Montreal’s Sam Roberts Band capped off the Hard Oil Music Festival on Saturday, August 17, 2024 to conclude Petrolia’s 150th anniversary celebration.
“Thank-you for sticking it out,” Roberts said.
“Mother Nature always keeps things interesting, especially this time of year. It means the world that you guys stuck it out. Summer is short in Canada. Nobody loves the summer more than we do here in Canada. We’re not going to give in that easy.”
Roberts gave props to the opening bands, including the penultimate act of the evening, Treble Charger.
“What a pleasure and a privilege it is to share the stage with them after all these years,” Roberts said.
“We used to watch Much Music and it was always mostly Canadian rock would come on. I was like ‘where’s Treble Charger this week? What city are they in? How can we do the same thing that they’re doing?’ So to be up here to share the stage with them tonight means everything to us.”
Before climbing off the stage to share hugs, high fives and love with the audience in the front row during an extended version of ‘Brother Down’, Roberts saluted the organizers of the Hard Oil Music Festival.
“All the people have dedicated countless hours of sweat and tears to put this show on tonight,” he said.
“Not just tonight, but last night. Their hospitality has been second to none. It’s our first time here in Petrolia and we love you all for being here. Thank-you so much.”
SWOMP was in the pit during their performance and captured these images:
Leading up to a February 10, 2024 performance at the London Music Hall, SWOMP’s Dana Haggith caught up with Roberts for an interview. Listen, below:
Sam Roberts released his debut in 2002, following a popular independent demo recording he had made in Montreal. Before that point, he had been a violin player who eventually moved on to guitar and started a rock band with his friends. The Inhuman Condition was released and became the best-selling independent EP in Canadian history. In 2003 he released his first full-length album, We Were Born in a Flame. The Certified Double-Platinum selling album was a huge hit in Canada and won the Juno Awards for Album of the Year, Rock Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year. He continued to release hit albums for the remainder of the decade: Platinum-certified Chemical City in 2006 and Gold-certified Love at the End of the World in 2008. Each album also won the Juno for Rock Album of the Year.
For his 2011 release, Collider, Roberts changed from using his name to using Sam Roberts Band. In 2014, Lo-Fantasy was released to great acclaim. Lead single We’re All In This Together reached the top of both Canadian rock radio charts, followed by Top 10 hits Human Heat and Shapeshifters. In 2016, TerraForm was released, the band’s 6th studio album. Lead Single “If You Want It” reached #2 at both rock radio charts. The album was nominated for the Rock Album Of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards. In 2020 Sam Roberts Band released All of Us which featured the hits “Ascension” and “Take Me Away” to critical acclaim. In 2021 All of Us, released during the pandemic, was nominated for Rock Album of the Year. October 2023 saw the release of the band’s eight studio album, The Adventures Of Ben Blank, which features the new single “Picture of Love” and “Afterlife”.
Sam Roberts Band continue to deliver their legacy of hit singles to take over the airwaves. The band’s legendary live show has seen them performing around the world including Australia, Japan, extensive tours of Europe and North America and brought them to festivals such as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza and Bumbershoot, and alongside giants like the Rolling Stones and AC/DC.
Follow Sam and his band at https://www.samrobertsband.com/.