Joshua’s Live Music Memories (part 4): Canadian National Exhibition
We miss the CNE. We miss a lot of things this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Canadian National Exhibition is a big one, a fundamental piece of Toronto’s summer, and host to a lot of fun musical memories over the years.
We’ve seen pop, rock, country, classics, new artists, and more – and today I’ve got three memories to share from our time covering the concerts at the fair.
Related: CNE – 10 Canadian Performances – Fan Videos
This list has some Canadian country, some Canadian rock and roll, and an artist that had been on my bucket list for years, and made all the waiting worth it. Check ’em out!
Let’s go!
Jess Moskaluke & High Valley
The CNE Bandshell, 2016
This show was a lot of fun for a couple of reasons. 1) Jess Moskaluke and High Valley are both super talented Canadian country music acts, so getting them on the same stage on the same night was a win for all fans in attendance. 2) We got to bring my mom with us as her birthday present and she got to hang out while we did our interviews and then watched the show.
It was great to get to chat with everyone and share the highlights of those conversations in our posts. But, when it comes down to it, it’s that double-header of talent that makes this night memorable. First, Moskaluke (just weeks away from winning her third consecutive Canadian Country Music Association Female Artist of the Year award) played an hour-long set with 15 songs that included hits like Used, Kiss Me Quiet, and Night We Won’t Forget, plus covers like Ex’s And Oh’s and My Church (which made me run to our pal Stef so we could sing along at the tops of our lungs) before she closed things out with Cheap Wine & Cigarettes. She crushed it, could have been the headliner, and we hope that she gets that chance in the future.
As headliners go though, High Valley was a great fit. The Alberta brothers whipped up the Toronto crowd with hits and favourites. They had folks dancing and singing and treating a Sunday night like a Friday. Four years later (wow!) it’s still easy to remember the happiness that the country fans gathered in front of the bandshell stage were experiencing. The Rempel bros. were in control and making sure everyone enjoyed themselves, and they showed us that they are well-deserving of all the acclaim and fanfare they receive. Heck, if I could go back and just sing along to Make You Mine that night, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It was that fun.
Note: We also saw Jess Moskaluke & High Valley together when they were on the Paul Brandt Journey Tour in Oshawa in February 2019. Paul Brandt & The Journey Tour Hits Oshawa
2016 saw a lot of country music at the CNE, and we’re glad we were there for this night to wrap it up.
Sam Roberts
The CNE Bandshell, 2017
TerraForm: Sam Roberts Band with Jane’s Party at the 2017 CNE
I’ve been a fan of Sam Roberts for quite some time now, and when we got to see the band in Toronto in 2017, it was a treat. For an hour and a half, Roberts and the band played new songs, old songs, big hits, and fan favourites. They did it with no frills, just rock, and I appreciated then, and remember it fondly now.
In my head I can still hear Where Have All The Good People Gone, We’re All In This Together, and Brother Down. I can feel the rock and roll and smile on my face and the Canadiana washing over me. It’s a lovely memory and one of the coolest parts of seeing great shows is the remembering (in my opinion).
The Sam Roberts Band is still pumping out great music, and we all know they are wonderful. But seeing them in 2017, 15 years after I became a fan, really cemented all of that for me. I’m glad I was at this show. I’m glad I remember this show. And I hope that lots and lots of people have similar Sam Roberts memories and get to make more of them in the coming years.
TLDR Sam Roberts Band is great, they played an awesome show at the CNE in 2017, and I remember it very, very fondly.
Rick Springfield
The CNE Bandshell, 2015
Rocket Science: Rick Springfield Rocks It Out at the 2015 CNE!
Look, Rick Springfield was a lot of fun at the CNE back in 2015 – but there’s one overwhelming reason that this show is memorable and made it into this post – Jessie’s Girl!
Yes, it was really cool to be blown away by the energy and guitar chops and rock and roll vibe that Springfield showed off at the bandshell (because I didn’t know he had that in him), but really it was the legendary hit single that hovered over the entire set. I knew it was going to be the encore. Everyone should have known it was going to be in the encore. BUT, every time Springfield played even a hint of the Jessie’s Girl guitar riff, the crowd went nuts.
The set was super fun, the crowd was perfect for him, and he even nailed a cover of Katy Perry’s Roar. And then, when we were in encore time and Rick Springfield and his band finally played Jessie’s Girl, I popped, the crowd popped, he looked like anything other than a 66-year-old artist who hadn’t played the bandshell in 33 years, and it was AWESOME!
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