first time ever, as it used to be a single day) is held in the extremely beautiful Prince’s Island Park. Loaded with a great selection of rock artists, including icons Billy Idol and David Lee Roth, the first day was a smashing success!
Canadian rock supergroup Toque opened the night with a fantastic set of headbanging, hard-rocking tunes. With Todd Kerns’ terrific vocals, Shane Gaalaas’ thunderously intense drumming, Brent Fitz’s pounding, punchy bass lines and Cory Churko’s electrifyingly massive guitar solos and badass guitar riffs, Toque delivered a thrilling high energy show. Toque performed some original material, with the main highlight being “Something For The Pain,” and covered a handful of classic Canadian hits, including Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” (which they dedicated to Neil Peart) and Loverboy’s “Working For The Weekend.” There was a brief lightning/storm delay during Toque’s set, which forced them to stop playing for a while. Once the delay ended, Toque returned onstage and continued delivering great rock tunes to audiences.
Up next was Canadian rock icons Sloan. Sloan has been on my bucket list of Canadian rock bands to see live, and they did not disappoint, as their set was flawlessly performed. Andrew Scott, Chris Murphy, Jay Ferguson, and Patrick Pentland delivered an amazing set that showcased their incredible songwriting, earworm hooks and choruses, insane versatility, and raw talent. Classic songs like “Money City Maniacs,” “Everything You’ve Done Wrong,” “The Rest Of My Life,” and “Underwhelmed” were main highlights from Sloan’s set. Along with playing some of their most recognizable songs, Sloan played a few tunes from their 2025 album, Based On The Best Seller, including the catchy glam stomper “Dream Destroyer” and the hard-hitting garage rocker “No Damn Fears,” which had loads of grit and fuzz.
After Sloan, legendary rock singer and former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth (Diamond Dave) took the stage. Roth’s entire set was classic Van Halen hits. Although his voice is not what it once was, Diamond Dave still knows how to put on an entertaining show and command the stage. His huge grin, wildly eccentric and theatrical stage presence, goofy dance moves, larger-than-life personality, undeniable charm, and energetic showmanship was a blast to witness. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone have as much joy and fun on stage as Roth. The joy and fun Roth was having on stage was incredibly infectious. It was impossible not to have a gigantic smile on your face watching Roth have the time of his life performing on stage. Additionally, the technical prowess and tight harmonies of Roth’s backing band were sensational. Highlights from Roth’s set include “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Hot For Teacher,” “Jump,” and “Panama.”
Last up was punk rock superstar Billy Idol. Idol and his band rocked the stage all night long! Idol’s vocals were absolutely tremendous, and his stage presence was super captivating. His singing was incredibly versatile as well, delivering extraordinary performances on haunting ballads such as “Eyes Without A Face” and the many punk anthems in his repertoire, like “Rebel Yell.” Idol’s longtime guitarist, Steve Stevens, without a doubt, stole the show. Idol was A+ on stage, but Stevens’ world-class guitar skills were magnificent and goosebump-inducing. Time and time again, he wowed audiences with his mind-blowing guitar playing. His guitar solos were unbelievable. Stevens created some of the most recognizable (and best) guitar riffs of the ‘80s and hearing them all live was fantastic. Iconic hits like “Flesh For Fantasy,” “Rebel Yell,” and “White Wedding, Pt. 1” had the entire audience shouting the words back to Idol. Idol also treated the audience to some deep cuts, including “Trouble With The Sweet Stuff,” a song he rarely plays live. Newer songs like “Still Dancing” and “77” proves that Idol still has what it takes, as both are tremendous songs.
Overall, day one of the Roundup MusicFest was a very memorable day of some outstanding rock music.
Festival Links
Sloan Links
Toque Links
Billy Idol Links
David Lee Roth Links
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: BILLY IDOL & JOAN JETT @ RUOFF MUSIC CENTER, NOBLESVILLE (IN)
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: BLOOD AND GUTS: BILLY MORRISON X J BALL @ LISS GALLERY, TORONTO
SPILL FILM REVIEW: BILLY IDOL: STATE LINE – LIVE AT THE HOOVER DAM
SPILL NEW MUSIC: QUEENSRŸCHE RELEASE MUSIC VIDEO FOR THEIR COVER OF “REBEL YELL”
