The Get Loud Tour kicked off in Toronto on Thursday night with some extra special guests, an excited crowd, and a booming performance by headliner Tim Hicks.
The tour kickoff was presented by Boots & Hearts, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and KX Country and just like the Royal, it brought country to the city.
Hicks and his tourmates Tebey and Madeline Merlo were joined by The Washboard Union at the Enercare Centre for a full night of Canadian country music. From start to finish the energy in the building was high and if this was any indication of how the next 18 dates on the cross Canada Get Lour Tour are going to go, fans are in for a treat.
Note: We want to give Tim Hicks a little extra love for his efforts to team up with Plus 1 to donate $1 from every ticket sold on tour to the Unison Benevolent Fund. And thank you to every fan who buys a ticket and helps support the organization.
Throughout the night there were surprises, cheers, singing along, and everything that makes live music great. To tell you that this tour has been planned to give fans the maximum entertainment impact possible is probably an understatement, but that's the easiest way to describe it. Every artist that hit the stage (including the surprise guests) brought their A game. And all of them looked like they were having just as much fun as the fans in the crowd.
B.C.'s Madeline Merlo hit the stage to start the show, and what a start it was!
With all of the effervescence and energy that we've come to love and expect, Merlo started the show with a strong seven-song set. And while it was short, it was also sweet. With Honey Jack, her first Top 40 single, off the top there was an immediate connection to the crowd. A quick look around the room showed fans singing and dancing along, and that was just the beginning.
As she continued, Madeline engaged with the Toronto crowd, nailing her role as party-starter. She also used her set as an opportunity to introduce some new music to fans, mixing in two unreleased tracks with favourites like Whatcha Wanna Do About It and Neon Love. And when it was time to close out the set, the choice of Motel Flamingo was perfect. The Top 10 hit got all the love it deserves with singing, dancing and cheering from the front of the crowd to the back. It was a great wrap on her set and bumped up the energy one more time before she left the stage.
Note: Madeline Merlo is also using the Get Loud Tour to help a good cause. Donations from the sale of War Paint merch will be made to CAMH in support of mental health programs. It's a worthy cause, a great organization, and it's amazing to see her joining forces for good.
Madeline Merlo Setlist, Get Loud Tour Toronto
Honey Jack // Whatcha Wanna Do About It // Kiss* // War Paint // Neon Love // Unravelling // Motel Flamingo
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Tebey took the next spot in the Thursday night lineup, and the hit singer and songwriter was more than ready.
The Ontario native came onto the stage with a sweet smoke and light intro, setting the tone for a performance that had the crowd all in. And there was no letdown at all as Tebey and the band immediately went to work with Jealous Of The Sun and When The Buzz Wears Off.
With Tebey's third song we got our first surprise guest of the evening. 2018 Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase winner, Kris Barclay was welcomed to the stage to help sing Wake Me Up. The song, which is always a big hit, got the Toronto crowd fully engaged. We saw singing and dancing and girls on shoulders as the two singers took turns belting out the lyrics.
Before the set was done, Tebey busted out his two most recent smash hits for the Get Loud crowd. Both Who's Gonna Love You and Denim On Denim got huge reactions, giving us our first big crowd singalong moments of the night with a choir of country music fans showing Tebey love for his work.
Note: There was one more surprise for Tebey later in the night as Tim Hicks surprised him with a Gold Record plaque for Denim On Denim. It was a great moment of celebration of a very talented Canadian dude.
Tebey Setlist, Get Loud Tour Toronto
Jealous Of The Sun // When The Buzz Wears Off // Wake Me Up (with Kris Barclay) // Lot Of Leavin' Left To Do // Who's Gonna Love You // Now I Do // Denim On Denim
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The Washboard Union took the next to last spot of the night in the special guest slot on the opening night of the Get Loud Tour and The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
The B.C. trio (who we caught up with in Kitchener this week for a sit-down interview and 5 Quick Questions) was a welcome addition to the show, bringing another layer of excitement and country music love to the Toronto crowd.
