Aaron Halliday and his band gave the crowd at the Legends Centre theatre in Warman their money’s worth last weekend.
Backed by Ian Stewart on steel guitar and lead guitar, Kelly David on bass, and Brock Neilson on drums, Halliday took centre stage in a concert that packed more Alan Jackson hits into a single evening than you could shake a cowboy boot at.
“It’s great to be on the road again doing live shows,” said Halliday. “After two years of Covid lockdown, there’s nothing better than playing in front of people and sharing great music.”
With his ten-gallon white cowboy hat, sandy-coloured moustache, torn jeans and lanky build, Halliday bears a striking resemblance to the legendary country superstar. On stage, he’s got Jackson’s trademark moves down pat, and his friendly, easy-going patter between songs quickly won over the audience. It’s easy to see why he was named the 2021 International Singer songwriters Association Award for Entertainer of the Year.
Right from ‘Gone Country’, the opening number that set the theme for the evening, the band was spot-on with Halliday’s covers of Jackson’s classics. Ian Stewart’s crisp licks on both pedal steel guitar and lead guitar gave the ring of authenticity to the music. Kelly David’s performance on bass guitar was low-key but always on target.
While both Stewart and David, both from BC, have accompanied Halliday numerous times in the past; the drummer on this leg of Halliday’s tour, Brock Neilson, is new to the show. Hailing from Saskatoon, the 26-year-old never missed a beat.
The crowd came to hear familiar material, and Halliday was happy to oblige, serving up toe-tapping tunes like ‘Summertime Blues,’ ‘Living on Love,’ ‘She’s got the Rhythm, I got the Blues,’ ‘It’s 5-o’clock somewhere,’ ‘Chattahoochie,’ ‘Good Time,’ ‘Margaritaville,’ ‘Chasin’ that Neon Rainbow’ and ‘Little Bitty,’ while sprinkling in a few reflective ballads including ‘Dallas,’ ‘Here in the real world’, ‘Remember when’, and ‘The older I get.’
He saved the best for last, with ‘Where were you when the world stopped turning?”- a song written by Jackson just a few weeks after the horrendous 911 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.
Halliday also gave the crowd a taste of his own songwriting abilities, showcasing an energetic piece called ‘One Track Mind’ and a melodic ballad entitled ‘This ain’t just another road’, co-written with Jay Bitner.
Halliday and his wife Sharyn, who handles the business end of the shows, have travelled all over western Canada playing to audiences in towns large and small. They recently sold their home near Kelowna, BC to move to Saskatchewan. They bought land in Glidden, a village south of Kindersley, where they’ll put down roots.
Asked after the show if he’s ready to handle a Saskatchewan winter, Halliday just grinned.
“We won’t be here,” he said, adding that while he loves the wide open spaces and beautiful prairie summers, he and Sharyn already have a steady gig lined up in Mexico from October to May.