Day 33 ~ ~  Saturday, December 21 2008

The excitement for Christmas is building as we perform closer and closer to home. Today we have 2 shows, an afternoon and evening performance. The second show was added after the first show was sold out. This makes for a busy day.

Boyd had a brief opportunity to visit his home in Halifax. He picked up some supplies and continued back to the theatre.

The weather was cold and windy earlier in the day and by the evening it was a full blown snow storm. The audience was brave to stay for the entire show. David Miles and his brother braved the wind and snow. Good to see you guys. David?s music is excellent, a good gift for anyone at Christmas.

After the show, the weather was so bad that our bus driver John couldn?t get a taxi to the theatre. Luckily, our brave manager Andre Bourgeois took his 4x4 to pick him up. The load out of the theatre was really messy. The crew was pretty soaked. Thanks for your hard work.

One more sleep before we are home....

Day 32 ~  Saturday, December 20, 2008

Back in NOVA SCOTIA, hooray!!!! This is the first time we?ve done the Christmas show in Antigonish. Antigonish is the home of Sheumas? wife Monica, so he is a favorite of the locals.

We saw our Aunt Joan and the gang from Washabuck. It?s nice to see our friends from home.

Boyd and Jamie?s instruments will not be seen for the rest of this tour, they?re still missing in the mess of Air Canada.

Two more sleeps!

Day 31 ~  Friday, December 19, 2008

We started today with a visit to the airport, and upon our arrival in Saint John there was no sign of Jamie’s bass or Boyd’s Bouzouki. Boyd had to use his guitar and Jamie had to use a rental.

Donnie received word that the sound company could not get across the Confederation Bridge from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick. The bridge was closed because of high winds.

Luckily, SSI out of Moncton came to the rescue with only two hours notice. This meant that our sound check was a little later, but Donnie the sound wizard got the show running on time. Thanks Donnie!

Our introduction to the packed church was done by Rev. Aaron Billard from Sydney Mines. He was our family’s paper boy growing up and played Saxophone with Ryan in high school concert band. Nice to see you Aaron!
Great crowd! Very nice people!

Day 30 ~ Thursday, December 18, 2008

Lobby call…4:00am. It’s a glamorous life!! We drove to the airport early to make sure all our luggage would make it to the next venue. The lines were long and weren’t moving very fast. They really need more staff at check-in during the busy season.

The flight was spent power snoozing and head bobbing all the way to Saint John. Despite our best efforts, Boyd’s bouzouki and Jamie’s Bass did not make it to Saint John from the Air Canada flight.

The scramble began. We talked to Lyndon MacKenzie (our cousin) at Long & McQuade in Sydney to see if he had any connections in Saint John. They were able to get a five string bass for Jamie that he really liked.(Oh Santa….) We still needed a Bouzouki for Boyd. We got a call from the theatre and one of the sponsors for the show had one. Thank you John Cudmore for your generosity.

The Imperial Theatre had a sold out crowd. What a fantastic bunch. See you all very soon!

Day 29 ~ Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Scotiabank has been a great sponsor for our national tour, so when they asked us to play at Scotia Plaza to bring some Christmas cheer to their co-workers, we did it with great pleasure.

The snow from the night before was cleaned up for another busy day in Toronto. Our sound check started at 10:00am. The stage was in the food court so as the morning continued more and more curious onlookers hung out. By lunch time, office workers and passers by sang Christmas songs like it was Christmas Eve.

After our appearance, we heard some lovely comments about our surprise appearance. Even Jimmy McVeigh from the famous McVeigh’s Irish Pub was there to say hello.

Then, off to the Danforth Music Hall….what a busy day.

We loaded in, sound checked and got ready for the show. We had a brief meet and greet with some new and old fans before the show. Andi, a long time dedicated fan that travels to see us from Buffalo, New York made a crochet blanket for Lucy and brownies for Stewart. Very thoughtful Andi. Thanks so much! We hope to play your hometown soon.

