Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
On Saturday, Dec. 11, Canadian country music sensation Gord Bamford will be playing a show at the Birch Hills Civic Centre.
It will be his second show of the “Kick Covid In the A**” tour; a tour that will feature Bamford and band playing predominantly in smaller towns.
“We just pulled out a map and said ‘where’s the smallest places we can go,’” Bamford said in a recent telephone conversation with the Herald. “(We) started putting dots on these places and said, ‘let’s hit em’ so that’s kind of how it went down.
“Saskatchewan has always been an awesome place to play. It’s always been a good place for my music and the people love it there.”
Bamford is a small town guy at heart and wanted to give back to some of the communities that have been struggling since the onset of the pandemic. Bamford’s appearance in Birch Hills will likely prove to be memorable for everyone in attendance.
“I think there is an awe factor you would hope for (when you come to a small town) and that’s kind of what you want as an artist or musician,” Bamford explained. “You kind of want to go in there and be the man and hope that people are like ‘wow, why are they coming to this town?’. That’s kinda the idea behind it.
“It’s going to be fun to go in and have people come to your show that are coming just to see you and be a part of the tour that we’re putting together. It’s a pretty cool thing.”
Bamford will have the chance to air out some of the songs from his most recent full length entitled “Diamonds in the Whiskey Glass”. His most recent single, “Drink Along Song”, is anthemic and fun, but much of the record also speaks to the small town way of life. It’s in Bamford’s wheel house and what he does best. He had a few chances to play these songs on the odd gig here and there but he has yet to take these songs out on tour.
“We had some great partnerships with some great corporate companies,” Bamford said. “We did drive in shows for mental health where we had shows, but it just wasn’t the same.
“It was great to raise the money, and we tried to do some virtual stuff here and there. We’ve been creative in what we were able to do in these times but everybody’s very, very excited to be back playing again live.”
Tickets for the show are available on Bamford’s website: gordbamford.com
Attendees must provide proof of vaccination, or proof of a negative COVID-19 test to get inside. To help make the concert as accessible as possible, Bamford and the tour are covering the cost of COVID-19 tests for fans who aren’t vaccinated.
Tests must be conducted no longer than 72 hours prior to the event. Tests will not be conducted at the door. Concert goers who test positive will receive a refund within five to 10 business days.
Attendees must wear masks at all times, except when actively drinking or eating, regardless of vaccination status.
The show starts at 7 p.m.