The show was glitzy with incredible performances, and the people of Saskatoon were super-friendly - these were some of the comments repeated by Weyburn residents who attended the Juno Awards gala held on Sunday in Saskatoon.

Canada's music industry was centred in the Saskatchewan city with many of Canada's best-known performers as well as up-and-coming performers appearing, some to present awards and others to perform for the crowd at Sask Place, broadcast live by CTV on Sunday night.

"We thought it was pretty fantastic, and we had fantastic seats. There were two stages and we were closer to the performance stage They had a smaller stage at one end where the presenters were, and we had a great view of both of them. The sound was awesome," said Tanya Hulbert, who attended with husband John, and friends Shannan Schad and Kerwin Mondor.

For Tanya, her favourite performer from the show was the hostess, Nellie Furtado, as well as singer Gregory Charles. She was also impressed by the 12-year-old guitar player from Saskatoon, who was introduced to the show audience by Montreal rocker Sam Roberts.

Besides the show were the star sightings, which were numerous both at the show and around the downtown area, said Tanya.

"Sam Roberts sat beside some friends of ours, and so did Hedley. We met Colin James at the Samurai Restaurant in the Bessborough Hotel. We also saw George Canyon at the Radisson, as he was hanging out in the lounge before the awards show," she said.

The Hulberts won their tickets to the Junos through the draw held by New Age Electronics, with their name entered by their daughter.

"It was nice to see the event. When they broke for commercials, they would keep the people entertained. You could see where Nellie was going to set up next. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house," said Tanya, adding there were also seat-fillers used for the performers when they got up, and saw Vanessa Erickson of Weyburn performing this service at the show.

Her friend, Shannan Schad, said of the awards show, "One thing you could really notice within the whole place was the energy that was in there. Everybody was excited and really friendly. Everybody was just awesome, and our seats were absolutely perfect. You could always see what's next, where Nellie Furtado was."

Shannan said she was very impressed by the 12-year-old guitar player, and hoped people could see his joy, how a dream was coming true for him to play at the Junos in front of a national TV audience.

At one point she went out for a breath of fresh air, and met a man outside who turned out to be one of the main organizers. "He said, 'I'm very very tired; working four days at 17 hours is a lot of work for a two-hour show.' He also said he did all the main setup there, so I told him he did a fabulous job."

She enjoyed meeting Colin James and having her photo taken with him and her friends, noting, "He was really down-to-earth. A lot of these stars were very down-to-earth. I saw George Canyon talking to people and signing autographs; you could tell that was why he was there."

Shannan said she came away from the event with a whole new appreciation of Canadian music and how high a calibre the performers are.

"A lot of times you don't realize they are Canadian. Nellie was just really fantastic and beautiful. When she was done (on camera) she would run out and get changed, and she would be out in the crowd talking to people. There was no ego involved with her at all," said Shannan.

She was able to pick up a number of souvenirs, including a Juno jacket, shirt and CD, for which she will hold three draws at her business, Exentrix, with no purchase needed to enter. The draw will be made on Saturday, April 14.

Weyburn pharmacist Chris Fedorowich was also at the Juno show, and while his seat was a little farther back, he still greatly enjoyed the whole spectacle.

"Billy Talent had a pretty good opening. They sounded good, they looked good and it was loud as hell in there," he said, noting some groups he didn't realize were Canadian, but now he would be buying them after seeing them at the show. One example was the rock group Alexisonfire, whose music he has always enjoyed.

"Saskatoon did a great job. We had gone out Saturday night and there were lineups at every bar and club. The event itself was carried out very well, everything from transportation to parking was well organized," he said. "We just had a great time."

Review publishers Darryl and Patricia Ward were also present for the big show, and counted a meeting with Colin James as one of the highlights.

"I finally had the opportunity to meet Colin James, my second cousin, and his wife. Tom Jackson was at his table too," said Darryl, adding of the event, "Everything was well-organized. The bus shuttle service was great, everybody was friendly and hospitable. It was like being at 10 rock concerts at once. It was very well worth going to, and I would recommend it for anyone to go to."

The acts that he enjoyed the most included Billy Talent, Alexisonfire and Three Days Grace, all of whom had great performances, and he said he will be getting their music after seeing them at the Junos.