Better late than never: the photos that should’ve gone with last week’s piece on “Reclaim the Streets”. If you haven’t done so already, you should read it first.
The beginning
Tuning up. The band starts loading instruments that can’t be played while walking onto the trailer. The guy with the accordion is Bob Wiseman.
Hitting the road. The trailer led the way. We left the park and went south on Denison Street towards Queen.
People-powered. People took turns pushing the trailer. In order to keep it level, we used a child’s tricycle where you’d normally hook it to a hitch.
Turning the corner. Denison ends at a T-intersection with Queen Street West. Here’s where we left the quiet side street and hit one of downtown Toronto’s major throughfares.
Queen and Spadina
We’re closing in on our first stop…
Reclaiming one of the busiest corners. Queen and Spadina is a nexus — it’s where the club district, warehouse-converted-into-office district, hipster boutique zone and Chinatown intersect.
We gave the corner a ten-minute concert.
It went over well. People came out of the stores to join the party; some even came out of their cars (which weren’t going anywhere, anyway).
Dancing ensued!
And we were joined by a pipe-and-drum band. At that point, we continued going eastward.
Chalk
Just a little public responsibility. You know, the kind that prevents tragedies of the commons.
Clever.
I before E except after C, dude. This was outside one of the entrances to the Eaton Centre, a large shopping mall in the heart off downtown Toronto.
Yonge and Dundas
Looking at the northeast corner. Here’s where the Buddhist and I were handed Bibles.
Word to the Word. Here I am with my brand-new Bible. Shortly afterwards, I played Amazing Grace for the Bible-thumpers.
Looking at the southeast corner. From here, we turned south, where the street had already been closed for construction.
The pipe and drum band did a final number …
…while the DJs were getting set up.
It’s hardly the ideal conditions for DJing, but the DJs were troopers. The thing is the yellow frame is the gasoline generator that provided electricty for the DJ rig..
Some people went all-out with their dancing outfits…
…others improvised, using things at home…
…while others went back to basics.
If 6 was 9: White collared conservative flashing down the street / pointing their plastic finger at me / they’re hoping soon my kind will drop and die / but I’m gonna wave my freak flag high, high, wow.
Just call me Hakuna Matata. Me and the cops for whom I played Born to be Wild.
Just like Shaft, I play on the street, yo! (And yes, that’s a Goatee Style sticker on the accordion.)