Presented by 1000 Islands RV – Life is a short, live it well – The longest part of every year is the week of August leading up to our annual summer country music party at Boots and Hearts. The wait finally came to an end last night as Kris Barclay, the Cadillac Three and Chase Rice hit the front porch stage for the annual Boots and Hearts kick-off party.

Justin Tyler performs at the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist showcase – photo by Spencer Smye

The top 8 finalists of the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist showcase kicked off the afternoon as they each took a turn performing on the stage. In the end Justin Tyler and David Boyd Janes were the last two standing. One of those two will perform on Sunday in front of Kip Moore on the Boots and Hearts Main Stage.

Kris Barclay performs at Boots and Hearts photo Tom Mt. Pleasant

2018 Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist champion, Kris Barclay, kicked off the party in front of a quickly growing crowd. His fan base is definitely growing in Canada as was proven earlier this summer when we caught him in St. Agapit at Festival Country de Lotbiniere. His stage presence kept the crowd at Boots and Hearts dancing and got the energy level primed for 4 days of fun in the sun and some of the best country music North America has to offer. We’ll be chatting with Kris later today, watch for that interview coming soon.

Cadillac Three performs at the 2019 Boots and Hearts kickoff party. Photo Tom Mt. Pleasant

Up next were the Cadillac Three. These guys need little introduction. Even a minor technical issue didn’t keep Jaren, Kelby and Neil from rocking the stage. The energy these guys bring to the stage is virtually unmatched by any other country artist we know of in country music today so it’s no surprise that by the end of their set a massive crowd had gathered under the front porch.

Chase Rice performs at Boots and Hearts – photo by Spencer Smye

Chase Rice kept the party going as he cranked out hit after hit. It didn’t take long for the performance to turn into a sing along as the crowd sang over top of the speakers at some points in the show. The roar of the crowd was so loud it could be heard about a kilometer away in the campground. It was the perfect kick-off to what is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend. The temperature is not too hot, not too cold. The rain is expected to stay away, for the most part, the beer is ice cold and the music is red hot.

If you’re coming to, or are already at, Boots and Hearts this weekend be sure to say hi if you see us. If you’re not able to be here you can catch all of our coverage at www.soundcheckentertainment.ca/bootsandhearts and don’t forget to follow our exclusive Boots and Hearts playlist on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qEddsRhjuP8CWzbDntSYt?si=mtJy3PAfSnO62hb84AkW2Q!

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