The concert was wonderful. We met people in the audience that were not only first timers to see our Christmas show, but any Christmas show! Thank you so much for coming.

P.S. We’d like to thank Declan O’Doherty for bringing Murray’s harp to the venue for use that night. (Lucy’s went on the bus to Saint John).

Day 28 ~ Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The big city of Toronto! We had a few logistical things to sort out today. Our next date after Toronto is Saint John. We needed to send John with the bus ahead a few days early in order to pick us up at the airport. This meant we needed to shift suitcases and equipment into mini vans for two days.

This was also a day off for us in the city. We took advantage of the restaurants and Canada’s busiest mall, the Eaton Center.

Lucy did some shopping and then met up with Mona Halliday, a friend from Sydney Mines now living in Toronto. Mona took Lucy to her friend’s restaurant on Danforth Ave. It was a tapas restaurant called Embrujo Flamenco. The owner, Jias, and her family and friends were lovely people. The food was great (especially the lemon chicken) and the hospitality made you feel at home. Lucy highly recommended it!

The day ended with some heavy snow coming down and strong cold winds. Hopefully we’ll make it to our sound check tomorrow morning for Scotiabank.

Day 27 ~ Monday, December 15, 2008

The Centrepointe Theatre is our last Shanterro Productions date for this tour. It has been a great run with these guys. Terry is always a pleasure to work with and his son Robin really knows his festive plants.

Ottawa is always an exciting place to play for band and this was no exception. They were hooting, singing and clapping along to everything. It was really fun.

Many of the audience members said they’ve been to three or more of our Christmas shows. Some said it was a big part of their family tradition.

Off to Toronto!

Day 26 ~  Sunday, December 14, 2008

Another relatively short drive today. Our travel during this portion of the trip is fairly painless.

Peter Purvis came to the show today. He’s the piper for the Celtic band Gaelic Storm. We did a number of festival dates this summer with his band. Good to see you Peter.

After the show, we received news that Russell MacDonald from Sydney Mines died in a house fire last night. He was known by everyone in the town and will be missed. Our prayers go out to his family and friends during this sad time.

Day 25 ~ Saturday, December 13, 2008

On the way to Kingston, we watched YouTube clips of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. We fell upon a tribute to the Dubliners with U2 singing a Nova Scotia song…Springhill Mining Disaster. A few years ago, Stewart and Lucy played with the Chieftains in New York and Bono was in the front row. They had the opportunity to meet him before the show.

We arrived at the hotel in Kingston and the bus was greeted by a Doberman Pincer. He was tied to the 5 minute parking sign and sure enough, the owner picked him up after 5 minutes.

Snow was falling, people were shopping, and kids were skating on the public rink…a winter scene if we ever saw one.

It was a real treat to play in the newly renovated Grande Theatre. They did a really wonderful job. The acoustics were fantastic! It was worth the wait.

Day 24 ~ Friday, December 12, 2008

It’s getting to the point in the tour where you start to run out of things: toothpaste, razors, contact solution etc. So, we ventured out across the street from the venue to a mall attached to the Sleemans’ Hockey Arena.

After getting some supplies at the pharmacy, it just so happened that the local team, The Storm, was playing against The Whalers.

Boyd and Ryan saw one of teams doing there stretches and decided to join in.

Staying on the hockey theme, after the show we had a visit from the MacDonald girls from Big Pond, Missy and Wendy. Wendy works for the Hamilton Bull Dogs who are the farm team for the Montreal Canadians. They won the Calder cup in 2007 and Wendy has one of the winning rings. Kyle found out what it feels like to be a Calder cup winner….although the ring size was a little small.

We listened to the music and conversation of Dan Norman Cummings before we ended the night. A recommended listen!

Day 23 ~ Thursday, December 11, 2008

A crazy event happened at last night’s hotel. Jamie and Donnie were trying to get into their room, but had some trouble. Funny enough, it wasn’t the magnetic strip on their key card that caused the problem… it was the safety latch.

