Review by: Katherine Colwell
The 25th Annual Rainmaker Rodeo took place in St. Albert, Alberta this past weekend, and did not disappoint as crowds braved the mud, rain and cold to pack the “big top,” for country night.
From the moment CCMA nominee Dallas Smith stepped on stage wearing an Oilers jersey, Smith never failed to entertain the crowd, playing hits from his debut country album Jumped Right In, the singer proved he’s here to stay in country music. The crowd sang along to the singles including “Jumped Right In”, “Somebody Somewhere” and the up-tempo “If It Gets You Where You Want to Go” in addition to Smith’s take on Keith Urban’s “I Told You So.” Though the set was full of upbeat crowd friendly numbers, Smith took a moment to pay tribute to his wife, whom he married last fall, with the song “And Then Some”. As he sang, you could feel the love he has for his wife as the lyrics “I will give you my last breath so you can carry on/I love you that much, and then some” resonated throughout the venue. In a nod to Dallas’ days as the front-man of the Canadian rock band Default, Smith played a country take on the band’s 2001 single “Wasting My Time,” which proved to be the highlight of the evening.
JUNO Award winners Doc Walker headlined the night with a set featuring hits from the band’s lengthy career. Notably popular amongst the crowd was their 2002 single “Rocket Girl.” A song that has always been a hit when the band plays in Alberta; “Rocket Girl” strikes a chord with the crowd as the lyrics “She said, have you ever been to Alberta/Wheat fields as far as you can see/ Have you ever seen the prairies,” never fail to get fans singing along while serving as a nod to the provinces beauty. Other hits from the night included From Here, If I Fall, Where I Belong and Country Girl as well as the band’s current single Put It Into Drive, the perfect summer song to crank up while on a summer drive.
Craig Moritz, Curtis Grambo and reigning Canadian Country Music Association Group of the Year Hey Romeo completed a lineup of all Canadian talent that entertained the massive crowd in St. Albert Saturday night.
