There is no question that the Covid pandemic has had a severely negative impact on our mental well being. Two years of on and off lock downs, little to no travel, and an inability to visit loved ones amongst many others has been painful. On Thursday February 17, 2022 the Ontario government relaxed the restrictions placed on its residents, and opened up its bars and restaurants to 100% capacity. With my love for live music, on Saturday February 19, we headed down to Port Credit, Ontario with some friends and hit the Shore Grill and Grotto for a live performance from Toronto’s own, 4-time Juno nominee, and Canadian Rising Star Award Winner Tom Barlow. Thanks to local promoter Les Weller the evening was a smash! With no more restrictions, The Tom Barlow band played to a full house, and what a night it was. With the band playing many classic hits from past decades, the smiles on the patrons faces were impossible not to notice.
If anything was clear to me, it’s that we need this. The bars and restaurants need this. The promoters need this, but I think most importantly, the musicians need this. This industry has been hit hardest by the pandemic. I follow a lot of musicians and promoters, and they’ve literally been bleeding. Understand, we’re not talking about your multi-million-dollar pop stars or rock bands here. Not to say that they haven’t sacrificed anything to get where they are, and not to downplay their significance in the industry. But these are our local and regional musicians who rely heavily on playing gigs in your local establishments.
Do yourselves a huge favour here. We all love music, so get out and support your local artists, clubs, and small venues and catch some live music. By the faces on Saturday evening, you are indeed missing much. In the heart of Port Credit, The Shore Grill and Grotto has nightly live music. What a joy it is!!
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