Heatwave was a rock music festival held on August 23, 1980, at Mosport Park near Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

History

Approximately 85,000 people attended the festival, with tickets priced at $20 or $25 at the gate. Dan Aykroyd, in character as Elwood Blues, invited radio listeners to join the event for free on his guest list. An additional 15,000 people arrived, bringing the crowd to nearly 100,000 as Talking Heads took the stage. The event faced issues, including accusations between the backers and park management, with claims that ticket stubs were discarded. The festival reportedly lost one million dollars. The entire concert was recorded, though no rights agreements were signed. The tapes resurfaced later in 1980 and were secured by promoter John Brower. In the mid-1990s, Brower entrusted the tapes to Canadian record executive Jan Haust for restoration. By 2017, 102 tracks from five of the bands were available on Wolfgang's website. A video of The Kings' set was also released. Creem magazine covered the festival, noting the novelty of a new wave/punk festival, as many of the bands typically performed in clubs rather than outdoor venues.

Line-up

The festival's line-up included Vladymir Rogov with ARKITEX, Teenage Head, BB Gabor, Holly and the Italians, Rockpile featuring Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe, The Rumour (without Graham Parker), The B-52's, Talking Heads, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, and The Kings. The Clash were originally booked and listed on the poster but canceled.

Teenage Head set list

A reviewer described Teenage Head as "two scraggly guys playing guitar and bass, and a crop-haired singer in a long-tailed livery coat and eyeliner," noting their performance as "good ol' head-banging ramalama punk rock." The band had a large and vocal following and played with confidence, as if they belonged in front of a big crowd. A year later, Teenage Head's live album featured a picture from their Heatwave set on the cover.

The Pretenders set list

The B-52's set list

The B-52's performed material from their first album and debuted songs from Wild Planet.

Talking Heads set list

The Talking Heads line-up that toured for the Remain in Light album made its debut at the festival. Their set began with the four original members plus Adrian Belew, and as the performance progressed, additional musicians and vocalists joined, including Nona Hendryx, Busta Jones, Steve Scales, Dolette McDonald, and Bernie Worrell.

Elvis Costello set list

The festival was the only 1980 live concert in North America by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. The performance was recorded and released as a two-LP album.

The Kings

The Kings set began around midnight and lasted approximately one hour.