Pictou
County musician shows he can entertain with the best of them
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
"He’s
not a bird, he’s not a plane, he’s just George,"
declared the fake movie trailer opening.
But
as Pictou County’s George Canyon hit the Halifax Metro
Centre stage with his six-piece band performing the title
track from his CD Somebody Wrote Love, he proved he could
soar with the best of them. On the second-last date of a 32-show
national tour, which wraps up tonight at Yarmouth’s
Mariner Centre, Canyon showed no lack of energy or good spirits
as he performed a splashy, entertaining show for 2,500 fans
on Thursday night.
Dressed
in a glittering, embroidered black jacket and his trademark
ebony Stetson, Canyon looked pleased to be playing for a hometown
crowd — including many vocal supporters from the county,
plus his mom Cheryl and his high school math teacher —
and poured on the charm, whether he was crooning the laid-back,
Tom T. Hall-ish Your Smile or a high-energy Gordie Sampson/Jamie
Robinson tune like Happy Man.
Canyon
debuted the new song Ladders to Climb, an inspirational number
with an upbeat, contemporary feel, before paying tribute to
"the backbone of the operation" and the reason why
he’s probably happy the tour’s almost over, his
wife Jen, on One Good Friend. "You’re the one who
sends me flying, and the one who reels me in," he intoned,
over a subtle lap steel part by guitarist Stuart Cameron.
As
a special surprise, Canyon brought out friend and fellow singer-songwriter
Dave Gunning for a few numbers, their voices meshing wonderfully
on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s classic Pancho and
Lefty, while Gunning soloed on the bittersweet Saltwater Hearts.
Canyon returned for the powerful Long Black Veil, with an
eerie fiddle solo by Nashville’s Justin Clark and the
band blazing away cranked up to 10.
Clark
also figured prominently in Canyon’s heartfelt tribute
to Canadian soldiers, I Want You to Live, playing a haunting
Danny Boy while smoke filled the stage and lights strobed
to the sound of gunfire.
Fans
got added value when Canyon strolled through the crowd looking
for a dollar bill to put between his guitar strings for a
Johnny Cash tribute segment, while he cranked up the sentiment
on Maddy’s Song for his daughter ("She’s
six going on 20") and Quitters, written for a wheelchair-bound
boy eventually able to walk as a young man.
There’s
no doubt that Canyon can tug heartstrings, but he’s
just as good at the fun stuff, like the video hit Drinkin’
Thinkin’ (sadly, clip star Bubbles couldn’t make
it to share the stage) and the rousing let’s-get-away-from-it-all
tune Time for Goodbye. Given the quality of the show, and
Canyon’s ability to command the stage, it won’t
be time for a goodbye to his musical career any time soon.
(
scooke@herald.ca)
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