With Labour Day weekend being the cap of the last official party week of summer, I plan to get out and enjoy it. The vast selection of live music is the perfect escape and excuse. Which to choose festival, individual show -- or both?

Labour Day 2010 is here which means that the Vancouver summer is officially coming to an end. Luckily, it looks like the weather is planning to cooperate which should mean outdoor activities are safe to be on the agenda. For me, there's nothing like a music festival to bid farewell to summer. I find that it's easier to say goodbye to the sunny good times and welcome the inevitable rainy good times after spending the weekend giving the sun a farewell dance. The question is - how far do I need to travel for my perfect party?

Live at Squamish takes place on the upcoming labour day weekend. Located about an hour's drive from Vancouver, the ambitious music festival has me asking two big questions. The first one is probably pretty obvious: who's worth seeing at the festival? The second question is a bit more cynical, but recent history forces me to ask: will the first Live at Squamish Festival also be the last?

Let's start on a positive note and look at the acts not to be missed.

Cool heads prevail in a weekend filled with a variety of acts. Some performances originated decades ago while some are just starting out. Several bands playing this week are scary good while others may literally blow you away with their performance. Be careful out there and choose wisely. More importantly go see live shows.

This week's shows are exceptional and uncommon. The theme of weeks previous continues with more Old School shows and several mega underground surprises. You must get out and catch at least one or two of these. There is a good chance most of the artists will never return to Vancouver.

The Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, 11 years and running, has become a highly anticipated annual event. This year's festival may not have lived up to its expectations but was far from a disappointment.

Blues music has always been a way for us to dance and sing away our sorrows. My uncle calls it complaining with a melody. Not surprisingly there was some complaining on Saturday as the blues festival landed on one of the hottest days of the year. The sun viciously beat down on the audience at Deer Lake Park. The park has some areas of shade but is mostly open air and exposed. Attendees hid in the shade and kept cool by visiting the misty tent and many free water stations. Due to factors out of my control, I arrived around 4:45p.m. lucky for me the sun had lost some of its momentum.