Cavendish Beach Music Festival: Day 1

After a long two year hiatus, Cavendish Beach Music Festival is back in full swing and the fans couldn’t be happier. Country music enthusiasts from far and wide flocked to the sunny shores of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island for the sold out Thursday portion of the three day festival. With a main stage and two side stages, there is no shortage of music to be heard. 

Newcomer, Riley Taylor, kicked off CBMF 2022 on the Gahan House Emerging Artist Stage. Hailing from New Brunswick, it was apparent by the cheers with every mention of the province that Taylor had attracted a slew of fellow New Brunswickers to his set. Singing a mix of songs he grew up on and originals he had written himself, Taylor had one audience member in tears during his set; his mom. “That woman in back there bawling, that’s my mom,” he exclaimed after one of his songs. Taylor has been riding a high since winning the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase Competition last year. He is set to perform at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival in Ontario next month.

Fans showed up early in the afternoon to watch Tyler Joe Miller play the Bell Main Stage. Miller opened with fan favourite, “Sometimes I Do”, a song from his debut EP, Sometimes I Don’t, But Sometimes I Do. His energetic performance kept the audience engaged and singing along. Miller also preformed a couple of new, unreleased songs including “Should’ve Known Better”, which received a warm response from the crowd.

Matt Stell started the party on the Colliding Tides Kitchen Stage with his single, “Boyfriend Season”. It was evident from the chatter in the room leading up to the performance that a number of the people in the crowd were not familiar with Stell’s music. However, it didn’t take long for Stell to win over the hearts of every one in the audience. Shrieks emerged from the floor as he got up close in personal with fans old and new. There was truly not a dull moment during the hour long set. Performing his number one song, “Prayed For You”, Stell’s voice was almost overpowered by the sound of concert goers singing back to him. This was the Arkansas native’s first Canadian show and needless to say he left us wanting more.

The cherry on top of an already great day at CBMF 2022, was Luke Combs. Combs and his band of brothers took the stage with “Cold As You”, as the crowd erupted with cheers. He sang an array of new songs from his latest album, Growin’ Up, which was released on June 24th, as well as all of hits we’ve come to know and love. When preparing to sing his song, “Even Though I’m Leaving”, Combs spoke about how CBMF was his first show that he’s performed since the birth of his newborn son and warned the audience that he may get choked up. Combs’ band introduction included a medley of each of the members’ favourite songs, each member taking turns singing on those songs. This may very well go down as one of CBMF’s largest attendances and most memorable shows to date.