Johnny Reid in Cranbrook

Full-tilt rockin' Country is what we crave in Cranbrook when Spring kicks into high gear. Enter Johnny Reid. On April 20, the Scottish-Canadian Country Music sensation took to the stage at the Cranbrook Rec Plex like he was coming home, and the near-sell-out crowd welcomed him like they'd been waiting for him a long time. Juno Award winner Carolyn Dawn Johnson opened the evening, before Reid came out with a 13-piece band and full-on light spectacle. Reid was a kinetic force as well as a musical force, both on stage and off. Early in his performance he leaped off the stage for a walkabout around the Rec Plex, to the great delight of the crowd (and the consternation of security personnel). He proceeded to run through a repertoire of his singles - "Let's Go Higher," "Dance With Me" (which he performed on a secondary stage in the middle of the arena, after inviting three youngsters up from the crowd to join him), "You Gave My Heart a Home," and "Today I'm Going To Try To Change The World." He and his band rocked hard through out, and made several thousand new friends before everyone went home happy and he hit the road for the rest of the tour. Johnny Reid's "Fire It Up: Let Love Live Again" tour was brought to Cranbrook courtesy of Kootenay Concert Connection.