VANCOUVER 鈥� Vancouver rolled out the red carpet 鈥� in decidedly Canadian fashion 鈥� for some of the nation鈥檚 biggest music artists at the 2018 Juno Awards.
The red carpet, laid out under a long, white tent on the shuttered Georgia Viaduct, was lined with hordes of media on one side and a legion of excited fans on the other.
鈥淚 am so excited,鈥� said a giddy Sydney Dean, who was there with friend Nicole Hagen, both originally from Regina. 鈥淏eing from the Prairies, I never thought I could be part of something like this.
Dean reeled off the names of the artists and bands she most wanted to see, though not in priority because that, she said, would be impossible: pop singer Virginia to Vegas, Vancouver band Marianas Trench, and Lights.
The stars didn鈥檛 disappoint on their red carpet stroll into Rogers Arena, gamely posing for selfies, clad in statement-making attire, from dazzling gowns and dapper tuxes to flamboyant shoes and casual rocker denim and everything in between.
Host Michael Buble and his pregnant wife, Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato, drew some of the loudest cheers of the day, cutting the perfect red-carpet figure 鈥� he in a dark grey suit and her in a glittering floor-length black gown.
The big names were more than just in music. Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh strolled down the red carpet with his new bride, Gurkiran Kaur. sa国际传媒 Finance Minister Carole James and Vancouver MLA Melanie Mark also were there.
Rock star environmentalist David Suzuki and Olympian ice skater Patrick Chan, snowboard Mark McMorris, and bobsledder Kaillie Humphreys also got their share of screams and selfie requests.
Fans watch celebrities arrive for the 2018 Juno Awards at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Sunday.
Sisters Maria and Thea Villaroman were on the lookout for Scott Helman. They had brought a CD album they were hoping to get autographed. Helman was a miss, but they got a photo with sa国际传媒 boy Shawn Hook, who they had met before, briefly, during a concert at the PNE and at a JUNO-related fan event at Metrotown on the weekend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a photo to commemorate the fanfare this week,鈥� said Maria, 19.
Just as the sisters were contemplating how they can get home to Delta in time to watch the awards show on TV, a generous guy on the red carpet gave them a pair of tickets to the show, sending them both into fits of delight and excitement.
Underneath the glitz, the underlying vibe at the red carpet was chill. The screams were enthusiastic, but not obnoxious. The queries for autographs were polite, and the stars were effusive in their thanks to fans for attending.
A couple artists even apologized for not being able to do selfies or chat with fans. 鈥淪orry, sorry I鈥檒l come back,鈥� one of them promised.
It was, as Kelly Wood of North Vancouver said, 鈥渟o Canadian.鈥�
Wood was there with four longtime friends who dubbed themselves the Deep Cove divas. They had planned to attend the Juno Awards a couple months ago as a fun girls鈥� night out.
They bantered with some of the artists, got selfies galore and traded compliments 鈥� getting as much as they were giving out because of their 鈥�70s glam outfits.
鈥淚t鈥檚 lovely and relaxed,鈥� said Wood, wearing sunglasses and a glittering band across her forehead, adding, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as intense鈥� as what she was expected red carpets would be. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very nice and seamlessly done.鈥�
Christy Jordaan attended the red-carpet event with daughter Emma Jordaan, 11, and Emma鈥檚 friend. The highlight was seeing Emma, who loves music, light up with excitement at meeting famous musicians and up-and-coming artists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a cool experience for a couple young girls,鈥� said Jordaan.
When Emma got an autograph of newcomer Jessie Reyez, who won the breakthrough artist of the year award, she showed it to her mom proudly.
The Juno Awards may not be as flashy as American awards shows, but they have an edge.
鈥淲e feel close to these artists and think of them as ours,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what鈥檚 really nice about a Canadian show.鈥�
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