Killarney’s Kick Off To Summer Concert is coming right up next Saturday, and headliner Jade Eagleson is ready.
“It’s going to be a good country show,” said Eagleson, who takes the stage Saturday, July 5 after special guest Steven Lee Olsen. “There’s no gimmicks, there’s no crazy light show. We just get up there and do our thing. We just play the music we love.”
And the summer schedule is already getting hectic for Jade Eagleson and his crew, with several shows to fit in before Killarney’s.
“We’ve got two shows in Florida, then we’re playing Humboldt, Saskatchewan, then we’re playing the Calgary Stampede, and then we’re heading straight from there over to you guys in Killarney,” Eagleson said. “There’s a bunch of new songs we’re working on too, with the next project underway. So you’ll hear some new music at this show for sure. We’ve got a few songs kind of tucked away that we’re excited to show everybody.”
Building up his US profile has also been keeping Eagleson and his band busy.
“This is the first year we’ve been playing the US circuit pretty heavily, so it’s been kind of interesting bouncing back and forth to Canada,” said Eagleson, talking from his home in Nashville, where he’s lived with his young family for nearly four years now. “But it’s been building down here, and it’s been fun honestly. It’s a weird thing because you’re starting higher, but from the bottom again. It’s totally cool, and this is something I want, and what I have to do.”
Eagleson said the touring schedule can be extremely grueling down south, but at the same time it’s easier to gain new fans.
“There’s just so much more to play down here, and it’s good, but it’s a grind,” he added. “You go to Canada and you get your heart filled up, because you’ve built something there and people are showing up to your shows. And then you come down here and play Texas, in 50 degrees, to 20 people in lawn chairs. But it’s worth it, it really is.”
In 2018, Eagleson released his debut single ‘Got Your Name On It,’ and he’s been a rising country music star ever since. The music video for ‘Got Your Name On It’ now has over 96 million views, and became the first debut single by a Canadian artist to go Platinum.
Most recently, the Ontario native won the 2024 Album of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards, after being named the 2023 CCMA Awards Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.
“It’s been good,” said Eagleson of his young music career. “I’ve been very blessed to have any success, period, in this industry, because it’s a tough one to find success in. It’s competitive, and it’s not really a forgiving business either, because you’re left to the judgment of other people, and that’s how you become successful. You’re leaving your fate in other people’s hands in a sense.”
Live shows rule in today’s music industry, and Jade and his band tweak their live game constantly.
“The live show is your business, and that’s what you signed up for,” he said. “Writing songs, and the entire process, all boils down to going out and presenting those songs in a live setting. Going out there and playing to fans – that’s my favourite part of it.”
Live music at the Kick Off To Summer Concert gets underway down at the Killarney Ag Grounds at 5:15 p.m. with classic rock band Mother Groove. They’ll be followed by Dreams and Rumours, who will leave you feeling like you just walked out of a Fleetwood Mac concert.
Next up will be Canadian country music artist and songwriter Steven Lee Olsen, who is best known for his singles ‘Raised by a Good Time’ and ‘Outta Yours.’ This year Olsen embarked on his headlining ‘Country Night in Canada’ tour across the country.
And Jade Eagleson is looking forward to capping the whole thing off in fine style.
“It’s going to be a great time in Killarney, and, I’ve got to say, my band is the hottest thing with strings,” he added. “They’re incredibly talented, and wonderful human beings too, and they put on a heck of a show. Even if you don’t want to come see me, come see them, because they’re pretty awesome.”
Tickets to the show are still $65, and available at eventbrite.com, the Shamrock Centre, Lewis & Jones, Kitchen & Caboodle, Kerry Park and the Killarney Ag Campground. Tickets can also be purchased, for $75, on the day of the concert, so get yours early.
Gates for the Kick Off To Summer Concert open at 4 p.m., Saturday, July 5, with happy hour pricing till 5 p.m.
BY JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE
READY TO ROCK – Jade Eagleson (above) is ready to rock the Killarney Ag Grounds on Saturday, July 5. See more photos below from last year’s Kick Off To Summer show.
