advertisement
FYI

Brett Kissel Sells Record-Breaking 6 Drive-In Concerts In AB

The fundraiser for foodbanks includes six announced shows over two days in June with a ticket price of $50 per show and a maximum of 185 cars per, as stipulated by health authorities. Stingray has the audio feed and a TV special is being financed by Invictus Entertainment Group.

Brett Kissel Sells Record-Breaking 6 Drive-In Concerts In AB

By David Farrell

The decorated CanCountry star has sold out six ticketed drive-in concerts that take place in a casino lot outside Edmonton on June 13 and 14.


With three two-hours shows, 4, 7 and 11 pm on both nights, and a capacity of 185 cars per show (as stipulated by health authorities) at the main parking lot of the River Cree Resort and Casino outside of Edmonton, proceeds from Kissel and his five-piece band are to be donated to food banks through a program set up by (principal sponsor) Sobeys and its Safeway brand.

The audio feed from the full concert production will be fed to a Stingray FM channel that is also scheduled to be broadcast nationally. Band members will be performing on a stage with lights, with members separated by plexiglass shields.

advertisement

According to Kissel’s manager Louis O’Reilly at Invictus Entertainment Group, the company is shooting a ‘making of' doc at the site with negotiations for a dedicated broadcast carrier under discussion.

The speed with which the shows sold out is a big boost for concert promoters everywhere who have been suffering shell shock from the pandemic lockdown.

As Kissel himself explained in a May 25 Twitter burst: “OMG! The appetite for live country music is so strong! We sold out show #1 in 5 minutes. We sold out show #2 in 15 minutes. Adding 2 x more shows on Saturday (@ 4pm) / & Sunday (@ 4pm)!”

If all that weren’t enough, there is a plan to announce a pair of matinee shows with an unnamed artist that will serve a unique purpose in these covid times.

Show banners for the series feature the all-cap declaration: 'Tough Times Don’t Last. Tough People Do’. It’s a Kissel-esque touch that speaks to the hard-working ethos that has earned him a strong fan base, and one which he often rallies for causes close to the heart. This time it's for the needy at home, and earlier it was to help a charity providing shelter and services to those affected by a tornado that ripped through Nashville, TN, in March. That Edmonton concert staged before the lockdown raised $57K for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s emergency response fund, $3200 of which came from auctioning off two rolls of toilet paper which no doubt added a bit of levity to a cause that was deadly serious.

advertisement

Over the past decade, Kissel has received a showcase of Canadian Country Music Association Awards, (including two consecutive wins for Male Artist of the Year and Fans' Choice trophies). He is also the recipient of the Allan Slaight Honour from Canada's Walk of Fame (previously presented to Drake, Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd), the Breakthrough Artist of the Year winner at the Juno Awards, and was recognized as the International Artist of the Year at a Worldwide Radio Summit in Hollywood, California. The Warner Music Canada act has also racked up 16 Top 10 hits since Started With A Song was released in 2013.

advertisement

Further details about the show can be found here.

advertisement
Mustafa
Joseph Marshall
Mustafa
Awards

Mustafa, Nemahsis, Saya Gray and More Nominated on Polaris Music Prize 2025 Short List

The winner of the award for Canadian album of the year will win $30,000 at the Massey Hall gala on September 16. Here's who made the list.

The Polaris Music Prize has unveiled the 10 albums on this year's short list. The list was voted on by a large pool of music critics, journalists and curators, to find the best Canadian album of the year based solely on artistic merit.

The $30,000 winner will be chosen by an 11-member grand jury and revealed at the Polaris concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall on September 16. That ceremony will also reveal the winner of the brand new SOCAN Polaris Song Prize as well as the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize winners.

keep readingShow less
advertisement