BARRIE -- This year version's of Edgefest, the final concert ever at Molson Park, saw some of the biggest bands the annual show had to offer.

It was an event a proposed shopping mall will find hard to beat.

"Hello," Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie said before the Kingston band plowed through Fire In The Hole, a moody hard rocker that set the tone for the night's final set. The band's traditional opening staple, Grace, Too, soon followed.

The group sprinkled new songs with old, including the favourite Boots Or Hearts as well as Nautical Disaster. What makes the quintet so strong is its mix of rock with blues, as Springtime In Vienna proved.

The band then concluded with a series of staples from its deep cataloge.

Our Lady Peace were co-headliners and took the stage as the sun began to set. Slouched over his microphone stand, Raine Maida and his group tore into their 75-minute set as the crowd sang along. Superman's Dead, Is Anybody Home and Innocent were early faves among the all-ages audience.

The band also introduced two new songs from a coming album. Wipe That Smile Off Your Face and Walking In Circles, a tight straightforward rock tune.

Burlington group Finger Eleven might have been the surprise of the night with its high billing. The band's introduction was a bit muffed. The intro music led into a long wait before the band kicked things into gear.

Fronted by Scott Anderson, the band had the mosh pit in overdrive with songs such as Other Light and Complicated Questions from its new self-titled album. A forthcoming single, One Thing, was far more melodic than the standard heavy and meaty rock they offered up for the closing Good Times.

The Stereophonics were the antithesis to Finger Eleven. For various reasons, drummer Stuart Cable wasn't present so the Welsh act played a stripped-down acoustic set with singer Kelly Jones, sounding as raspy as he ever has, leading the group through Hurry Up And Wait and Madame Helga.

Sloan was the first of the heavyweights on the bill and they didn't disappoint. Opening with Gimme That, from the group's new Action Pact album, the Halifax-cum-Toronto quartet had most pumping fists or clapping. The Lines You Amend and the infectious The Rest Of My Life were the early highlights.

Drummer Andrew Scott and singer Chris Murphy swapped roles for Sensory Depravation, with Murphy doing a good solo.

The early acts were hits and misses. Thornley earned some cheers for The Oaf and That Song. But most people stood and stared for Fefe Dobson. Burlington punk rock band Jersey opened, nailing a cover of The Clash's Clampdown. - More on The Tragically Hip