The Fulcrum goes to the JUNOS

THE 2012 JUNO Awards were mediocre. Don’t get me wrong, it was an awesome and entertaining experience, but I was expecting more out of the show than what was delivered.

One would be under the impression that in a major awards show, there would be an overflow of well-known Canadian icons and artists. This year’s JUNOS were mainly attended by fans who were game to spend $55 on a ticket. With Michael Bublé, the Biebster, Drake, and The Sheepdogs choosing to grace the audience with only acceptance videos, it seemed like the only big names in the arena were those billed to perform.

The performances this year were fantastic. It was obvious the artists really wanted not only the viewers watching the broadcast to enjoy the show, but also the Scotiabank Place attendees to have a rocking good time. Top acts included Feist, City and Colour, Hey Rosetta!, Blue Rodeo who played with Sarah McLachlan, and Deadmau5.

Canadian legend William Shatner hosted this year’s JUNO Awards, and although I am a fan of good old Bill’s work, specifically his role in Miss. Congeniality, he hosted the pageant far better than the JUNOS. He opened up singing a mash-up of classic songs, like “Summer of 69” and “Raise a Little Hell”,  and landed a couple of good one-liners, but in the end, a lot of Shatner’s comedy got lost and went over everyone’s heads.

Bringing the experience to another level was the intensity of the audience at this year’s show. With CBC’s Shaun Majumder of This Hour has 22 Minutes pumping up the audience during commercial breaks, it was obvious they were enjoying the show for its entirety. From a fan screaming, “I Love You Justin” to absentee Justin Beiber to the high pitch squealing that lasted for Hedley’s entire performance, the fans really brought the spirit this year.

It was awesome experiencing the JUNOs in person and being able to see the enormous amount of work put into creating the awards ceremony. The show may have been off beat at times, but that didn’t matter on April 1 at Scotiabank Place.
This year’s JUNO Awards rightfully celebrated artists who are not only outstanding in their respective genres, but also new artists on the rise, as well as genres no other JUNO Awards have celebrated in the past.

—Emily Jackson