They told the front desk about their predicament which led to calling and waking the maintenance staff. Jamie offered to break it if they had a set of pliers, but instead they managed to open it with a screwdriver.

They were a little worried that someone broke into their room and Donnie thought it was a practical joke. Turns out that there was nobody in the room and it locked on its own. Spooky!

The Empire Theatre in Belleville is a great example of what imagination can do to an old theatre. It is fully equipped and very well could have the most comfortable seats for a concert setting in Canada. It’s always a pleasure to perform at this great venue.

At the signing table, we met a relative of John Neil MacNeil from Big Pond. John Neil was a fiddler, Gaelic singer, and song writer. His music is now being discovered by many new Gaelic students in Cape Breton.

We got word that some of Lucy’s Christmas cards made it to Cape Breton. Speaking of Christmas Cards, Christmas Island Post Office is a popular place to send out Holiday cards and Letters to Santa in Cape Breton. You even get the Christmas Island Post Office stamped right on your letter! They get very busy this time of year.

Christmas Island isn’t too far from Iona and Washabuck where our parents grew up.

Day 22 ~ Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Our day started with a little excitement. As we pulled the bus to the theatre, we passed Farley Mowat, the famous Canadian writer, in his car. He lives in the area and sometimes gets his lunch at “The Beamish House”.

Farley also has a place in Cape Breton that he visits in the summertime. Some very good friends of ours, John Gillis and Jackie MacNeil, overheard that a bathtub was to be delivered to Farley Mowat’s house. They volunteered enthusiastically. In the Cape Breton tradition of hospitality, Farley invited them in with open arms. The three hit it off well, and two and a half days later they decided it was time to leave after their great weekend.

The Beamish House is a lovely little pub with a great staff. The food was great and Debra made us feel like we’ve been customers every day since it opened. The food was so tasty we took some ribs to go for Donnie after the stage was set up.

Port Hope must have the record for Christmas lights and decorations. The theatre has an annual Christmas tree auction. The lobby was filled with many different themed Christmas trees. The winners of the auction can have them sent anywhere in the world. What a fantastic idea!

Day 21 ~ Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Our second day off and we are now into our third week of touring. This meant we had time for laundry, banking, shopping, mailing, and let’s not forget eating!

Stewart visited a salon called Pettigrew’s for a fresh hair cut. It turned out that the owners were from Whitney Pier and owned a couple of convenience stores in the Sydney area. It’s a small world.

Peterborough has a thriving downtown. There are lots of little shops and services which are rare these days. A few of us had a Christmas buffet at the hotel while watching the snow pile up outside. Very relaxing….

Oh, we almost forgot, Kyle Vincent (Merch man), decided to check out the balcony of his hotel room. After closing the sliding door, he soon found out that it was locked from the inside! Vinnie, stood on the balcony in the snow for 25 minutes until someone at another building yelled “Are you locked out Buddy?!”

The Good Samaritan ran to the front desk of the hotel and sent someone to his rescue. Never a dull moment with this gang on the road!!.

Day 20 ~ Monday, December 8, 2008

Another short drive day…around 1hr and 30min. We managed to get some fresh air on our walk from the hotel to the theatre. As we walked, the snow under our feet had a nice crunching sound.

The theatre manager and staff greeted and treated us to some lovely soup and sandwiches which was a welcome site on the cold day.

It’s been two years to the week since we played Peterborough. The green room is decorated with lovely paintings…something nice to look at as we drank our coffee.

Peterborough has a long list of famous writers, actors, and sports celebrities. Comedian, Sean Cullen, is also part of the Peterborough royalty.

In 1992, The Barra MacNeils performed on CBC’s “Friday Night with Ralph Benmergi”. Sean Cullen performed on the same show with Corky and the Juice Pigs. The Cowboy Junkies were also on the show. Maybe we’ll see Sean Christmas shopping or something!

