Kim Mitchell Rocks Barrie Festival with a Concert That Hits All the Right Notes

Michael Drukarsh
12 hours ago
3 min read

By: Michael Drukarsh

Barrie, Ontario - Kim Mitchell Headlines Barrie Butter Tart Festival (insert Spinal Tap joke here)!

But wait, it's true! And, believe me, the free outdoor concert at Meridian Place was no joke! After having to cancel a couple of previous concerts in Barrie due to weather conditions, Kim and his band, consisting of long time collaborator and friend Peter Fredette on bass and vocals, birthday boy Dave Langguth on drums and Ray Corburn on keyboards, finally made it to the stage and put on the perfect summer concert under a perfect summer sky.

Kim Mitchell perform live at Meridian Place. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh

The city of Barrie has done an incredible job with creating the stage set up for Meridian Place. The amphitheatre-like the venue filled quickly and early as fans lined the stone seats and continued to fill in the lawns and even onto Dunlop Street in anticipation of a night of Canadiana at its finest. After Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttal and Rock 95 morning show host Craig Ferguson announced the winners of the Butter Tart competition (insert Spinal Tap joke here), Kim and the band took the stage and had a blast delivering some of the most iconic cottage summer tunes. The fact that Kempenfelt Bay, metres away from the Meridian Place stage, was the backdrop for this event just heightened that perfect summer night feel.

Performing a hit-heavy set from his solo career including “Rock and Roll Duty", "Lager and Ale” and “Easy to Tame”, Mitchell also pulled out a more recent song, “Best I Never Had" from his 2020 release The Big Fantasize much to the crowd's delight.

Mitchell and Fredette shared vocals for most of the set, including an incredible version of “All We Are” that saw a sea of hands waving in the air. Taking over lead singer duties for the night’s third song on 1986’s “That’s A Man”, Fredette sounded amazing.

Kim Mitchell & Peter Fredette perform live in Barrie. Photo By: Michael Drukarsh

Going way back to 1977 and 1979 respectively, the band performed two songs from Max Webster, “High Class in Borrowed Shoes" and “Paradise Skies”. Both were performed to near perfection, Kim sounding amazing on vocals along with Corburn’s keyboards keeping that true 70s feel to both hits.

Every song from Kim Mitchell is a wonderful memory but nothing brings you back to those awkward teen years and back yard parties like “Patio Lanterns”. There is something about that song that just hits every emotion and even brought out a set of Canadian maple leaf adorned lanterns in the audience. And of course, show closer, “Go For Soda” drew a massive crowd reaction as the band finished off the set and said "goodnight".

But wait… this was in all sense of the phrases a wild party so, coming back after a quick break, Kim did a quick dress rehearsal with the crowd to ensure they knew their part and once satisfied that after the chorus of “I Am a Wild Party”, everyone would shout “Rah Rah OLE”, the band broke into a fantastic version of the song to end the night.

Set List

Lager and Ale

Rocklandwonderland

Easy to Tame

That's a Man

Best I Never Had

High Class in Borrowed Shoes (Max Webster cover)

Paradise Skies (Max Webster cover)

Rock & Roll Duty

All We Are

Patio Lanterns

Go for Soda

Encore:

I Am a Wild Party

And with that, a day full of butter tarts and sunshine finished with a night full of amazing music, incredible fans and wonderful memories. Special thanks to the City of Barrie and its Recreation & Cultural Services Department Special Events Office for allowing us to cover such a great event.

Kim Mitchell Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)