Parliament Hill shines as Marie Mai, Brett Kissel, and Alan Doyle take the Canada Day stage
Canada Day 2019 was a joyous, summer event in downtown Ottawa as Parliament Hill and Major’s Hill Park gave folks from far and wide shows they won’t soon forget.
Beginning on the beautiful summer night of June 30 on Major’s Hill Park (immediately across from Parliament Hill), the music was diverse, welcoming, and represented Canada’s east and west coasts in fashion. Through the familiarity of Cajun blues, Quebec’s Les Salebarbes traced back the Louisiana sound to its traditional Acadian roots, and had the crowd dancing for their entire set, while Vancouver’s Said the Whale’s passionate and atmospheric indie-pop blend had the audience in a trance as the city got ready for the big day to come.
The perfect summer night turned into the perfect summer day as Parliament Hill welcomed over 50,000 spectators to its noon and evening shows. Backed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the noontime performances saw T. Thomason and Marie Mai perform the bilingual “Hope”, Mohawk singer/songwriter, Shawnee, perform “Warrior Heart”, the exciting Alan Doyle perform “Come On With Me”, and a special performance by Ballets Jazz Montreal set to Leonard Cohen’s “Nevermind”. The show capped off with a spirit-lifting performance by K’Naan and his massive hit “Wavin’ Flag.”
In the hours leading up to the spectacular Canada Day fireworks, Parliament Hill once again offered an exciting show; this time featuring some of this country’s hottest performers. Leading with an all-in performance of the classic, “Taking Care of Business,” the night included an array of performances shared back and forth by Marie Mai, the Strumbellas, Brett Kissel, William Prince, Coeur de pirate, and Crystal Shawanda; and ended with an all-in performance of the Band’s “The Weight” that included the Hon. Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage.
With its perfect weather and jubilant atmosphere, Ottawa’s Parliament Hill and Major’s Hill Park are always the places to be for Canada Day!
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Born and raised with thoughts and aspirations of becoming a famous bassist in Sarnia, ON; Emily Plunkett now lives in Gatineau, QC, and considers National Capital Region home sweet home. A product of the Beatles, MuchMusic and the Southwestern Ontario summer festival circuit (circa 2000), her interest and love in concert photography came almost completely by accident when her journalism program at Algonquin College required courses in photojournalism (and she quickly realized that photos taken at concerts using a DSLR are enormously better than ones she was taking on a point-and-shoot she bought for a trip to England). She is extremely proud of the fact she has seen Sloan in some form or another 25 times.
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