Day 19 ~ Sunday, December 7, 2008

Orillia had an amazing amount of snow overnight. The day prior, the temperature was 12 degrees Celsius. It dropped about 20 degrees over night. The snow really piled high. It looked more like February than December.

A cab driver mentioned that he couldn’t see two feet in front of his headlights!

The Christmas Daddies telethon was on T.V. back home. We did a pre-taping before our tour. Did anyone see it? Don’t forget to send in your pledge!

Ryan and Lucy had a few tunes in the back of the bus. Check it out!

Day 18 ~ Saturday, December 6, 2008

Our bus call was 7:00am. We had a quick Tim Horton’s stop and there were many coffee goers wearing snowmobile suits. The weather would be perfect for many winter activities.

Donnie showed us pictures of his new baby……calf that is! His wife has lots of responsibilities when he’s on the road. They named him Jesus because they couldn’t find him shortly after he was born. He was lying in the hay under the trees. Funny enough he knew his name!!!

When have a new member with The Barra MacNeil road team for the next 9 shows in Ontario…Robin MacRae. He is representing Shantero Productions. He also had the very important job of keeping our poinsettias alive for 9 days. Good to have you along!

One of the “Stampers” from North Sydney was volunteering at the show. His family was well known for step dancing. He has connections to Barra Glen, Cape Breton.

Day 17 ~ Friday, December 5, 2008

Sault Ste. Marie was a winter wonderland. Fluffy snow piled up and lots of seasonal decorations.

On the way to the theatre, children were sledding down Finn’s Hill. It has been a favorite place to go for years. The municipality looks after the hill now. They even have snow fencing and hay bails at the bottom of the hill.

Our grandmother’s house was a great place to sled. One time, Lucy forgot her mittens and at the risk of not having fun with the rest of the cousins and family, she used a set of oven mitts. Now that’s Barra determination!

On another occasion, Ryan and Boyd went sledding at MacKay’s Point and were told to stay on the safer hill in the hollow.

After twenty minutes…boredom start to set in, so they decided to try there new toboggan on the big hill. The snow had a crust on the surface and the temperature dropped to around -24 degrees Celsius.

They flew down the hill, past the house, across the road, launched over the snow bank and into the Bras d’Or Lakes. The water wasn’t frozen at this point in the day.

Our cousins, Susan and Jill ran for help. Dad came running down with shaving cream on his face in an undershirt and our Aunt Charlotte was in her nurse uniform and was supposed to be on her way to work in Baddeck.

Boyd and Ryan both had on one piece snow suits with a zipper from the ankle to the neck. Their weight doubled with the water in their suits so it was very hard to get them up the snow bank and out of the water.

Warm blankets and hot chocolate by the fire a little later and all was forgotten about. They could have used hay bails and a snow fence at the bottom of the hill that day! They lost their toboggan and the lake was frozen over by the end of the day. We met many teary eyed, home sick Cape Bretoners at the concert. The reception was fabulous. What a great crowd! Thanks for the hospitality!

Day 16 ~ Thursday, December 4, 2008

Another frosty day in Thunder Bay. Our bus ride was postponed until 2:00am so that we could wait for a FedEx package.

Jamie, Kyle and Sheumas took a walk down town in the -11C weather (probably colder with wind chill). They ended up buying toques along the way and stopped every so many stores to warm up.

Stewart had a busy day of interviews for the Ontario leg of the tour. Most of us went to sleep in our rooms around 11:00pm.

At 12:00am, the fire alarm went off in the hotel. Turned out to be a false alarm. Most people were standing in the lobby waiting for the fire department to give us the okay!

Off to Sault Ste. Marie at 2:00am. It will be an overnight sleep on the bus.

Day 15 ~ Wednesday, November 3, 2008

A DAY OFF!! Hooray!! A well deserved one.

A day off usually means taking care of the laundry. Boyd, Ryan, Stewart, Vinnie, and Donnie decided to get a bite somewhere in Thunder Bay... The Thunder Bay Restaurant seemed like an appropriate place.

