Red Truck Beer company succeeded once again in a spectacular evening filled with people in cowboy hats, tons of beer, and 6 amazing bands to fill the night with a great party atmosphere. Red Truck had previously sold out their first Red Truck Series event of the year last month, days before the event started, and this one would be no different.
The Brewery site, located a block east of Main and 1st Ave saw a beautiful Vancouver evening with no rain in sight. The entry in was quick and painless; no lineups to get in although by the time I arrived the place was already packed. Note to self and others- be sure to get beer tokens, since the lineups to get into the bar, food stands, and beer stands were somewhat long.
The first two acts of the day where Alberta based Sykamore and the up and coming Vancouver artist Kristin Bunyan. Both girls set the tone of the evening with passionate powerful voices – both singing country/folk style pop songs which had the dance ‘floor’ rocking for a great start off vibe.
More people flooded in just before Chris Buck Band started on the main stage. The Vancouver based Country singer recently released a Self Titled record, and boy is this album performing well on the Canadian Country charts. I recently saw him perform with Kadooh at the Roxy (who also co-wrote and co-sang one of Buck’s new songs), and was excited to see Chris Buck live, as one of the biggest headliners of the day. I was not disappointed! Chris Buck Band played close to an hour, choosing a variety of songs from all their albums; “Giddy up”, “Sun Set Down” and “Caribbean Dream” lit the show with everyone singing along and swinging their hands in the air. They also played a few covers; “Over The Castle” (Ed Sheeran), an instrumental rendition of “Run To The Hills” (me being the Iron Maiden 80s metal fan jumped around expecting the lyrics), and “Body Like a Bad Road” (Sam Hunt). Frontman Chris Buck was able to connect with the fans in a great way, and the packed brewery made it so hundreds of fans could enjoy. My favourite song by the band was “That’s When You Know” a recent single with Kira Isabella that is ranking up views on YouTube, radio, and country music stations all over the country.
After Chris Buck Band, the crowd dispersed to grab food and beer. With a sold out show, the venue was packed to capacity which made it challenging to find a good place to stand or sit and eat & drink. But it left me with good motive to come back again and get some craft beer and do a tour of the inside of the brewery at some point in the summer.
Edmonton based The Dungarees played on the second stage in front of the restaurant and directly opposite of the main stage. Honestly this country band felt more like a filler before Drake White, but still managed to pull of a great show.
Drake White & The Big Fire was a total hit. The Nashville country singer had the entire venue singing and dancing to his music. The renowned upcoming country singer killed it with hits “It Feels Good” and “The Simple Life”. A highlight of his show was when he played “Making Me Look Good” and a couple who where celebrating their 20 something anniversary danced romantically with his voice in the background. A very appropriate anniversary gift.
The best moment of the night was clearly when Drake white sang “Whats Up” by 4 Non Blondes. A magical vibe happened at the end, as absolutely everyone at the venue, no matter how far in the back, sang to the 90s tune. After a bit to many beers I head home singing ‘Whats Up’ on the Skytrain. In all it was a memorable show. Hopefully the next couple of Red Truck Concert Series sell out too. Local bands need an outlet like this to get their music out. Kudos to Red Truck beer for hosting these great summer shows.
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written by Emilio Angel