Fantastic finale

It’s never an Ordinary Day when Great Big Sea hits town.

The Newfoundland folk-rockers, an inspired choice to close the 2013 Thunder Bay Blues Festival, lived up to the hype on Sunday, roaring through a 90-minute set of fan favourites and rocked out sea shanties that kept the Marina Park crowd dancing and singing along well into the night.

The love affair between the city and the band goes both ways.

Sean (The Shantyman) McCann spent a portion of his day wandering the streets of Thunder Bay, passing the time taking in the sights and sampling the cuisine.

His tour included a stop at the Java Hut for perogies, a visit to Merla Mae’s for ice cream and unable to resist the name, a drop-in at Fat Guys Auto Parts to see what they were all about.

It’s the latter where he asked for directions to the festival.

“I said I want to go to the Blues Fest in Thunder Bay. He said, ‘That’s no problem, you just keep going down this road, sir, you’ll get there,’” McCann said, interrupting the music for a few minutes to tell his tale.

“As I was walking, I got in a crowd of people who were walking. And one of them looked at me and recognized me and said, ‘Hey, I know you.’ I said yeah, I’m the fat guy. He said, ‘No, no, you’re the guy that plays in that band. You’re that Alan Doyle guy.’ I said no, wrong fat guy.”

McCann kept walking, nonetheless.

“I got down to the gate and I realize that I didn’t have any accreditation whatsoever. So I hoped when I approached the gate the security guard would actually recognize me and let me in. No. Then I told him, where my walk had started and you’ve got to believe me. I’m from Newfoundland and I’m in Great Big Sea. I said what’s more important than that, I just went to the Java Hut and had some perogies. Then I went to Merla’s and had an ice cream cone and then I went to Fat Guys, who told me to come this way.
So ya gotta let me in. He said, ‘OK, come on.’

“And that’s why Thunder Bay is amazing.”

It was that kind of day, the finale of the three-day festival.

Though Great Big Sea was the main draw, one of the most talked about and anticipated acts in years, they had plenty of big shoes to follow. First and foremost were the pre-headliners, The Family Stone, who got everyone’s mojo moving, Sly or no Sly, with a set that started with Everyday People and ended with Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again).

Front-man Alex Davis gave a simple message of encouragement to the laid-back few in the audience, urging them to hit their feet and dance along.

“If your hands ain’t clapping and your feet ain’t tapping, lay down, you’re dead. We’re going to call the paramedics,” Davis shouted, launching into Family Affair, their 1971 hit.

Not even balding Canadian classic-rocker Kim Mitchell announcing to his fans that he’d lost his voice over the past couple of days and wouldn’t be able to sing could put a damper on the day.

Instead, bassist Peter Frenette took the wheel, aptly covering for Mitchell, who nevertheless shone on guitar, as he led the band through a collection of rock staples, including Go For a Soda, Rockland Wonderland and, with the aid of Great Big Sea’s Alan Doyle in a special guest appearance, Patio Lanterns.

Mitchell, who turned 60 last year, even poked fun at his age and his previous life with hard-rocking Max Webster, a band surprisingly familiar to many of the younger set in attendance. 

“Sometimes the kids know the music because the parents shove it down their throats,” Mitchell said.

Perhaps Doyle said it best.

“We’ve had some great days and great nights in Thunder Bay, and today has been an awesome day.”

Don’t doubt it. Newfoundlanders are usually right about these sorts of things.