The man who feels “there isn’t enough love in this world” single-handedly did his best to up the quota Saturday night at the Centrium in Red Deer.
Juno Award-winning, multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter Johnny Reid shook fans’ hands, kissed cheeks and gave out liberal hugs. He brought various kids onto the stage, handed out free stuff, and generally charmed the full-house audience of about 5,500 people.
Somewhere between all the love fostering, the singer who stands at the crossroads of soul, R&B and country also happened to put on a heck of a show during Westerner Days for the second year running (he was just as popular a draw at last year’s fair).
But if Reid the entertainer came precariously close at times to being upstaged by Reid the humanitarian, audience members from all over Central Alberta and Edmonton and Calgary couldn’t have cared less.
Hoisting signs that read “We love you Johnny!” the crowd was definitely on board with the affable Scottish-born entertainer, who’s sold more than half a million copies of his recordings across Canada and won 13 Canadian Country Music Association Awards.
“It’s so nice to be here . . . I FEEL THE LOVE!” Reid shouted, to wild cheers from his audience.
Wearing pointy-toed white shoes and jacket and black pants, he opened the concert with a high-energy, soulful version of Which Way is Home?, supported by an expansive band that included three horn players, two hot-pants-wearing backup singers, a keyboardist, violinist, bassist and drummer.
Reid danced around, swung a white mic stand out towards the crowd, and threw out some stuffed toy bears during Love Sweet Love, which featured hot violin and saxophone solos.
After a slower rendition of A Woman Like You, Reid brought a little girl with pigtails on stage to help him sing You Gave My Heart a Home.
When the youngster finished strumming the acoustic guitar he’d put over her shoulder, Reid told the girl she could keep the instrument, in hopes it would inspire her to create her own music someday. (“Awww,” responded touched fans).
Reid, who did his best to perform for the entire audience including those people sitting on the far sides — explained that he was about the same age as the young girl when his uncle snuck him backstage at a Frankie Miller concert. The popular Scottish singer was so gracious, that Reid said the memory of that meeting inspired his own singing career, which started after he emigrated to Canada as a teenager.
“I’ve seen so many places I’d never thought I’d see and met so many people I never thought I’d meet. There’s no greater feeling than being up here in front of so many friends,” he said, to more cheers from his “tartan army.”
The married father of four, who went on to sing Let’s Go Higher, Love Thing, Out of the Blue, Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You, Missing an Angel, Kicking Stones, Dance With Me, and Thank You, brought his oldest son, Tyler, out to throw a few more stuffies into the crowd.
He also shared one of his latest tunes, Fire It Up, and urged fans to go “ape s---t” over it, whether or not they liked it, “because I’m very sensitive.”
Maybe it was the song, or maybe it was Reid’s crowd-pleasing antics of hoisting kids into his arms while running up and down aisles — but the crowd complied and went ape s--t, alright.
Reid’s interactions with youngsters might have seemed more cloying if his interest in young fans was less genuine. But it’s hard to beat his dual talent of writing buoyant tunes and delivering them in such a heartfelt way.
I guess that’s why he’s so popular with people of all ages.
The mother and daughter duo, Myrol, opened the concert with a short country set that included the catchy tune Just Turn Around. Joanne and Haley Myrol were in fine voice, and one wonders if they could have played longer if crowds could have been ushered into the Centrium sooner.
As it was, it took a ridiculously long time to get motorists off Delburne Road and into Westerner parking spots — which were filling up so fast that officials had to scramble to find new ones. If such popular performers as Reid are going to be brought to the Centrium during the fair, a more efficient entry/parking system really needs to be worked out before 2012.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com