Related: The Washboard Union What We're Made Of Tour Interview
With hits and fan favourites from their two full-length albums, plus a great mash-up of I'm In A Hurry and Don't Stop Believing Aaron, Chris, and David were in a groove throughout their set. And when a set of giant balloons were tossed out into the crowd during Maybe It's The Moonshine there was a new excitement in the room as they bounced overhead. That excitement continued as the band played song after song that Toronto knew all of the words too. And the boys noticed, with Aaron telling them how much they love and appreciate hearing them singing along to the songs they write.
There was a feel-good vibe that was undeniable by this point in the night with The Washboard Union running through songs like What We're Made Of and Feel Like That. And when we remembered that we still had Tim Hicks coming up, the night's talent and entertainment seemed that much more impressive.
Before the CCMA Group of the Year left the stage they got one more big singalong from the crowd on Shot Of Glory. We heard the Boots & Hearts crowd wow them with their response this summer, and on Thursday night the B&H sponsored event gave them another moment to remember. Go see these guys on their own tour if you have a chance!
The Washboard Union Setlist, Get Loud Tour Kickoff
Shine // Maybe It's The Moonshine // She Gets Me // What We're Made Of // Feel Like That // Head Over Heels // I'm In A Hurry/Don't Stop Believing // Shot Of Glory
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With only Tim Hicks left on the night's list of Canadian country acts, there was an air of anticipation that you could feel throughout the room. Every little hint that the show was about to start, a mic check, a change in the bumper music, anything at all caused a stir and sounds of excitement. And when the curtain dropped to reveal the band on stage in all of their rock & roll country glory, the cheers were amped up to a new level.
It would be cheeky to tell you that the boys were on fire, but it wouldn't be wrong. The energy and enthusiasm that Hicks and his crew exhibited were exactly what we knew we'd get from the singer - but knowing that we'd get it took nothing away from the experience of being there for it. As a performer, Tim Hicks continues to show crowds that he's got new tricks up his sleeve, new ways to give them a show they won't soon forget, and a reason to come back to see him when he's in town next.
On Thursday night the perennial Male Artist of the Year contender had new music from his latest release, New Tattoo to go with fan favourites from his previous three albums, and he managed to mix in a little something for fans that have come into his music at any point along the way.
From the top of the set, New Tattoo and Here Comes The Thunder set the tone. There was no doubting that this was going to be a pumped-up country show that didn't shy away from the rock side of things, and embraced all of the things that Hicks and his band love about live music. And by the time Loud and Hell Raisin' Good Time rounded out the first four songs of the show, every Tim Hicks fan in the building was all the way in and ready for whatever was going to come next.
Note: During Hicks' set we got our last special guest of the night as Leah Daniels joined him on stage to sing Lindsay Ell's part on the new single, The Worst Kind. The Uxbridge, ON native, was strong on stage (as she always is) and will do it again in Orillia on November 10.
We got a treat to end the set when Tim invited Madeline Merlo, Tebey, and The Washboard Union out to join him on stage. And after Tebey was presented with his Gold plaque, the group sang What A Song Should Do together. It was sweet and a nice tour moment that we hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy.
Then came the encore. With some of the loudest cheers of the night, the crowd begged for Hicks and the band to come back to the stage. And when they did, the fans got exactly what they wanted. The combo of Stronger Beer and Get By were the perfect pair of songs for a Tim Hicks headlining encore. The last energy of the night was spent singing, cheering, and dancing to songs that were built to do exactly that. It was love and live music. It was a fantastic way to kick off a tour.
You might even say it was what a song should do.
Tim Hicks Setlist, Get Loud Tour Toronto
🔊 New Tattoo
🔊 Here Comes The Thunder
🔊 Loud
🔊 Hell Raisin' Good Time
🔊 One Horse Town
🔊 If The Beat's Alright
🔊 The Worst Kind (with Leah Daniels)
🔊 Slide Over
🔊 1975
🔊 Gettin' To Me
🔊 Stompin' Ground
🔊 Slow Burn
🔊 I Got A Feeling
🔊 What A Song Should Do (with Madeline Merlo, Tebey, The Washboard Union)
ENCORE
🔊 Stronger Beer
🔊 Get By
