REVIEW | Trans Canada Highwaymen

Take four guys from popular Canadian, namely, Moe Berg from the Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Murphy of Sloan,  Craig Northey from The Odds and most recognizably, Steven Page of The Barenaked Ladies. Get them to perform each other’s songs together and you’ve got the Trans Canada Highwaymen.

This unique grouping debuted a 19 city tour on Wed. Apr.19 at First Ontario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines. As per usual, I was there with our friend Shelley Stewart, who is a huge fan of all genres of music.

Between songs, the guys exchanged banter about them getting together, or what the next song meant. 

Other times they used a projector screen to show Moe, Chris, Craig and Steven being asked questions or showing images of old records, ticket stubs, chart ratings, classic pix, cool collectible kinda stuff.

The show was as anticipated. Trans Canada Highwaymen showcased the guys talents and gave you the bonus of having 4 “groups” combined into one new group. So, four times the familiar hits. WOOHOO!  That part was pretty cool.

And they were having fun and including us in the experience. There’s nothing worse than going to a concert and not being included in on the fun. They could have easily talked among themselves and acted like we weren’t even there, but they didn’t do that. It was them sharing their stories WITH us. It was great. And being the first show of a new tour made it extra special.

Another great night out with Shelley, first at Gord’s Place [no Chicken Bites for me, this time around it was a nice Bacon Cheeseburger with those delicious home cut fries...damn, I want another one right now!]  and then at the Performing Arts Centre for Trans Canada Highwaymen, likely the last show for a while, as the live stuff shuts down for the summer.

The Performing Arts Centre also features the Film House, which airs new and rare movies, and is fully licensed. It will be open most of the summer. 

If Trans Canada Highwaymen are appearing near you, they’re worth checking out.

VIDEO  |  

Here's a video taken last summer in Niagara-on-the-Lake ON, when the Trans Canada Highwaymen performed at a popular winery.