Canadian country music band Doc Walker kicked off their nation-wide “Are You With Me Tonight?” tour with a raucous concert at Spectra Place in Estevan on Saturday night.
The award-winning group opened with “Country Girl,” which is from their most recent full-length album, “16&1.” They performed other songs from the CD, as well as some of their other memorable hits, such as “She Hasn't Always Been this Way,” “Rocket Girl,” “That Train,” “North Dakota Boy” and “I'm Gonna Make You Love Me.”
They also played “Beautiful Life,” which earned them several awards from the Canadian Country Music Association a couple years ago, and “She Hasn't Always Been This Way,” which launched the band to stardom back in 2001.
They wrapped up their performance with “Show is Free” and a three-song encore that included their song “Coming Home.”
They also paid homage to their Manitoba roots by performing a montage of songs from Manitoba recording artists.
Band members Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw and Murray Pulver raved about Spectra Place's appearance and sound.
“I noticed that when I went up and talked to the sound guy … he said it sounded really, really good,” said Thorsteinson. “Even our sound guy said it sounds better here than in some of the theatres we play in. They're building these places a lot better now. I used to dread playing in hockey arenas.”
The tour will take them across Canada in a six-week span before Christmas. Not only will they be promoting "16&1," but they will also be playing songs from a four-song Christmas EP that they released on November 7.
The band wrote three of the songs on the EP.
“I'm glad we used songs that we wrote, too,” said Thorsteinson. “I think it gives people another insight into who we are. You can write songs about love, drinking beer and living in the country, but when write about Christmas, you're inviting people into your Christmas.”
Third Degree Birnz was the opening and the closing act. The rock group performed cover songs before Doc Walker took to the stage, and wrapped up the evening once Doc Walker was finished.
Please come back to www.sasklifestyles.com on Friday for more on this story.
