The Tea Party brought their Black River Tour to the Performing Arts Centre on March 30th and Scribbles was there, with "sweet spot" seats, 4th row, centre.Lead singer Jeff Martin (who still looks like a reincarnation of The Doors Jim Morrison) drummer Jeff Burrows and keyboard player (as well as several other instruments) Stuart Chatwood kept us entertained with a rock solid, 2 hour collection of the band's biggest hits, cover tunes and new releases.
Martin had the full capacity crowd in his command, instructing us when to stand, when to sit, when to be quiet and when to belt out a chorus line while he listened and gave his approval of our efforts. He also chatted a bit between tunes, gently reminding us to make the world a better place in light of the recent mass shooting in New Zealand.
The Proud Sons, an edgy country/rock group from Manitoba, opened for The Tea Party and got the already stoked crowd even more pumped up and thirsty for some Tea.
As per usual, my concert sidekick was our friend Shelley and we kicked off our night together with dinner at Gord's Place. After The Tea Party show was over, I escorted Shelley to The Warehouse where another band was performing. I stayed long enough to say hi to some old friends ("Hi Jen, "Nice to see you again Kazoo") and down a beer, before walking home in the teaming rain.
Even the bad weather couldn't dampen my spirits on this special night out.
Even the bad weather couldn't dampen my spirits on this special night out.
Here's a video of The Tea Party's Black River Tour recorded Dec. 29, 2018 at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto...
