Performer Ryan Lindsay made a stop in Coronation on Jan. 14.
The Wainwright performer, and four-time Country Music Alberta award winner, performed in front of a crowd of around 160 people in the Coronation Community Hall as part of the ongoing Coronation Royal Performing Arts season.
While Lindsay performed a few covers, such as the Garth Brooks hit “Much to Young (to Feel This Damn Old)”, the majority of his 20 song set was original music off his two albums Wild and The Ride.
The 30-year-old artist split his performance into two sets, the first of 10-songs which he closed with a touching tribute to Canadian singer and songwriter Ian Tyson, who died at the end of December.
After a 20-minute intermission, Lindsay returned to the stage solo performing a couple of ballads he wrote called “Darlin’ You’re a Classic,” a song inspired by his grandfather meeting his grandmother at a military ball, and “Hill To Die On,” inspired by his friends near Yellowknife, N.W.T., who lost everything in a fire but chose to rebuild.
“It was so devastating,” said Lindsay, during the show. “It really tests you.”
After the second ballad, the four members of the band rejoined Lindsay on stage. The group performed a variety of songs during the rest of the second-set, concluding with a medley which showcased the talents of the individual members.
Included in the band were a fiddle player, bass-guitar player, drummer, and a guitarist in addition to Lindsay.
After a standing ovation, Lindsay and the band came back on the stage and performed one more song, the 20th of the night, for an encore. They closed the show with a cover of a Blue Rodeo song.
Prior to the show, around 150 people enjoyed a ham-supper prepared by Anne Michielsen. Michielsen, a caterer, owns Country Cooking, a Castor-based business.
Also prior to the show, Lindsay made his way around the room, stopping at a number of tables to introduce himself and say hello. According to one guest taking in the performance, and a long-time attendee of Coronation Royal Performing Arts, such an action was rarely seen by performers.
After the show finished, Lindsay came back out front and signed autographs at the merchandise table.
