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I saw the Steve Miller Band at a medium-size outdoor festival. That was great.

In clubs and bars...

The first time I saw #Nazareth live, it was at a place called Barn 22 - it's a converted barn on highway 22, near Grayson, Saskatchewan. The tour tee-shirts they were selling even had #Grayson listed as a stop!. And the show was utterly amazing. It was very much the show captured on their live album 'Snaz (also known as It's Naz), though that was in a stadium.

Grayson: population ~200

2/

There were easily 3x that many people at the show. We drove out from Regina to see them

I saw Nazareth twice more, at a bar in Regina. Great shows.

I saw #Trooper, twice, in that same bar. Trooper was *amazing*, both times.

I saw Doug and the Slugs in a different bar, and that was possibly the best time I ever had at a live music show. Incredible entertainment. #DougAndTheSlugs

I saw Cowboy Junkies in another bar. Their music was great, though not much of a performance.

3/

It was weird, sitting at the bar and being almost close enough to touch Margo Timmins, the singer - literally about eight feet from me. I could hear her singing directly, in addition to through the PA. #CowboyJunkies

I saw Moxy Fruvous twice in smaller places; good.

There were a ton of others that I don't need to get into. A couple of honourable mentions, though.

The band I saw live more times than any other was Shuffle Demons, a difficult-to-categorize jazz-pop-bop-funk band from Toronto.

#ShuffleDemons were incredible live. Three lead saxophones, upright bass, and drums. They worked their asses off live, traveling back and forth across Canada for years. I'd go see them every time they came through. Between shows in Saskatoon and Regina, I must have seen them 8 or 9 times. A highlight was when they would ask the audience to stand for "our national anthem", and then break into a jazzy rendition of the Hockey Night in Canada theme.

I hear they're back together recently.

/5

I haven't been to see much live music in years, even before COVID. But one show I did go to see was April Wine, playing at the local casino show lounge. Bigger than a bar, but still a small venue.

April Wine had been touring Canada and the world for more than fifty years when I saw them. They were amazing to hear, even if only a couple of members were original/long-term members of the group. Fantastic show.

/6

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the light shows and special effects and fancy stages and the rest that goes into a modern big-act arena tour are okay, but the bands who learned their chops touring in a van, driving across Canada and playing shows to 200 people in a club, for years on end, don't need any of that glitz.

They just have musicianship, showmanship, dedication, and character.

/fini