Rains don’t damper Killarney Canada Day Concert
BY JAY STRUTH
It was another amazing Canada Day Concert in Killarney, despite a storm that threatened to shut the whole thing down.
Thunder and lightning in the distance, turned into light rain around 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by pouring rain that soaked the Ag Grounds venue and fans too.
The fabulous fans were not deterred, however, hunkering down under tents, tables, umbrellas, and even their lawn chairs, to get out of the rain. And when the storm stopped around 8 p.m., the fans showed up in droves, hoping the concert could be salvaged.
And salvaged it was, with The Reklaws starting their headlining set around 10 p.m., after a major clean up on the stage and sound equipment.
The atmosphere was electric, and it was evident that the rain had not dampened spirits, as The Reklaws put on an awesome show for the concertgoers, who numbered nearly 3,200 strong.
Justin LaBrash and his band played a slick set for the after party, following the fireworks, which exploded right on cue as The Reklaws wrapped up their show by leading the whole crowd in O Canada.
LaBrash, who was originally supposed to open for The Reklaws, was moved to the after party, and he closed the evening out nicely with some of his recently awarded songs and some popular cover tunes.
In the end, all the bands did get to play on Canada Day, with Manitoba groups Sentinel, TangleBox, and Hicktown all making it through their first round of sets, before the two hour rain cancelled their second round of sets midway through.
All in all, it was a wonderful birthday bash in celebration of our country, and one heck of a party.
The Killarney Community Events Committee (KCEC) couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out, and plans will soon be in the works for next year’s event.
One thing’s for certain, the KCEC will be bringing the party back to K-town again in 2024. Stay tuned!
Keep scrolling for videos from The Reklaws’ show and a whole lot more photos from the entire Killarney Canada Day Concert.
REKLAWS RIP IT UP – Jenna Walker and brother Stuart Walker, along with the rest of The Reklaws, put on an amazing Canada Day performance for the fans in Killarney.
Opening acts set the stage for great show
HOME OPENERS – Homegrown Manitoba bands Sentinel (top), TangleBox (middle), and Hicktown (bottom) opened up the musical portion of the Canada Day celebrations at noon. Unfortunately, they weren’t all able to play their second round of sets, as the rain cut TangleBox short, and cancelled Hicktown’s second set altogether.
And then the rains came…
HUNKERED DOWN – When the rain was still light, fans took cover under anything, hunkered down and waited.
TENTING IN THE RAIN – When the rain got heavy, it was off to the beer tent for many fans looking for cover.
MC JACKSON – Emcee for the show, Brody Jackson, and his son, Luca, stay dry under an umbrella.
PILOT MOUND PARTY – A bus load of fans from Pilot Mound got a chance to meet The Reklaws before show time.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON – After blowing the water off the stage (above), then squeegeeing, and drying everything up the best they could, the stage crew was ready to flood the crowd with lights (below) and get the show on the road.
FIREWORKS AND AFTER PARTY – A fabulous fireworks display (above), followed by an awesome after party by Justin LaBrash (below), was how the Killarney Canada Day Concert closed out. What a way to cap off Canada’s 156th birthday!
