This week, I'm going to talk about some of the exciting big events going on that have people around here all fired up.
I am referring, of course, to that upcoming Paul McCartney concert booking for Mosaic Stadium Aug. 14.
That McCartney announcement has all the music fans in this province excited, with reports of masses of Saskatchewan people scouring the Internet trying to figure out how to secure concert tickets.
As someone who is not usually a concert goer, I find this whole process bizarre and a little mind-boggling. Buying a regularly priced ticket ought to be easy: you simply ought to go online or drive up to the ticket window and make the purchase. But it is never this simple with big rock concerts. We've heard this story several times before, where as soon as the ticket sales begin, the website gets overwhelmed and all the tickets are snapped up in minutes, leaving fans empty handed.
Then later, you find out a boatload of tickets were snapped up by scalpers who now are offering them for several thousand dollars.
So to beat the scalpers, people must now go on websites to sign up and pre-register for tickets, like they did for the pre-sale with the McCartney concert. Personally, I find the whole process rather confusing. To me, buying concert tickets seems a hassle, but that's what happens when you live in a free enterprise system where scalpers are free to operate and charge a fortune.
The biggest concert I ever went to, and ever will go to, was the Rolling Stones concert in Toronto in 2003. That was the famous benefit concert that was held to help revive Toronto's tourism industry, which had taken a hit during the SARS epidemic that hit the city earlier in the year. Half a million people turned out for that one. A ton of artists performed there, including Justin Timberlake, Rush and AC/DC.
Because it was held out in Downsview, basically a big old airbase in Toronto, there was really no limit to the number of tickets that could be sold. So it was easy for me to walk up to the ticket outlet in my neighbourhood and pay a reasonable price to see the Rolling Stones.
It was a memorable experience, even if the performers were a little too far away up on the stage.
Of course, the Rolling Stones eventually made it to Mosaic Stadium for what would be the biggest concert in the history of Saskatchewan. Usually, that seems to be the way it is with the Stones. Their concerts are major league affairs.
The same is true for McCartney and for that matter, the Beatles. I've read the accounts of the famed concerts the Beatles put on in their heyday, like the famous one at Shea Stadium in 1965.
The Beatles, of course, are long split up, but at least we'll finally have a chance to see McCartney perform live. Add that to the list of big events hitting Saskatchewan in 2013.
No doubt about it, this has been a big year of events around the province. Just recently the JUNO awards took place in Regina, featuring the likes of Michael Buble, Carly Rae Jepsen, k.d. lang and of course the home-grown boys from our province, the Sheepdogs.
Of course, it was just a couple of years ago that the Sheepdogs were right in our back yard, in Battleford, performing at BridgeFest 2011 on the same bill as Bif Naked. So it isn't just Regina that has had all the fun.
Down the road in Saskatoon, fans from across Saskatchewan were excited by the arrival of one of their idols from TV: Oprah Winfrey.
The appearance of the famous media personality and talk show host at Credit Union Centre drew a massive audience of 13,000 people.
Sports fans have some events to look forward to as well. Namely, the Memorial Cup and the Grey Cup.
I'm really looking forward to some of the events surrounding the Memorial Cup in Saskatoon. In addition to the games themselves, they are planning a "FanFest" plus an additional Hockey Hall of Fame display down at Midtown Plaza, with exhibits showing off Canada's junior hockey heritage.
The most-anticipated event in our football-mad province will be the Grey Cup game in November. This will be the icing on top of a big green cake.
All these events have livened up life in a province which is traditionally not used to the word "excitement."
I often have a love-hate relationship with the province in which I was born and spent most of my life. There are many times in the past few years when I wished Saskatchewan had more big events going on.
There are still days when it seems like the most interesting aspects of life in this province are (a) the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and (b) John Gormley - though even Gormley seems a stretch.
But all the events happening in 2013 have made this a remarkably interesting time in Saskatchewan and have focused welcome attention on our home province. They provide a sense that Saskatchewan seems, like other places, major league.
Whether it is the Grey Cup, the Memorial Cup, the JUNOs, Oprah or Paul McCartney, there is only one statement that needs be made in 2013:
"Saskatchewan is cool."
If you want proof, look no further than the record books. They show that in March and April of this year, Saskatchewan has had the coldest spring in 113 years.
As if we need to be reminded. Saskatchewan is cool, all right, in more ways than one.
