Andy Live at Woodbine Park, Canada Day-A Review

[Lucio]

A large crowd was on hand to celebrate Canada Day, July 1, 2010 at Woodbine Park near the beaches of Toronto. Radio station Vinyl 95.3 was promoting this day of concerts and, lucky for us, Andy was asked to join as a headliner just a couple of weeks before the event.
As my wife, Janet, my nephew, Mark and I headed down the crowded Don Valley Highway for the concert, I noticed some dark clouds hovering above. We all kept our fingers crossed that they would continue providing shade but no rain.
The parking lot was packed and the venue filled with all nationalities of happy people enjoying the lovely warm temperatures. Music had started at 12:30 PM with a group called the Spoons followed by Rock Of Ages, a theatre musical currently playing in Toronto.
Andy came on about 3PM wearing a black shirt, jeans, pink tie, running shoes and sunglasses. It was quite a treat to hear people around me commenting on how fit and young he looked. A few revellers started rushing toward the stage as he launched into “Baby I Love You” while others further in the back pushed their way forward for a better look.
The familiar band was back behind Andy except for guitar player Mike, who I believe was performing on the East Coast this day.
A strong lake breeze kept us cool as Andy heated things up with a great rendition of “So Good Together” complete with Elvis-like hip movements and his own trademark arm swings. I couldn’t stop chuckling watching Andy reloop his tie as he sang “Rainbow Ride” (check out Vinyl 95.3’s website for a video of this song). It took him most of the song but he did eventually succeed.
Andy surprised us all when he walked down off the stage to sing with the audience during “Sugar, Sugar”. An avalanche of people ran toward him and joined in the fun.
“Love Is” and “I Forgot to Mention” were the two select songs of the current cd performed to perfection in between the many 60s-70s hits. I’m always intrigued by the background music (led by Peter Nunn) to “Love Is”. As the various instruments converge, I can close my eyes and imagine a full orchestra pounding out the beat while the violins caress the melody. It’s a real tribute to the talents of all the musicians and singers on the stage.
Andy once mentioned that he prefers to play the more uptempo songs at these outdoor events and his instincts were correct as people swayed and tapped their feet to “How’d We Ever Get This Way”, “Shoot Em Up”, “Be My Baby”, and the ultimate Hall of Fame anthem, “Rock Me Gently”.
It was 45 minutes of audio-visual pleasure for all the old and new fans that listened. The beautiful sunshine was a natural spotlight for Andy and the sound was very good for an open air event of this size.
Personally, I love these afternoon gigs and wish Andy would do more. The brightness is great for photos/video and at the end of the concert, the rest of the day is still open to make new friends, go out for dinner, etc.
A large group lined up after the show to buy cds and meet with Andy. As usual, he was very friendly and gracious to everyone including my 11 year old nephew who proudly walked around with a new personally autographed Andy Kim compact disc.
Counting the Zoom Radio broadcast, I’ve had the privilege of attending six of Andy’s shows this year and each time I see more and more new fans coming around. If he has the desire to add more dates to the summer tour, especially these open air festivals, I’m fully confident that Andy will reclaim his position at the top of the Canadian music industry.
Lucio
Ps: A kind soul posted his videos of the show on youtube so you can all share in this experience. Check it out and leave positive feedback as I have done.

[Fran]

Hey Lucio,

Thanks once again for a great review. As usual, since some of us couldn't be there, this was the next best thing.

This is the video you mentioned: http://www.vinyl953.com/Summerfest/Live ... stID=27745
And there are those famous leg-lifts Neia always talks about. He uses them so well. (Aren't you glad you dumped the dial-up, Neia?)

Bring 'em on, Lucio. We're here to read.

Fran

[Lucio]

Thanks Fran. I'm happy you enjoyed the review.
Here are a few more youtube clips of the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtA4-D6Gu1Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmNDnJSqZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmNDnJSqZs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDbJGiFcryI
Lucio

[Fran]

Thanks again, Lucio,

Great videos. Andy and everyone else on stage were in such good form. It must have been wonderful to be there in person. It's so obvious how much fun Andy was having, not to mention the band and the audience.

Fran