Bamford ends tour on a high note
Gord Bamford was a breath of well-seasoned country air on Friday night.
The Canadian country music star ended a 29-concert tour - “the best
tour of my career by far” — in front of 700plus boisterous fans at Kelowna Community Theatre.
Although the 41-year-old announced “we're saving the best for last,” the set list was much the same, drawing from his string of 24 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards and multiple Juno nominations.
It was natural that he led off the 22 songs on the setlist (and long two-song encore) with the double-entendre for listeners: Heard You In A Song (2016, Tin Roof) and followed that up with the popular Blame It On The Red Dress (2007, Honky Tonks and Heartaches).
The latter was a reminder that it was his first Top 10 hit on the Canadian country singles chart in his 23-year recording career.
The music video by award-winning director Stephano Barberis, reached No. 1 on Country Music Television Canada's Chevy Top 20. “It must be Friday night,” said Bamford responding to the outpouring
of Saturday night applause followed by Farm Girl Strong (2012, Is It Friday Yet?).
He didn't hesitate to stop the music when he spotted two youngsters from Armstrong holding a large poster saying: “This is the little guy's first concert.” Bamford brought Austin and his older sister on stage, and presented them with guitar picks.
Both wore his signature Country Junkie Tshirts.
Neon Smoke, the lead single from his eighth studio album, was followed by the crowd favourite, (I Went For One But) Stayed Til’ Two (2007, Honky Tonks and Heartaches). Judging by the two-thirds of the 700-plus at the theatre leaving their seats for a beverage re-fill during the opener-main act break, many planned to follow his example.
Fans also appreciated the line: “We're all searchin’ in bars and churches” after Bamford joked his wife, Kendra, suggested they go to church and he responded: “That sounds like fun.”
Both Bamford and opener Aaron Goodvin marked the tour end by taking photographs of their bands with the crowd as backdrop.
Banford included Ain’t It Grand — a tribute to this country — a Neon Smoke duet with Blue Rodeo frontman Jim Cuddy.
He verbally invited Cuddy to join him on stage — as breathless fans waited — but then admitted Cuddy couldn't make it. “We tried, we tried,” he claimed and sang it instead with Goodvin.
Bamford also paid tribute to early cowboy days by gathering band members around a square metal fire pit (with the words Neon Smoke cut into the side) and singing a few ballads. Sitting on log stools, Bamford commented he wasn't sure whether to include the campfire segment because the Kelowna crowd was so boisterous.
What made this concert special for many fans was Bamford’s stories about his wife, daughters, son, grandfather and bandmates.
The encore was unusual — Bamford leading off with Charlie Daniels’ fiddle classic The Devil Went Down To Georgia (2000, Road Dogs), then leaving the stage while his band did covers of Pink Floyd’s The Wall Part 2 and Eric Clapton's Layla (Derek and the Dominos), and finishing with the rest of The Devil Went Down To Georgia.
As if to follow up on the earlier theme of intoxicating beverages, Bamford ended the concert with (I’m Sippin’ On) Breakfast Beer.
Goodvin celebrated his third Top 10 single, Lonely Drum which followed Knock On Wood and Woman In Love. Hejoked: “We’re experiencing extreme difficulty up here,” alluding to end-of-tour pranks: drumsticks taped together, his guitar strap intertwined with the guitar stand and partaking in something that meant “I literally can’t feel my lips.”