The owner of this restaurant was a live wire with a great sense of humour. She spent some time in Cape Breton. She said “ The people are so nice that if you knock on a door and ask to stay they wouldn’t bat an eye.”

The walls were decorated with historical knickknacks and have a real family owned feel. Good homemade food and the best pancakes in town.

We talked to Mitch MacDonald in the lobby. He has been on a very busy tour with Canadian Idol. They all left for Sudbury after the show in their bus.

Rest, rest, and more rest in Thunder Bay!

Day 14 ~ Tuesday, December 2, 2008

It’s been a few years since we’ve played in Thunder Bay. The last time we were in town with Rita MacNeil and it was around 3 years ago.

A fellow Cape Bretoner is playing at the theatre tomorrow night, Mitch MacDonald from Port Hood. He’s there along with the Canadian Idol crew. He comes from a musical family that step dance as well! During Celtic Colours, there was a tribute to his mother Mary Janet MacDonald. Our mother step danced in the show as part of the tribute. The Canadian Idol gang had a bus at the hotel as well.

Speaking of bus, after the show, we met a bus driver by the name of David in the lobby. He told us that he was a fan of the band and has played our music on public transit for years. Thanks for the support David!

We also had some fiddlers play in the lobby before the show and at intermission.

We met Olivia from the Kam Valley Fiddlers with Dave Kimton on guitar. She mentioned that they were in Cape Breton this year. Thanks for the music!

Day 13 ~ Monday, December 1, 2008

The first day of December and Winnipeg came through with white snow for Christmas. It gives us a little more of the Christmas spirit.

We played at the Pantages Playhouse. It a wonderful old theatre, built around 1913.

Lord of the Dance was also playing in town. Vinnie saw a man come in to the lobby, gave his ticket to an attendant, who ripped it and put it in the ticket box. As the man walked by our merch set up, he realized that he was in the wrong theatre.

He said out loud, “This isn’t Riverdance”. I think he was going to have a hard time finding that as well because Lord of the Dance was in town. They had to open the ticket box and try and find the other half of his ticket. What a riot!

After the show, we were starving!! We went to the King’s Head Pub. Francis McEvoy from County Down was a great host. They made food after hours for us. He was up on his music and very good humored. The entire staff was very welcoming!

We then got back to our bunks on the bus and did an over night drive to Thunder Bay.

Day 12 ~ Sunday, November 30, 2008

It’s been two years since we’ve played Moose Jaw. Our last experience was a great one. We met some great people and even went to Bobby’s Pub after the show. It’s one of the best pubs in Canada. Unfortunately, Bobby’s is closed on Sundays, but we did get to talk to some of the gang after the show.

We found out that Moose Jaw has the largest moose in the world. Lucy sent a postcard with the picture proof to her daughters. Moose Jaw was also a hideout for the famous Al Capone and his thug Mafia…a perfect place to hide from the Chicago Law Enforcement. It was rumored than the Mayor of Moose Jaw and the local MLA were in the audience. We were sorry to hear of the sudden death of Jackie Smith from Glengarry Ontario’s “Brigadoon’s”. His sister Nancy lives in Moose Jaw and told us the sad news. We last played with Jackie at the Maxville Highland Games. He will be missed.

Day 11 ~ Saturday, November 29, 2008

Vermillion Alberta is a small town with the population of 4500. The Barra MacNeils grew up in a small town as well…Sydney Mines. We are use to the small town pace.

It was quite funny coming in to town with our tour bus. It was like we showed up in a space ship. People were pointing and waving all the way into town.

There was a group of about five girls and a guy in their late teens that mentioned after the show that they bought tickets solely based on seeing the bus come in to town. We were glad to hear that they liked the show.

We also met two sisters who play the fiddle. They attended this year’s Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton and saw Ryan playing in Iona with Ryan MacDonald (piper).

