Two For The Show as Trooper and April Wine bring rock for final night of Grey Cup Festival

The 2017 Grey Cup Festival will come to an explosive end that will have you “Raisin’ A Little Hell” and you’ll definitely be “Here for a Good Time” on the final night that will have you saying “OoWhatANight” when it’s all over because Canadian rock icons Trooper and April Wine will bring the party to a close on November 25 at TD Place.

April Wine

The final night of the 2017 Grey Cup Festival began way back in 1969 in Nova Scotia. The Henman brothers, David and Ritchie, got together with their cousin Jim Henman and fellow musician Myles Goodwyn to form a band called April Wine, a name chosen simply because they were two words that sounded good together. Fifteen studio albums, three live releases, numerous compilations, a boxed set and thousands of concerts later April Wine has become enormously popular in Canada, the United States and throughout the world.

In March of 2009, April Wine was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame during Canadian Music Week in Toronto. They also received The Lifetime Achievement Award for being part of Canadian Music History for 40 years.

On April 18th of 2010, at the Juno Awards, April Wine was inducted in to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. 2017 saw April Wine enter into their 48th year as a band, with just as busy a schedule as ever… quite an accomplishment for any rock n’ roll band! If you’ve never seen April Wine live November 25 will be a “Wonderful Night to Fall in Love”. April Wine will keep you rocking until just “Before the Dawn”. If you want to learn more about April Wine check them out online at www.aprilwine.ca

Trooper

Joining April Wine for night 3 of the concert series are legendary Canadian rockers Trooper. It goes like this: millions of records, a couple dozen hits, a Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy) for Band of the Year and ongoing sold-out shows across Canada. Universal Music acknowledges them as “one of Canada’s top five selling bands of all time” and the Vancouver Sun has called them “Canadian rock heroes of the first order … the best performing band in Canada”

Trooper’s ten studio albums have earned multiple gold and platinum awards and their 6 X Platinum greatest hits, Hot Shots, continues to be one of Universal Music Canada’s best selling catalog CDs and one of the country’s most enduring party soundtracks. In celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary, a totally updated and re-mastered collection – “Hits From 10 Albums” – was released, featuring songs spanning the entirety of their recording career. John Kereiff, writing in Gonzo Magazine, dubbed the collection “THE summer album of 2010.”

In 2012 Trooper songwriters Ra McGuire and Brian Smith were awarded SOCAN’s prestigious ‘National Achievement Award’ to acknowledge their significant and lasting contribution to Canada’s songwriting legacy.

“We’re Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)”, “Raise a Little Hell”, “The Boys in the Bright White Sportscar”, “Two For the Show”, “Pretty Lady” “Good Ol’ General Hand Grenade”, “Round, Round We Go”, “Santa Maria”, “Janine” – just a few of the Trooper hits that, according to writer Ryan Sparks, “have woven their way into the fabric of this country like no other bands have been able to do. Tune into any radio station from Vancouver to St John’s and you’re bound to encounter one of their dozen hit radio anthems that are still featured in heavy rotation to this day.”

For me personally Trooper was one of the first (non-tribute) acts I ever saw live. Their performance, in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, blew me away; in the, nearly, 30 years since they continue to blow me away every time I see them perform live. There’s just some magic ingredient that bands like Trooper and April Wine have that allow them to improve with age. For more information on Trooper check them out online and don’t miss them on November 25 at TD Place.

Be sure to checkout our exclusive Grey Cup Festival Playlist for Night 3 on our Spotify page featuring the greatest hits of both April Wine and Trooper

Tickets for Night 3 are on-sale now at GreyCupFestival.ca