Nickelback, Arkells, James Barker Band & Nick Earle and The Restless Hearts
August 9, 2024
Churchill Park, St. John’s, NL
Photo Credit: Tara Thompson
The Churchill Park Music Festival is back again for the 2024 season with two weekends of fabulous music. Located in St. John’s, NL, Churchill Park has been home to one of the island’s favourite outdoor festivals for almost three years.
The festival officially started on Friday, August 9th with a show-stopping lineup of fantastic musicians. Starting off the night strong was Nick Earle and The Restless Hearts, belting out a combination of original tracks and cover songs that helped hype the audience for an amazing night. Fronted by Nick Earle, the Restless Hearts have a solid lineup of local musicians including Andrew Rodgers (Guitar), Clare Follett (bass), and Dan George (Drums).
This band has made a great name for themselves over the past few years. Their talent shines through every vocal, every note played, and the audience’s response. Earle and Rodgers share vocals on tunes such as ‘Downtown’, a catchy tune that you can’t help but tap along to the beat. The same goes for ‘Born to Lose’, another tune that just sticks with you for days after hearing it. If you ever get the chance to see this group live, do it! You will not be disappointed.
James Barker Band, a Canadian country group from Ontario, were up next. The band, consisting of James Barker (lead vocals/guitar), Taylor Abram (guitar/background vocals), Connor Stephen (drums), and Bobby Martin (bass), have had an impressive career so far, complete with multiple number one country singles.
The band started their set with one of these number one hits, ‘Chills’, a track that also won the 2018 award for Single of the Year and the Canadian Country Music Awards. The set also included tracks from their 2023 release Ahead of Our Time including ‘Meet Your Mama’, ‘On The Water’, and ‘Ahead of Our Time’.
For those who did not know of James Barker Band before this night, they certainly did after the band played their first cover track of the set. The band performed a solid cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’, one that left the audience singing along. Showcasing their creativity, the band did a medley of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’, Bryan Adams’ ‘Heaven’ and Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’. Before breaking into the last song of the night, the band covered ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage Against the Machine. All these covers, all different, created a memorable experience for all.
The band finished off their set with their 2016 debut single ‘Lawn Chair Lazy’, a track that peaked at number 3 on the Canadian Country chart, with them achieving status as having the highest charting debut single for a Canadian country artist. Other singles from the album performed included ‘Just Sayin’’ and ‘It’s Working’.
Performing as the sun went down, created that perfect ambiance as Arkells took the stage next. Hailing from Hamilton, Ontario, the band is no stranger to Newfoundland. This Canadian Rock band consisting of Max Kerman (vocals/guitar), Mike DeAngelis (Vocals/guitar), Nick Dika (bass), Tim Oxford (drums/percussion), and Anthony Carone (vocals/keyboard/guitar) always perform a memorable set with such enthusiasm, complete with a touring band adding that extra touch with horns and backing vocals. The energy radiating off the stage is contagious and those who are fans of this amazing band can be found singing along to every word.
The set started with ‘Past Life’ off their 2022 album Blink Twice, before breaking into ‘‘You Can Get It’ from their 2021 release Blink Once. Bringing it back to their earlier days the band played ‘Whistleblower’ from their 2011 release Michigan Left. We also got treated to Tony’s famous keyboard solo, where he made that keyboard talk.
Before breaking out into an acoustic version of ‘Quitting You’, Kerman explained to the audience that the band had often been called a band for the Townies. For those not from Newfoundland, everyone who lives in St. John’s has been called Townies for as long as I can remember. Those living outside of the city, or beyond the overpass, are considered Baymen. His aim was to prove that Arkells are for everyone and then asked what was the difference between a shed party and a kitchen party. Once he got his answer, he said that we were going to have a shed party. Many parties here in Newfoundland often have an acoustic guitar brought out at some part of the night where everyone belts out the songs, no matter the quality. This was Kerman’s aim for that song.
Another thing Arkells are known for is their request line. This is where someone calls in and leaves a message, requesting a song be played during the show in their city. The track for this show ended up being ‘And Then Some’, a dedication to someone special as the message from the request line informed the audience.
One thing about Arkells is that they always do a unique cover. Kerman explained how they had just flown back from Paris where they performed at the Olympics. During this gig they had covered a track by Nickelback but felt that they could not do a cover of a Nickelback song at a Nickelback show. So they did a cover of Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’. Twain is headlining a three-night extravaganza during the second week of the Churchill Park Music Festival. The band also treated the audience to ‘Big Feelings’, their latest single.It is always an exciting time when we get new Arkells music!
No Arkells show is complete without two songs from their 2014 album High Noon. This album won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year at the 2015 Juno Awards. We always know what time it is when ‘11:11’ is performed. You know it is going to be a good time right from the first note of the song. The band ended their set with another fan favourite from this album. ‘Leather Jacket’ always hypes up the audience as they dance and sing along, knowing that the end is near but holding on until the last possible moment.
The finale for the first night of the Churchill Park Music Festival was none other than Nickelback. Hailing from Alberta, this Canadian rock band consists of Chad Kroeger (lead vocals/lead guitar), Ryan Peake (rhythm guitar/backing vocals/keyboards), Mike Kroeger (bass), and Daniel Adair (drums/percussion/backing vocals).
Nickelback took the stage by storm as the audience cheered. The set started with ‘San Quentin’, a track from the 2022 release Get Rollin’. Kroeger mentioned that they were just finishing up a tour for this album when they got the call about coming to Newfoundland. Thankfully for us, they did not turn this down.
One thing about going to a concert where Nickelback is performing is that it can certainly be one big sing-a-long as the audience can offer background vocals to the multitude of hits that Nickelback has under their belt.
The band took it back to their earlier days with hits from their 2003 release The Long Road such as ‘Someday’ and ‘Figured You Out’. Hits from their 2005 release All the Right Reasons included ‘Savin’ Me’, ‘Far Away’, and ‘Photograph’, tracks that are definitely fan favourites. Other than hit tracks, Nickelback is also known for the use of pyrotechnics and lights during their sets. These are set perfectly to their songs, with just the right amount to amaze the audience. It is just something a little extra special to make the concert more memorable.
Like most, Nickelback had some treats up their sleeves for the audience. Kroeger invited Max Kerman from Arkells to sing during ‘Hero’. This track, originally a collaboration with Josey Scott, was released as the Spiderman theme song. They also invited a fan from the audience to sing along during ‘Rockstar’. The guy did a fantastic job, definitely a memorable experience for him. How many people get to say they shared the stage with Nickelback?
The very first Nickelback song I remember hearing was ‘How You Remind Me’ from their 2001 release Silver Side Up. This track reached number one on the Mainstream and Modern Rock Charts. The band made sure to leave this one until the end, leaving the audience wanting more and chanting for an encore as we never want the night to end. Nickelback answered the call and came back to perform a two-track encore composed of two hits from their 2008 album Dark Horse. The first was the 5th single to hit the U.S. Adult Top 40 chart with ‘Gotta Be Somebody’. The night ended with ‘Burn It to the Ground’, a fan favourite that I heard people around me asking for the entire set.
With such a memorable night, the Churchill Park Music Festival set the bar high for all other nights. With a little something for everyone, I am sure great things are to come.
