A plaid, blue-jean, and cowboy-boot uniform was donned by the majority of concert-goers and, Wednesday, March 4 in Peter Clark Hall (PCH). The venue was packed with an enthusiastic crowd to see Tim Hicks perform. Special guests Labelle opened and warmed up the crowd. Labelle played classic country tunes about drinking beer, chewing tobacco, and driving trucks, but surprised the crowd with an unexpected but brilliant mashup of Ludacris, David Lee Murphy, and everyone in between, before announcing that the headliner was to arrive shortly.
Despite an almost 30-minute break between openers and Tim Hicks, the crowd hardly seemed to notice. Country standards blared from the speakers and what can only be described as a hoedown took place in PCH. Almost every attendee knew how to line dance, and one of the most synchronized routines Peter Clark Hall has ever seen went down just as Tim Hicks took the stage. To say that Hicks knows how to work a crowd is an understatement. He played a mix of party country classics, and songs from his new album 5:01, as well one of his few ballads, “She Don’t Drink Whiskey Anymore.” Between songs, Hicks bantered well with the crowd, taking selfies with front row attendees and sharing stories about the band. Boos were well received when he admitted he had attended Waterloo University (he has a bachelor’s in psychology), but he quickly reminded the crowd that he had spent his fair share of nights crawling out of the Brass Taps after a few too many. An especially large cheer went out when he proudly admitted that the entire band had once been arrested behind Frank and Stein’s when they were first getting started.
Hicks’ unique blend of pop sensibilities, and country content was a great addition to what might have been another uneventful hump day in Guelph – or as Hicks put it, the start to a great long weekend.