LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (The Soo's Got Talent) & Round 2 Results!!

So, have you been waiting for our second round coverage of The Soo's Got Talent, especially with the semifinals taking place TOMORROW NIGHT? Well, here's what I've got, and it's sadly less than I'd like! Despite the annual local talent competition posting videos of most acts onto their Facebook page from the audition level at Wacky Wings and the first round at Soo Blaster, they posted zero from the second round on September 29th. I knew that they weren't working with Passion Video Productions again this year (I wonder why not?), but they still had someone rolling a camera for prior nights, so what happened three weeks ago? Well, after sixteen acts were whittled down to twelve on September 15th, plans were for the judges (including guest Dustin Jones filling in for Mike Severin) to send the four Golden Buzzer winners and four other competitors to tomorrow's semifinals.

However, the judges opted to send ten of the twelve competitors through, with singers Christopher Halliday and Stan Fera being the only eliminations after round 2. In alphabetical order by last name, your semifinalists at Soo Blaster tomorrow (all singers unless otherwise stated) are Arin Karki, Xavier Pelletier LeBouef, Raedyn Matechuck Levesque, Demoy MacSamuels, Greg McLeod, Elly McWatters, singer/guitarist Storm Rausch, Celeste Rector, Kristina Sagrak, and dancer Jophin Saju. Unless plans change/have changed, six of them will be sent to the finals on Saturday, November 4th, and there is no longer a safety net for the Golden Buzzer recipients, so Xavier, Elly, Storm, and Kristina are fighting to advance like everyone else is now! With that said, these 10 performers will not be the only musical entertainment to expect tomorrow, so who else is playing?

Well, as you may recall in 2022, The Soo's Got Talent struck a deal with Handsome Sandwich to not only play a guest set during the semifinals, but also perform with the finalists, backing them up on their choice of song. This year, they're doing much the same thing, but with a new band, namely local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith and his all-local solo band! Tonight, they'll be playing a mini-set, likely after the actual competitors perform and before the judges' decisions are announced, marking Mike's first concert in Sault Ste. Marie city limits since his knee dislocation at Rotaryfest in July (though he and the band did play at The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir in the interim). While a public post wasn't made about the lineup tomorrow, Mike's personal Facebook page did confirm that recent live bassist Jacob Quarrell will not be on bass for tomorrow's set, but he is expected to rejoin them at the finals next month.

As the reveal wasn't made publically, I won't jump the gun on who the replacement bassist is tomorrow, but he's a familiar face! If you want to attend the semifinals of The Soo's Got Talent, then all of the action begins at 6:30 PM tomorrow at Soo Blaster! For the record, apologies for the short notice, I was waiting for media to turn up from round 2 and it'd have been Murphy's Law that I posted this much sooner and videos then turned up. This all begins at 6:30 PM tomorrow, and admission is $22 for adults and $12 for children, with proceeds going to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Unit at Sault Area Hospital. Just as a reminder, judge Valerie Powley will head west from Soo Blaster to The Esquire Club after the semifinals wrap up to perform with Generations, so things will end before that concert begins at 9:30 PM. Hopefully she, Mike, and Darren Robertson have a good time once again judging the semifinals!

Hopefully someone shoots videos that are publically viewable at the semifinals tomorrow, but regardless, I hope to have more timely coverage of who advanced to the finals in two weeks on the site! In any event, if you want to show your support for the remaining contestants, support a good cause, and see Mike Haggith back on stage in the Soo, consider heading to Soo Blaster TOMORROW! For a preview, here's Mike & his band in Ophir in August, but that's all for today, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site next week! Thanks everyone!