The weather was perfect, not too hot but also not too cold. The crowds were there in full force, one thing was clear Brockville came to party and veteran Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell did not disappoint.
See Spot Run
The show, held right on the shores of the St. Lawrence River in Brockville, Ontario, was the kick-off for the annual 1000 Islands Regatta and was opened by Montreal based rockers, See Spot Run. The group won the "breakout single of the year award" in 1999 for their single "Weightless" and are getting ready to release their fourth album (technically their 5th but Super-Heros Sous Peu was french covers of earlier released tracks). The performance was ok but lacked the oomph and magic you'd expect from a band wanting to make a comeback, but the beer drinking pre-Canada Day party crowd didn't seem to care.
Kim Mitchell
When I was growing up Canadian rock was defined by a few distinct bands and individuals, last night's headliner, Kim Mitchell, was without a doubt one of those pioneers that paved the way for what Canadian music has become. Last night on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River in Brockville, Ontario Kim Mitchell put on a good old fashioned rock show. No gimmicks, just good ol' Canadian rock and roll and boy did he ever nail it.
Last night was far from my first time seeing Kim Mitchell perform live but one thing is certain hair or no hair the man still knows how to put on one heck of a show, when your career crosses 4 decades and you're still going strong I'd say you're doing something right!
Over the 2 hour set Kim played some of the biggest songs from the Max Webster days and every one of his solo hits as if he wrote them yesterday...not bad for a guy who suffered a heart attack this past January and had emergency surgery.
1000 Islands Regatta
The 9th annual 1000 Islands Regatta continues in Brockville all weekend long with hydroplane races, featuring over 90 competitors from as far away as Louisiana, as well as boat loads of entertainment for the whole family including Rockstar Milot Land Tour Freestyle Motocross Show. For more details on the weekend's events visit: http://1000islandsregatta.com/
If you're looking to catch Kim this summer he'll be travellin' across the country with his next stop on July 8 in Moncton, NB before returning back to Ontario for a pre-64th Birthday show (Kim turns 64 on July 10, 2016) at the 2nd annual HaveRock Revival in Havelock, Ontario. Following Haverock Kim heads west for a couple of dates in BC and one in Alberta and then returning to Ontario on July 23 to perform at the KEE to Bala. Kim caps off his summer with a couple of shows in Alberta in mid-August. For full tour dates and information be sure to visit: http://kimmitchell.ca/tour/
Field Service Tech by day, Live Music Nut by night! My family and I call the Thousand Islands region of Ontario home. I'm a blogger, social media geek, tech, and live music fanatic. I founded Sound Check Entertainment in 2010 to help promote festivals and emerging artists from across Canada and the world! I now act as festivals liaison, manage media relations and, of course, cover events in the National Capital region. I'm also a diehard Habs fan but Sens fans fear not; as long as they aren't playing against my Habs I cheer just as loud for the Sens.
