Strong Local Flavour Rockin’ The Big House

Saturday September 14 over 2500 people payed for the privilege to enter Kingston Penitentiary and experience a huge event in Canadian music history.

The United Way KFL&A presented a full out concert within the walls of the now decommissioned 200 year old prison as a fundraiser for their local campaign and all reports I have seen indicate it was a big success. We saw performances by Kasador, The Pursuit of Happiness,  The Trews, Tom Cochrane and Friends and the headliner for the night, The Headstones. All the bands had a Kingston connection and all bands played for free in support of United Way.

The prison yard was transformed into a great concert venue complete with food trucks, refreshment vendors, washroom facilities and anything else you might expect. There was a VIP area where the fans were treated to more comfortable amenities than general admission patrons. As the fans entered the yard, they were issued a commemorative prison style tin cup that you would use for whatever refreshment you chose to have.

There was another common thread that tied the bands together and that was the music of Kingston’s Tragically Hip. Each band throughout the day payed their respects to The Hip and more specifically to their singer and songwriter Gord Downie who sadly lost his battle with cancer two years ago.

Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois were all there for the show and joined in here and there. It started when Rob Baker joined Kasador onstage for a song. Their bass player is none other than Rob’s son Boris. Kasador overcame some early sound related issues to deliver a strong opening set. These guys are some of the most down to earth people you will meet. I have crossed paths with them twice and when the set is over, where can you find them? Out in the crowd talking with fans!

The biggest surprise of the day for me came with The Pursuit Of Happiness. I had not had a chance to see them before and they impressed me a lot. Their current lineup, Moe Berg, Dave Gilby, Kris Abbott, Brad Barker and Renee Suchy are a great live band. Their energy onstage made them lots of friends in the crowd. People from Kingston might also know Kris Abbott from the Duo Kris and Dee and she is also a resident of Kingston.

Honorary Kingston residents The Trews came up next and what can you say about these nice guys from Antigonish Nova Scotia? Since they came onto the Canadian music scene in 2002, The Trews have continued to make more fans every time they play the city. They have had some hits that have become anthems like “Highway of Heroes” and are one of those bands who you just can’t help but enjoy. They keep getting better every time I see them. A truly special moment for me was when Gord Sinclair joined them and they played “Grace Too”, my personal favourite Tragcally Hip song. Colin MacDonald’s vocals were amazing, so close to the original it almost gave you chills.

Tom Cochrane brought a couple of friends with him and delivered outstanding acoustic versions of some of his hits. I found it entertaining as I’ve never heard him this way before. After a few songs, Tom brought out more friends and with friends like The Trews, why not? They provided the music for “Lunatic Fringe” and for “Life Is A Highway”, both huge hits for Tom. This was very well received but it still wasn’t over, at this point Paul Lanlois and Gord Sinclair returned to help out with “Courage”, one of the Hips’s biggest hits.

The last band for the night was Kingston’s own Headstones with their heavier, angrier style of Rock and Roll. I had never experienced the Headstones from up close and it is an experience to be sure. Even they jumped on the Tragically Hip bandwagon and performed “New Orleans Is Sinking” during their set. The Hip guys returned to the stage for their encore and closed the set with Hugh and the rest of the Headstones singing “Little Bones”.

The perfect close to the show came when members of The Pursuit Of Happiness, The Trews and Tom Cochrane came on to join the Hip guys for great versions of “Wheat Kings” and “Ahead by a Century”. Several people took turns singing lead as the crowd cheered them on. You couldn’t have asked for a better evening, the weather was perfect, the music was fantastic and we got to pay tribute to the songs of Kingston’s own Gord Downie.

For more information, check out the band’s websites.

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Kasador

Tom Cochrane

Headstones

The Trews