Bamford performing at his first drive-in concert in Red Deer on July 1, 2020 (Photo: Todd Korol / Gord Bamford)

By Shaun Penner

Drive-in Country Show

Gord Bamford to hold drive-in concerts at Evergreen Park July 24

Jul 9, 2020 | 1:27 PM

The Grande Sunset Theatre at Evergreen Park is set to host its first live, drive-in concert later this month.

Twenty-six time Canadian Country Music Award winner and Alberta native Gord Bamford is set to make a stop at Evergreen Park on Friday, July 24 as part of his Drive-In for Mental Health concert series. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Northwest Region.

The stop in the Grande Prairie area will be the fourth of his tour, after a Canada Day show in Red Deer and upcoming shows in Lethbridge July 11 and Calgary July 18. Bamford tells EverythingGP that playing a show in the Peace Country was important to him, especially after having to cancel his planned concert in November at Revolution Place earlier this week.

“Grande Prairie has always been one of my favourite places to play and visit. I’ve always felt like that was really the first step of my career (in Grande Prairie),” recalled Bamford. “I had my first hardcore Gord Bamford fans in the Peace Country and Grande Prairie.”

After being sidelined for the last four months because of COVID-19, Bamford says he is really excited to be performing live shows once again, even if in an untraditional format. He says he was recently approached by ATB Financial about putting on the drive-in series, which he felt was the perfect way to get back on stage.

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Bamford adds that the feedback he heard from the July 1 show in Red Deer was overwhelmingly positive, and feels concert enthusiasts will feel right at home.

“Really, it’s just a live concert. You just sit in your vehicle and have your windows down and your sunroof open.”

“We’ve got a whole bunch of PA that surrounds the whole concert bowl, its like surround sound. It’s kind of like the Pink Floyd experience.”

Bamford will play two, 60-minute sets on July 24 at 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $65 for a vehicle, with all of those proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association chapter right here in the Peace Country.

Bamford says the decision to support mental health initiatives with this tour comes as he sees mental health issues as not only prevalent over the last few years but especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He says struggles with mental health were something that weighed on him and his crew, as they were a few of the many Canadians who had been out of work because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“For us, to be able to be up on stage and perform and feel like we got our job back, that is just a morale booster for everybody.”

He adds taking a concert could also help fans regain a sense of “normalcy”.

“I think people used to going to concerts and accustomed to making that a family outing, or a date night, it’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Bamford noted his appreciation for Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, and Alberta Health Services for collaborating to help put this tour together with proper safety protocols. With that, there are some guidelines in place for those who will be attending the shows:

Courtesy: Gord Bamford

Tickets for either show can be purchased on Bamford’s website.