After the show we ordered a Saturday night treat, some pizza from Ramzi’s Pizza. It was really funny ordering pizza delivery to a bus. He eventually found us and made great pizza. Give it a try soon Vermillion.

Day 10 ~ Friday, November 28, 2008

The Banff Center is always a treat to play. The staff is top notch, the theatre is fantastic, and the food is always amazing.

Over the years, we have become very good friends with Kurt Bagnell, the director/manager of the theatre for 25 years! He's originally from North Sydney, Cape Breton.

This year, the weather has been much warmer than usual and has the local bear population confused about when they should hibernate.

Speaking of bears… one spring day at the Banff Center, there was the showing of a movie as part of their film series. The weather was warm so they left doors open to let in some fresh air.

The projectionist finished putting on his last reel and was going for a smoke, when he saw a bear in the garbage can of the lobby. Shaking, he called Kurt for help. I bet this wasn’t in his job description!! It was dealt with and not a bear or person was harmed.

After sound check we had a visit from two very talented east coast musicians, Richard Wood and Gordon Belsher. They were performing in the area and spent their day in Banff.

Richard performed for the troops recently in Kandahar and was telling us about his experiences… a life changing trip for sure. Great fiddle, guitar and singing from these guys. Check them out soon!

After the show, we met up with our cousin Grace MacLean and her friends from Saskatchewan and Alberta at the St. James Gate Irish Pub. We shared a few stories and even sang a couple of Gaelic songs with Grace before leaving.

Hope to see you all again soon!

Day 9 ~ Thursday, November 27, 2008

Calgary to Edmonton is about a 3 and ¾ of an hour drive. This gave us enough time to catch up on e-mails and watch some movies. We had some time after lunch so some of us took advantage of Alberta’s “No provincial tax” and did some Christmas shopping.

The stores and restaurants have more decorations as the tour goes on and the shopping seems brisker with every stop that we make along the way. You could hear customers talking about their Christmas lists.

Edmonton had a lot of familiar faces. Some very loyal fans here. There were a few Gaelic College alumni as well.

Vinnie had a little merch story for us all. During the intermission, an interested customer was looking at our CD’s and spilt his drink on our post cards. Only four postcards were damaged so he told the man not to worry about it. He felt so guilty that he purchased a Barra MacNeil toque. Special thanks to that man. Making sales one spill at a time!

Day 8 ~ Wednesday, November 26, 2008

On the eighth day we were in Banff and it was good. The sun was shining and snow capped mountains that surrounded the town were breathtaking.

Calgary was a short drive away which gave us a little more time when we got there. We decided to have lunch at “Trio Steak and Pizza”. Their Greek cuisine was wonderful! Ryan forgot his camera at the restaurant and they were nice enough to bring it to the hotel. Thanks guys!

We received our new “In Concert” CD, winter hats, and postcards today. Lots of counting for Merch Man (Kyle Vincent).

Knox United Church is considered to be on of the first concert venues in Calgary. This beautiful old church will be 95 this year! It’s an amazing setting for a Christmas show.

The audience seemed to have a high number of east coasters. Really lively….even some dancing in the aisles! One song that received a huge reaction was Hector MacKenzie’s, “On the Very First Christmas”, and this was only the introduction.

It turns out that an Irish Choir that’s based in Calgary sings our uncle’s song! They mentioned after the show that it was one of there favorites. “Children’s Winter” is also in their repertoire.

The energy in this audience made us feel very welcome. We’ll have to come back to Calgary really soon!

Day 7 ~ Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Today was a travel day from Osoyoos to Banff. Bus call was 9:00am. Lucy mailed off her Christmas cards before leaving.

We drove through the Okanogan Valley and saw many of the wineries.

There was a little bit of weather as we traveled. John’s bus driving is really top notch. No worries about the snow. We did pass a 4x4 truck that was traveling too fast for conditions. He was hung up on the guard rail. RCMP Officers were on the scene and nobody seemed to be hurt.

