Peterborough Musicfest Welcomes Alyssa Reid And Valley On Saturday
/Valley and Alyssa Reid will hit the stage at Del Crary Park on Saturday as part of the Peterborough Musicfest Summer Concert Series.
Photo by Luke Best.
Peterborough Blogs
Let's Dance As Bowie Tribute Hits Del Crary Park Stage On Saturday
/The Bowie Lives featuring Peterborough’s own Michael Bell will hit the stage at Del Crary Park on Saturday.
Photo by Luke Best.
In collaboration with musical director Michael Beauclerc, Bell debuted The Bowie Lives in 2017 and has since fronted the tribute to the late singer, songwriter and actor, performing at venues across Ontario and beyond. In bringing Bowie back to life, Bell et al perform a long list of hit songs that dominated the charts over five decades – Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Fame, Golden Years, Let’s Dance, Modern Love and many more.
The Bowie Lives is actually Bell’s second homage to the singer. In the late ‘80s, he toured ChangesAllBowie but eventually turned his attention full-‐time to The Wire MEGAzine, the Peterborough-‐based tabloid that he founded, and raising his family. Following Bowie’s death in 2016, Bell’s passion for the singer’s music and legacy picked up right where it left off, fueled by heightened music industry and public interest.
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. It is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair or chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
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54-40 Fills Del Crary Park With Biggest Show Of the Season For Peterborough Musicfest
/It was a packed house at Del Crary Park as rock band 54-40 had the city on their feet at Peterborough Musicfest on Wednesday night.
The band wasted no time in getting the crowd pumped, opening with their hit song ‘Nice to Luv You.’ They followed their act with several more fan favourites such as She La, Ocean Pearl and I Go Blind. During their encore, the band slipped in a cover of Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the middle of their set.
This concert had the biggest attendance of the season according to Tracey Randall, Musicfest general manager.
“There are over 8,000 or 9,000 people here, she said. “This is more than the Sam Roberts band.”
54-40 Returns To Del Crary Park For Wednesday Night Musicfest
/54-40, multi Juno Award-‐nominated Canadian alternative rock band, will perform at Del Crary Park on Wednesday at Peterborough Musicfest.
Photo courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest.
Formed in 1980 by high school pals Neil Osborne and Brad Merritt, 54-‐40 was featured heavily on Canadian rock charts from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s on the strength of hit songs such as She-‐La, Ocean Pearl, Luv You, Baby Ran and I Go Blind – the latter inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2021.
In addition, three 54-‐40 albums – Dear Dear (1992), Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret (1994) and Trusted By Millions (1996) were certified platinum while 1998’s Since When earned gold status. 2018’s Keep On Walking was the band’s 14th album.
Having headlined Peterborough Musicfest in late July 2019, 54-‐40 returns to Del Crary Park with Osborne (vocals/rhythm guitar) and Merritt (bass) joined by Dave Genn (lead guitar), Matt Johnson (drums) and David Osborne (organ/saxophone).
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. It is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair or chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
Country Music Star Sacha Will Play A Hometown Show At Musicfest On Saturday
/Peterborough Musicfest will host Sacha, Canadian country music star who was born in Warkworth, on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Richelle Umali.
Saturday will be the singer-songwriters first ‘hometown’ show since her rise to stardom in 2020.
“Growing up I remember school trips to the Lift Lock,” said Sacha. “Peterborough would be one of the closest ‘big cities’ to me growing up.”
Sacha released her EP The Best Thing and the single Standards, which, to date, has been streamed 10 million times and counting, in July 2020.
“I’ve been in the music realm for a long time but 2020, for some reason, presented an opportunity for mem to be seen and heard. I guess the world shutting down gave people the opportunity to look around.”
After the success of her EP, her collaboration with The Reklaws on their smash What The Truck gave Sacha her first gold-certified hit.
A Country Music Association of Ontario Rising Star nominee in 2021, Sacha was named an iHeartRadio Future Star, and three of her videos – for the songs Cheers, Standards and What The Truck – have received regular play on CMT.
She says that growing up in Warkworth has influenced the type of music she writes and plays.
“My parents were musicians,” she said. “I grew up small town, country living. We grew our own veggies, stuff like that. My mom played every kind of music around the house. Music was an influence from day one.”
She says that concert goers can expect songs that they can sing to, new songs and songs that take people back.
“I’ll share my story and hopefully people can leave inspired, knowing that anyone out there have a dream and all dreams can come true if you just work hard and stay authentic to yourself.”
After her show in Peterborough Sacha will head to the Boots and Hearts music festival in August, and will tour with popular country duo Maddie & Tae in the fall.
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. It is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. a fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Peterborough Musicfest Celebrates Ronnie Hawkins Day On Wednesday With Special Tribute To The Late Legend
/Peterborough Musicfest will feature ‘The Last Waltz - A Musical Celebration of The Band’ with a special tribute to the late Ronnie Hawkins, featuring The Weber Brothers and special guests, on what will be Ronnie Hawkins Day in Peterborough, on Wednesday.
Photo by Luke Best.
Hawkins was among a number of artists who joined The Band for their final performance 48 years ago, performing his signature hit Who Do You Love? in rousing support of the musicians that backed him from 1958 to 1963.
Wednesday will celebrate the life and music of Hawkins, who died on May 29, 2022.
