Free concert launches Juno music celebrations

A free, outdoor showin downtown Calgary Thursday evening kicked off three days of events leading up to the 2008 Juno Awards in the city.

Sponsored by the city and the host committee for the national music awards, the concertdrew thousands of people to Olympic Plaza.

Calgary's The Dudes kicked things off, the New Odds from Vancouver, followed by Sloan, who hail from Halifax, and Bedouin Soundclash from Toronto. Finger Eleven headlined the show that rocked for more than five hours.

Those who couldn't make it to the outdoor show can catch some free live music simply by catching Calgary's C-Trains.

Calgary musicians have been playing 45-minute sets on the route between the Chinook and Dalhousie stations to promote local music.

"It's very different to be honest with you but it's really cool," said singer Lindsay Ell. "It's been this new way to reach audiences. I've never done it before, I've never seen it done before so it's been a really, really good experience."

"It gets people excited about their city. It gets Calgarians out discovering their city and discovering the amount of music and artists we have living here," said Ald. Druh Farrell, whospearheaded the "Musicians in Motion" program.

"It's a good surprise," C-Train rider Roxanne Porter said Wednesday. "I love it. It's great. It really brightens up your day."

The performers will be playing on the C-Train again this weekend between noon and 2 p.m.

Calgary Arts Development expects Juno week to generate $7 millionto $10 million for Calgary's economy.

The Juno Awards will be held at the Saddledome on Sunday.