We stopped for quick lunch in Revelstoke. Denny’s seemed to be the best choice to accommodate the gang.

Our arrival to Banff was in the late evening. It was a bit dark to see all of the natural beauty. We’ll have to see it in the morning.
 

Photos by Paul Everest, Editor, Osoyoos Times
[Click for larger views]

Day 6 ~ Monday, November 24, 2008

Lobby Call 4:30am….groannnnn…….We had a long day ahead of us to Osoyoos.
We watched quite a few “Flight of the Concords” episodes. It’s quite entertaining really, the troubles of a new band trying to make it in a new country… funny stuff.

Other than a ferry ride, we drove straight through. We arrived just before sunset. Our set up was brisk and meal brisker.

Osoyoos is a very unique holiday destination town. It has the warmest average temperature and is the only biologically classified desert in Canada. They even have Rattle Snakes!! Yikes!!

The school’s hockey team is called “The Rattlers”. Our stage decorations included Christmas trees and a set of stairs. The audience was very enthusiastic!

Day 5 ~ Sunday, November 23, 2008

Day five and on to Courtenay for our fourth concert. Some of us did a workout at the gym today and then went to lunch before heading to the bus.

Once again the sea of computers, i-phones etc. was the norm – Oh wait, something was different. Lucy appeared to be using a pen and was addressing her Christmas cards. She was going to use snail mail too. Wow, a bit of tradition in a high tech world.

We pulled into the hotel and Sheumas and Kyle were met by Ken McMahon, formerly of Guy Street, Sydney Mines. They got caught up and the rest of us walked to the Sid Williams Theatre. It really wasn’t very far.

The night was a sell out and the crowd was a rowdy bunch!! Afterwards, at the meet and greet we met Mrs. MacLeod once again. She was adorned in her tartan skirt and Barra MacNeils beret. This heavy brogued 82 year old (which she proudly informed us) had an operation Thursday past, yet here she was at the concert in fine form! What a FAN!!

Day 4 ~ Saturday, November 22 2008

Victoria was sunny and very warm. A nice way to start a day! Our bus drive to Campbell River was very relaxing. We listened to Liam Clancy’s Dutchman album on our trip.

Growing up our father would play this LP many evenings after work. That recording is as great today as it was back then… very timeless.

Campbell River is a lovely town. The scenic water front is similar to home. We had lunch on the waterfront. A seal was bobbing up and down. By the time we tried to take a picture it was gone. Lots of marine life to see here and tours are available.

We walked to the theater just before show time in a thick fog. It kind of reminded us of Louisbourg, Cape Breton. Before we knew it, another show was finished and we were off to bed.

Day 3 ~ Friday, November 21, 2008

We started our day with a little chat with our server at breakfast. She inquired if we were part of the film crew. “Steve Austin is staying in the hotel. He’s making a movie!”

This started a huge discussion about the “6 Million Dollar Man” and “The Fall Guy”.
Lucy joked that the “6 Million Dollar Man” wrecked her skating career because the popular show was on at the same time as figure skating lessons!

Later, Donnie (Road Manager/Sound Engineer) saw “Stone Cold Steve Austin” of WWE wrestling fame in the elevator….not Lee Majors!! Victoria’s Alix Gooldin Hall is part of a Music Conservatory. The sound of great music was coming out of the practice rooms.

After sound check, we met one of the students, Nelly Quinn. She showed her new five string viola that she received the day before. She was nice enough to let Boyd try it out. She mentioned that she liked Oliver Schroer and Boyd started playing “My Uncle’s Pockets” Oliver will be greatly missed. What a genius.

We received an anonymous gift from the front row, a lovely Santa hat of Lindt’s Chocolates. It was a nice treat before the show…many thanks to our secret Santa.

After the show we met some great people, heard some touching stories and even met some old friends. There were some Mount Alison alumni at the show as well as a past Canadian Studies professor, Larry McCann.