Joined by special guests Chuck Jackson, Johnny Max, Matt Weidinger and Quisha Wint, Anderson (piano/vocals) will lead a stellar nine-‐member band featuring Levon Helm’s godson Jerome Levon Avis (drums/vocals).
Also in the mix are Terry Blersh (guitar), Wayne Deadder (bass) and Rob Gusevs (organ), and a stellar horn section comprised of David Dunlop (trumpet), Simon Wallis (baritone sax), Gord Meyers (trombone) and Chris Murphy (tenor sax).
Formed in Toronto in 1967, The Band – Levon Helm, Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel – revealed itself as something very special with its critically acclaimed debut album Music From Big Pink.
The Band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The Last Waltz film, directed by Martin Scorsese, remains celebrated as one of the greatest concert documentaries ever made.
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. a fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Peterborough Musicfest Will Host Country Stars Sacha and Owen Barney Saturday Night
/Peterborough Musicfest has announced that Sacha and Owen Barney will perform Saturday night at Del Crary park.
Photo by Luke Best.
Both Canadian country acts are relatively new to the music scene.
Raised in Warkworth, Sacha’s star has risen quickly since the July 2020 release of her EP The Best Thing and the single Standards, which, to date, has been streamed 10 million times and counting. Her follow-‐up collaboration with The Reklaws on their smash What The Truck gave Sacha her first gold-‐certified hit.
Sacha arrives in Peterborough riding high on the success of her new four-‐track EP We Did, one of those tracks being What The Truck – the fastest-‐ever Canadian country song to go gold in the streaming era. She’s also coming off a 16-‐city trek in the US that saw her open for Maddie & Tae’s Next Women Of Country All Song No Static Tour.
A Country Music Association of Ontario Rising Star nominee in 2021, Sacha was named an iHeartRadio Future Star, and three of her videos – for the songs Cheers, Standards and What The Truck – have received regular play on CMT.
Meanwhile, Toronto born and raised Owen Barney first strummed a guitar at age seven and, influenced by country music heavy hitters such as Eric Church, Steve Earle and Jason Aldean, started performing shows in the big city at age 14.
2019 saw the release of Barney’s debut EP Home and appearances on bigger stages, but it was his 2020 follow-up EP, No Road Too Long, that took him to the next level with the charting singles Thank Her For That and Pour Me – the video for the former garnering 320,000 views before he was named Amazon Breakthrough Artist of the Month in September 2020.
Barney has since issued a third EP, Tough Times, a three-‐song collection that gave him another hit in You Make Me Wanna (Brown Eyed Girl).
This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. a fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of weathera cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Peterborough Musicfest Announces Two New Acts For Their 2022 Summer Series
/Peterborough Musicfest has announced two new acts that will perform at their 2022 summer series. 54-40 will light up Del Crary Park on July 27, with Alyssa Reid and Valley putting on a Show on Aug. 6.
Photo by Luke Best.
Formed in 1980, 54-40 has been nominated for eight Juno Awards and was among the top 50 selling Canadian artists from 1996 to 2016.
They will appear on stage on July 27 at 8 p.m.
Alyssa Reid’s single ‘Alone Again’ topped charts in 2011 and she hasn’t stopped climbing since.
Her latest album, “ASHS” with over 10 million streams so far, is a testament to her artistic growth and evolution.
JUNO Award-nominated Valley is an alternative pop group based out of Toronto. The group picked up a 2020 JUNO Award nomination in the category of “Breakthrough Group of the Year’.
Reid and Valley will be at Del Crary Park on Aug. 6 at 8 p.m.
Del Crary Park Is All Revved Up For Meatloaf Tribute Band At Wednesdays Musicfest
/Peterborough Musicfest presents Meat Loaf tribute band All Revved Up on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Photo by Luke Best.
Backed by a seven-piece band based out of Long Island, New York, John Saxon Doboe will perform Meat Loaf’s high-energy signature songs like; Bat Out Of Hell, Paradise By The Dashboard Light, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, and I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That), which brought Meat Loaf a Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo.
Beyond the talents of Doboe and the band, the night will feature costume changes, choreography and even comedy is in the mix as All Revved Up pays tribute to Meat Loaf’s extensive music catalogue produced and performed from 1977 to 2016.
If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. - fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of weather-cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.
Attendees should bring their own lawn chair or blanket or can rent a chair for $4.
Peterborough Musicfest is a free event.
Photos: Sam Roberts Band Rocks Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park
/Less than one year since their last appearance in town, the Sam Roberts Band performed at Peterborough Musicfest at Del Crary Park Wednesday night.
This was the Sam Roberts Band’s third appearance in Peterborough. Their first appearance was at Showplace Performance Centre on Nov. 24, 2014. Photos By Luke Best.
Fans packed the park and were ecstatic to see the Sam Roberts Band return since their last appearance in August. The drive-in concert at the Peterborough Memorial Centre was cut short due to a storm.
After so much time without concerts, Sam Roberts told the crowd to “Throw your shame out the window and dance!”
Throughout the evening, the alternative rock band played fan favourites such as “Shapeshifters” and “Brother Down.” Roberts shared stories of playing Peterborough for the first time in 2002 at the since-closed nightclub, Sin City to a single attendee named Kevin.
