A special five day concert series will take place at
GFL Memorial Gardens in September featuring major Canadian headlining acts for five consecutive nights! Named
The Mocha Concert Series, these shows are fundraisers for
The Mocha Fall Ceremonial, an annual convention for the Mocha Shriners Masonic society, who are based out of London but are affiliated with the
Sault Shrine Club on Albert Street East. I'm not well versed in the Shriners outside of their fez hats and tiny cars, but they do great community work for local charities, children's hospital care, and sponsoring youth sports teams, and it is neat that the Mocha Shriners are holding their Ceremonial six hours north! If you're curious as to non-musical events at the convention,
the program and the above links will fill you in, but of course, many of the events are primarily geared at Shriners members rather than the general public (there will be a parade though).
The Mocha Shriners clearly have the right connections to make a big deal out of the Ceremonial, partnering with national concert promoters
F7 Entertainment to make all five of these shows happen, though be advised that
the Facebook event page for the concert series says this is an "online event" despite tickets going on sale at the Memorial Gardens' box office tomorrow. If there is an online streaming component, I can't say, but these are in-person concerts. Of the five concerts, two have hard rock performers, the first truly heavier shows at the Gardens since the Offspring/Sum 41 show in late 2019, so these have been a long time coming! The three non-hard rock shows include Burlington indie pop band
Walk Off The Earth & indie rock trio
The Monowhales on Monday, September 19th, Calgary country singer
Paul Brandt & Toronto country artist
Owen Barney on Wednesday, September 21st,...
... and former Guess Who frontman Burton Cummings closing the concert series on Friday, September 23rd. Huge names for three very different genre ranges, and Owen aside, all have won Juno Awards, so definitely keep all three in mind if they interest you! That said, what about those two hard rock-featured concerts? Here's what you should know on them!
On Tuesday, September 20th, prepare for a wild party from a wild party, as former Max Webster frontman
Kim Mitchell will return to the Soo for the first time in over
fourteen years when he headlines at GFL Memorial Gardens! Well known domestically for hit singles like "Go For Soda", "Lager & Ale", and "Patio Lanterns", Kim has been a staple of Canadian rock radio for decades, and with his fun live show and excellent guitar work, fans won't wanna miss out in three months! Hard to believe he last played here at the Bell Border Jam at Runway Park in
2008. British Columbia alternative rock quintet
54-40 (of "Since When", "Casual Viewin'", and "Lies To Me" fame) will open in their first local concert appearance in recent memory, and while not as heavy, their own familiar and accessible range of hits should appeal to a wide array of fans this fall! Shame that all of these shows (Burton Cummings aside) are work/school nights.
The other concert during the Mocha Concert Series will see Vancouver pop punk quartet
Marianas Trench return to the Soo for the fourth time when they headline at the Gardens on Thursday, September 22nd! You could call this the long delayed rescheduling of their planned November 2016 show there before an in-band illness forced it to to be cancelled (as such, this will be their first show here since playing at the then-Essar Centre in April 2013). I admit that my punk tastes lie elsewhere, but Marianas Trench have netted lots of familiar hit songs in Canada like "Shake Tramp", "All To Myself", and "Haven't Had Enough", so long-time fans will be chomping at the bit to see Josh & crew's pop rock stylings in town again! Nova Scotia hard rock quintet
The Trews will open on September 22nd in their first local concert appearance since an acoustic gig at The Grand Theatre in
2009!
However, Trews fans have been waiting since their May 2008 gig at The Canadian to see them in their plugged-in splendor (Kim Mitchell fans can relate!) Well known from hit songs like "So She's Leaving", "Hold Me In Your Arms", and "Highway of Heroes", The Trews' rootsy and melodic brand of hard rock has been making fans for 20 years, and as someone who got into them relatively late, I'm glad to see them finally coming back to the Soo, even as openers! All shows in the Mocha Concert Series are all ages with announced start times of 8:00 PM, and while individual ticket prices are not out yet,
this Sault Star article announcing the shows says that they will be in the $60-$80 range apiece. Written by Brian Kelly, the article features remarks by Shriners representative Dylan McLay, and it notes that concerts have replaced circuses in their event strategies, which seems like a good move.
Brian did incorrectly say that Marianas Trench did play the cancelled 2016 show here, but its a good article that paints an optimistic picture for this unusually stacked week of concerts this fall, and I hope these shows do well for the local concert scene and the Shriners alike! Any reason to encourage major touring headliners to stop here and play shows rather than drive straight on through to Thunder Bay or Sudbury! Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM at this link & at the in-person box office, and note that Shriners members will not get priority ticket availability. Visit the above links for much more on The Mocha Concert Series, and stay tuned for more on the site soon! Thanks everyone!
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