Someday it would be nice to spend more than one day in Victoria… maybe next time.

Day 2 ~ Thursday, November 20, 2008

Team Barra were up early for breakfast. Most of us were awake at 4:00am…some much earlier. The four hour time change does funny things to your body’s clock.

The first concert day of any tour is usually a busy one. This day was no exception.

We met up with our merch person in the lobby of the hotel. Funny thing, he is a MacNeil as well but not a close relation. His first name is Kyle!! It’s going to be very confusing. A nickname is definitely in order.

Our long time Road Manager/Sound Engineer Donnie, is also a MacNeil of no relation. John, our bus driver, picked up all nine of our touring family. Maple Ridge here we come!

The weather today was fairly warm with some rain. The town shops were decorated for the season. It seemed very peaceful.

No Christmas madness yet.

As the stage was being set up, Sheumas, Merch Man (New Kyle) Boyd, and Ryan were looking for a paper roll for our new Scotiabank visa machine and a bite to eat.

Sushi seemed like the thing to do on the West Coast… very tasty.

As they were paying their bill, Sheumas managed to pick up a roll of receipt paper from the lady at the Sushi restaurant. This should hold us over until with get to an office supply store.

Back at the theater the stage set up is in full swing. Merch being counted, technical problems being sorted out, last minute practicing and rehearsing all were happening at once.

Frantic ironing, tooth brushing, polishing and shaving (not necessarily in that order) was the next order of business. The MacNeil household bathroom in the morning was very similar to the backstage mayhem.

As the Barra’s were getting ready, we heard a huge amount of applause from the theatre. For a split second we thought they introduced us before we were ready to go!!

Turns out one of the light gels caught fire and fell from the ceiling! It landed on the stage and was quickly extinguished. The audience was so impressed with the speed of the stage crew they started applauding! The smell of smoke was pretty strong.

After the show we received our Purdy’s Christmas chocolate treats from the Kowalchuk family once again and little Lexi and her brothers (long time fans) brought a beautiful bouquet of roses to Lucy before we left the stage and returned for an encore.

The show went well… the crowd was great, and we survived the day!

Day 1 ~ Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Our first day starts early. 4:30am to be exact! Large pots of tea, check lists upon check list and loved ones making sure we make it out the door on time. What would we ever do without our families back home?

It’s warm in Cape Breton for this time of the year. The rain should be snow, but it will make our travels a little safer. Our heavy, warm coats, will be a pain in the neck in the airport. We are comforted by the fact that we will see some cold days somewhere in Canada.

Next stop… the Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport. We meet up with Boyd and Jamie Gatti. Our check-in is smooth. The security line up is very busy.

Kyle and Ryan put their belongings through (boots and all), and proceed through the metal detector. Then everything seemed to stop. For once, it wasn’t Ryan’s Uilleann pipes holding up the x-ray...

A very innocent looking couple with their daughter were holding up the line. They were calm and just seemed to be waiting patiently. RCMP officers were called to the scene. At that point, Kyle and Ryan’s carry on was brought to a different line up.

It turned out to be a false alarm because the innocent looking family were on our flight. Exciting times!!

Speaking of RCMP officers (none of us have ever been arrested), in the Toronto Airport, a lady recognized the band. She mentioned that her son is in the forces in Campbell River and plans to see our show at the Tidemark Theatre. It’s a very small world and even smaller country.

One other note to mention is that our own Jamie Gatti played in the RCMP band for many years and worked as an Officer in Ottawa. A little Gatti Trivia.

We arrived in Vancouver many movies and book pages later safe and sound. Stewart's suitcase didn’t arrive. He’ll have to borrow some clothes from the rest of us. If his clothes look a little big in Maple Ridge, they failed to send his suitcase.

Everyone was pretty tired. We had a bit to eat at the Foggy Dew and went to bed very early. It will be hard to sleep in tomorrow with the four hour time change. Our adventure begins!