Return Of Kemptville Live Music Festival Big Success!

Kemptville Live Music Festival was absent from the musical landscape for the last two years due to pandemic restrictions, and they were missed very much. This volunteer run festival has become a must-see event in eastern Ontario. Over the years, they have brought us some of the biggest names in music, both Canadian and International.

Several weeks before the date, when the announcements were made, the excitement began to grow. The weekend of July 21-24 would be the time The festival was coming back and with headliners like Tom Cochrane, Bachman Cummings, Johnny Reid and Glass Tiger it promised to be a special happening. I knew it was going to be a busy weekend when I tried to book a hotel in the area and quickly found that they were booked up! I ended up landing in Smiths Falls this time around, about a 30 minute drive from the festival site, but at least I had a place.

As I pulled into the backstage compound on the Thursday afternoon, all the old feelings came back to me. It was happening! I found a place to park and it felt to me like those two silent years never happened. The other usual photographers were there, I hadn’t seen them since July of 2019. What a great time catching up with friends after all this time!

In normal times, the backstage area is usually a mix of stage crew, us photographers and many of the musicians readying themselves for the stage. This year the atmosphere was a bit more subdued. There were two tents set up, one was for the stage crew to escape the hot sun and the other was ours. The musicians were a bit more private considering the conditions we are now living in. There were no meet and greets going on as there would have been in the past, except for one which I’ll mention later.

The people who attend this festival are second to none, great people. I have never seen a single negative moment at this festival. When you go walking around the grounds, the people you encounter are just there to enjoy some great live music and to make friends. There was also a great lineup of food trucks onsite to feed the masses. My personal favourite was a coffee truck that kept me filled with high quality latte for the whole weekend! No Go Coffee Company, thank you!

One of the highlights from day one was Angel Forrest. She delivered a blistering set in true Angel fashion. Angel engages with the audience, often to the point of singing from among them. It was fitting for Canada’s answer to Janis Joplin to finish her set with Me And Bobbi McGee, much to the delight of the crowd!

Angel Forrest. Kwmptville Live Music Festival. July 21, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

To finish the evening for the first day, they brought us Canadian icon Tom Cochrane. Tom has an extensive catalogue of music to draw from. Many have become anthems to music fans. He set the mood early with Mad Mad World and kept it rocking the whole set.

There were two distinct highlights for me on day two. The Angelina Hunter Trio was the first. I first met this band in Calabogie several years ago and have watched them develop since then and this time actually blew me away. Angelina’s singing and guitar playing has leveled up a great deal and her rhythm section of Sandy Hunter and Adam Bell are rock solid as well.

The moment most were waiting for that day was Bachman Cummings. The long overdue show from 2020 was finally in town and ready to go! They were billed as Bachman Cummings officially, but to so many, they were The Guess Who. They played hit after hit, and we knew them all. Many from the Guess Who era but some from Burton’s solo work and also Bachman Turner Overdrive as well. The Guess Who were a big part of my musical memories from my teen years so what a treat it was to see this pair of musical giants on one stage again!

Day three saw Kelly Prescott on the main stage and for a home town girl it was great. Kelly has come a long way. She is a third generation musician and has music running through her veins so it’s no shock that Kelly was born to entertain.

The headliner for Saturday was non other than Johnny Reid. I loved watching him as he came out on the stage, a true pro. He is not only one of Canada’s most popular singers but what a show. He uses the whole stage, including the wings and tries to get to every corner to play to every person in the audience. His band are not only top-notch musicians but they are also very dynamic, part of the show which is immediately evident. I found that I wasn’t just watching Johnny, there was interest all over the stage.

Johnny Reid. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

The final day of the festival was a big day as well. Andy Kim, another booking from 2020 was finally there to perform. Andy is a legend in Canadian music. Rock Me Gently, Sugar Sugar and Baby I Love You to name only a few. It would be hard to find someone who doesn’t know some Andy Kim songs. Andy’s band was made up of some well known musicians and three amazing background singers. He delivered a solid set of his hits and gave stories of where the songs originated as well. His set was much loved and many even went so far as to call it the highlight of the weekend.

Andy Kim. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 24, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

Remember me saying there was one meet and greet? This wasn’t official but after Andy Kim’s set, there were some friends of his from the area crammed into our tent trying to hide from the rain storm that hit just as Andy left the stage. They had some friends who wanted to meet Andy. The next thing I knew, he appeared from the hospitality building and was standing beside me posing for photos with these people. Did I get a photo with Andy Kim? You bet I did! What a completely nice and humble man!

Last, but not least was the festival closer, Glass Tiger. They have been playing together since the early 80s when they got together in Newmarket, Ontario. One of the bands from that era who are near to the original lineup. They were a crowd favourite as they delivered their many hits to the crowd. Alan Frew can still deliver the goods, maybe even better.

The festival wasn’t as well attended as other years as far as I could see but what festivals are? I think that some people are just not ready to dive into the middle of large crowds just yet. It’s my experience that most concerts haven’t sold as well as pre-pandemic whatever the reasons but I think Kemptville Live was overall successful. I can’t wait to see what they will have in store for us in 2023. A big thank you goes out to Bob, Karen and the dozens of volunteers that make everything work as smoothly as possible.

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Trevor Alguire. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Trevor Alguire. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Trevor Alguire. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Trevor Alguire. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Trevor Alguire. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Tom Cochrane. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 21, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

Sugar Crush. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

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Redfox. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 21, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt

Lynne Hanson. Kemptville Live Music Festival. July 23, 2022. Photo: Ron Pettitt