This is it – the last day of 2025’s Osheaga is upon us. After a surprise storm, pause and then restart of sets last night, the festival grounds were a bit muddy but ready to go! So let’s do it!
First up was Ruby Waters. This is Ruby’s second time on the Osheaga stage – having performed in the 2021 edition “Get Together” edition of Osheaga. Her vocals and vocal tenor remind me of early aughts indie, with a bit more of a groove and slight twang. Ruby’s generally smooth vocals evened out some of the roughness in her band’s intentionally distorted solos and guitar riffs. I particularly enjoyed her mixing of genres, and the crowd here at Osheaga seemed to love it too.
Mark Ambor the last New Yorker I was able to see (unfortunately, Amaarae’s set was at a conflicting point in the day) was up next. The “kid from a small town in New York, Pleasantville,” was blown away by the crowd, saying, “to see so many of you supporting us so far away from home, it means more than you’ll ever know.” His Americana style combined with emotional lyrics and underlying strong guitar skills worked well. The young singer creates a sound almost like that of an early Mumford and Sons – sans Marcus Mumford’s gravelyness. At the beginning of the set, Mark said, “Osheaga, I’m not gonna lie, my voice is feeling a bit weak today, so I need a little extra help, is that okay?” However, if his voice was facing any challenges, I couldn’t hear them.
Inji brings something totally new to my perception of dance music. The Turkish singer-songwriter based in Philly brings a cheerleader and girly pop energy to her set that I’ve never seen before. It wasn’t just her outfit, which included caution tape pompoms, or her energy; her live singing over hyperactive beats with a live drummer created a sound that I had never heard before. Not only is her work eminently danceable – it also feels good. In a genre that can feel stripped of emotion, Inji brings more humanity and vocal rhythm than most dance artists I’ve heard. Oh yeah, and she decided to take a shot with the crowd (Scroll to the bottom to see that moment).
If you want massive energy and a damn fun show, go see Cage the Elephant. I first saw them at Lollapalooza in 2011 when their only song I knew was Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked. Well, almost 15 years later, and with almost 20 years under their belt, the band has drastically expanded their musical repertoire and created a wild stage show. With a packed photo pit, I thought that it would be a rough set. But from the moment Matt Shultz ran out on stage to the end of the show, Cage the Elephant’s energy didn’t stop. Guitarist Brad Shultz jumped into the crowd around five minutes into the set (scroll down for photo), and pyro went off throughout the band’s first few songs. At points, photographers in the pit, including me, who are usually focused on capturing the moment, looked at each other and said, “damn, did that really happen?” Singer Matt Shultz even broke the fourth wall on the stage, climbing over gear and speakers to perform on the next stage over, where technicians were setting up for the following band. The band’s rock chops seem better than ever, with the crowd headbanging throughout the show.
Closing out the day and Osheaga 2025 were ISOxo, and Olivia Rodrigo!
I like EDM, but honestly, I think that it can get repetitive – unless something really special is done with it. That’s what IsoXO did. During his set, IsoXO was able to bring strong melodies together with techno, and electronic noises to make a sound all his own. The light show and flames that came with the show filled the stage with so much smoke that you could barely see IsoXO at points – but that somehow made the laser show that much better. This set was a shout-out to the electronic fans that were at Osheaga throughout the three days. It was everything a raver or anyone who loves the genre would want. When set against Olivia Rodrigo, it would have been easy to get lost in the noise. However not only was IsoXO able to draw a major crowd but he was able to bring down the house (and make the stage bounce) for the end of OSHEAGA.
Olivia Rodrigo has been on a hell of a tour. Today’s show was the last stop of the GUTS world tour which started in February 2024. Not only that, but the artist has played just about every major music festival this year from, Festival Estéreo Picnic in Colombia to Governors Ball in New York City, to Glastonbury in England, Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands, NOS Alive in Portugal, Mad Cool in Spain, and Lollapalooza just two days before this show. There’s not much that can be added to the great coverage of the singer, other than to say it’s fantastic to see her settle into her rock princess persona. She seems incredibly comfortable in herself, her songs, and with her band. While choreographed, the set seems to emphasize Rodrigo’s personality (or at least her public one) and she seems to enjoy the performance with her band. The rock ballads hit well, and her pacing of the set allows quick rests between high-energy songs. It was a great culmination to the Guts tour, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
On a personal note, I want to give a massive shoutout to the Osheaga team who invited us up to cover the show. Leisa, Nancy, Talar, Danny, and the whole team were excellent to work with, and on-site they were kinda and supportive. Here’s to one Osheaga in the books, and I’m already looking forward to next year!
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