Lightfoot at Boots and Hearts festival: Sharing a bottle with Toby Keith in Clarington
http://www.durhamregion.com/news-sto...in-clarington/
"I'm thinkin' it would be an even greater night in Ontario if Gordon Lightfoot was here with us,” Keith said, and Lightfoot briefly appeared to cheers.
Country star passes mezcal around at Boots and Hearts Music Festival
Boots and Hearts 2014
Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland
CLARINGTON -- Toby Keith performed for a packed house at the third annual Boots and Hearts music festival, held at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Friday evening. August 1, 2014
DurhamRegion.com
By Mike Ruta
CLARINGTON -- So, what do you do if you’re Toby Keith and around two-thirds of the way through your set no one can hear you playing?
You grab a bottle and have a drink. But the country music star did better than that, handing the bottle of mezcal into the crowd so a few people could have a snort as well.
As the perennial chart-topper sang How Do You Like Me Now?, there was suddenly silence: no vocals, no guitar or bass, just the faint sound of drums. Keith didn’t realize it at first, continuing the song as some boos and shouts of ‘c’mon’ were heard from the crowd. Finally, someone held up a sign to Keith that read, ‘mic isn’t working’ and a few seconds later Keith said (lip-reading here) f---! After a roughly five-minute delay, the sound problem was fixed and Keith and the band finished the song.
It was just one of many surprises, some unwelcome, and highlights during his set and Day 2 at the Boots and Hearts Music Festival at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Clarington.
The rain came - and while it’s become an annoying aspect of the event, as in previous years it wasn’t a party killer. Still, torrents of it fell after the first two acts had played the main stage. And there was thunder and lightning, causing a lengthy music delay. But the hail was a bit much.
“It hurt,” said Andrea Doucette of Uxbridge, at the festival with sister Allie.
The two said they joined around 50 other people crowded under umbrellas to wait out the bad weather.
The sisters are at Boots for the weekend and, like most in the crowd, they shrugged off the weather with an attitude that’s become a festival trademark.
“We’re having fun; it’s a great time,” Allie said. “It’s a great way to spend the weekend.”
And who better to have a great time with than Keith? Amiable and unabashedly bawdy, the big guy from Oklahoma is a party force to be reckoned with. And with 19 No. 1 songs in his repertoire, he had a lot to choose from in making up his set. But clearly one song stood out: Red Solo Cup, a reference of course to those plastic drinking cups most people know from camping and parties. It turned into a big, fun sing-a-long, with two large red cups on stage (Keith nuzzling up to one at one point and calling it “my bff”) and many more smaller ones waving in the crowd.
“When I was flying up here today they said there was zero per cent chance of rain,” he laughed. “Bull----.”
When Keith introduced You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This by saying “this might be the hottest love song I ever wrote” and asked everybody to slow dance, he seemed surprised to see it happening in front of him in the crowd, exclaiming, “everybody’s dancin’!”
In a serious moment, Keith asked everybody to raise a glass as he toasted Ontario firefighters and police and those serving in the Canadian military.
Introducing the Gordon Lightfoot classic Sundown (fantastic song, great cover by Keith), he noted that it made one of his albums and that Lightfoot is his favourite Canadian artist. After a nice guitar solo in the song, Keith said, “how groovy is that y’all.
“I’m thinkin’ it would be an even greater night in Ontario if Gordon Lightfoot was here with us,” Keith said, and Lightfoot briefly appeared to cheers.
But Mr. Good Time didn’t stay serious for long. He played two songs that have never been on radio, including the hilarious, I’ll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again.
The weather delay meant The Road Hammers didn’t perform and Paul Brandt, who stopped by the media tent to say hello, took to the covered, Front Porch Stage.
The day started out hot and sunny but, after the weather rolled through, it became quite cool at the park. More of the same is expected today.
Today on the Main Stage, Jordan McIntosh is to kick things off at 1 p.m. with headliner Luke Bryan ending the night with a 9 p.m. set.
Share your photos, thoughts on the performers and everything else Boots with us on Twitter at @newsdurham or use the hashtag #bootsandhearts.
Boots&Heart Festival-Bowmanville,Ont.LIGHTFOOT !
