There was some wholesome and family-friendly entertainment filling the Bold Center last Saturday as country music star Charlie Major rocked the house to celebrate 50 years of Pow Wow Days.
Organizers converted the soccer fieldhouse into the venue, while Edmonton-based Axe music provided a state-of-the-art PA system and stage.
The hometown crowd feasted on beer and hot dogs, while youngsters scurried around on the fieldhouse floor—likely the first-ever concert for many of the under-10 set.
Brett Kissel, a rising country star from northern Alberta, took the stage first. Right off the bat he got the crowd two-stepping with a spot-on cover of Small Town Saturday Night by Hal Ketchum. And this Saturday crowd didn’t let up, as Kissel blazed through originals from his 2008 breakthrough album My Roots Run Deep before whipping out some up-tempo new material.
Mixing things up, the young crooner belted out tunes from Brooks & Dunn, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Eagles, and the Man in Black himself: Johnny Cash.
After Kissel’s toe-tappin’ performance came the main event—the big man himself, Charlie Major. Mr. Major clearly held a special place in many a concert-goer’s heart, as dozens rushed up to the stage with his opening chords to get a picture—a little piece of the legend himself to take home.
Then the music kicked in, and the crowd got what they came for. Major had the whole place boot-scootin’ and belting along to his sing-a-long hits: Life’s Too Short, Some Days are Better, and It Can’t Happen to Me, among many others.
The event was also a party for A & T Construction, as the Lac La Biche company was celebrating their 50th anniversary—formed the same year as Pow Wow Days. So there was a VIP area upstairs for the special commemoration
Organizer Karen Lewiski said there were at least 500 people in attendance—a great success in her book.
“This was the highlight of the weekend for me,” she said.
