The James Barker Band came home to Boots & Hearts on Friday evening and they 100% proved that It's Working.
The 2015 Emerging Artist Showcase winners, Canadian country music chart toppers, and Juno winners played on the Boots & Hearts 2018 main stage and owned it. Thousands of fans pushed in to get closer to the stage as the band ripped through their hits, fun covers, and even paused to shotgun some beers.
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B&H vets remember the summer of 2015 when James, Taylor, Bobby, and Connor won the opportunity to release their debut single, Lawn Chair Lazy. They remember seeing the boys on the front porch stage and then again on the main stage. And they remember the auction. Three years later they brought it back again. This time, a dude named Josh was up for auction and James reminded everyone that he's still got those auctioneer chops. It was a lot of fun to revisit that Boots & Hearts memory, and it was a great intro to a cover of John Michael Montgomery's 1995 classic, Sold.
As inarguably one of Canada's hottest young musical acts, James Barker Band have a growing fanbase that includes diehard experts and newcomers alike. And on Friday evening, we got to see all of them come together to sing along to songs like It's Working at the top of the show, Good Together and fan favourite, Living The Dream in the middle of the set, and Chills to close the set. Having the chance to see the band play Chills at what felt like a homecoming show was awesome. The song has been a huge hit, becoming their first #1 at Canadian country radio, finding it's way onto the Canadian Hot 100, and breaking into the Top 50 at US Country radio. Atta be boys!
There's risk in making predictions for the future. But stick with us on this one. James Barker Band are going to go as far as they want to go. They will be headliner level entertainers. They've got the skill on stage, the energy and enthusiasm for a big stage show, and they show no signs of slowing down. The only thing they need now is the recorded and released material to fill the set on the big festival stage.
Here's hoping we see the James Barker Band back at Boots & Hearts again in the future. A bunch. Maybe back on the main stage in 2020 as the sun goes down and we can all celebrate the fifth anniversary of their Emerging Artist Showcase win.
Until then, a lot of happy festival goers are going to have memories of Friday when the boys did what they do and gave everyone Chills.
James Barker Band Setlist, Boots & Hearts 2018
🍻 It's Working
🍻 Going Places
🍻 Just Sayin'
🍻 Keep Your Hands To Yourself
🍻 Good Together
🍻 Living The Dream
🍻 Sold
🍻 Lawn Chair Lazy
🍻 Black Dog / Mr. Brightside / She Don't Like The Lights / Style / My Girl / Hot in Here
🍻 Chills
