Estevan was shown what love is all about by Johnny Reid, last Sunday. Affinity Place filled up with an adoring high-energy crowd, to listen to the rocking sounds of Johnny Reid.
The Valentine’s Day performance was one of many stops on Reid’s What Love Is All About tour. After getting warmed up by the raw sounds of JJ Shiplett’s country-inspired rock music, Reid came out to an applauding, excited crowd, and played a mixed set of songs that had the audience up on their feet and dancing along at many points throughout the night.
Over 2,200 people from Estevan and the surrounding area attended, and even before the show began, there was plenty of hype. The concert started at 7:30 p.m., but people were already waiting in a line that extended out into the parking lot as early as 6:30 p.m.
“It’s my first time in Estevan, and based on this energy I’m feeling like it won’t be my last,” said Reid to the crowd, after the applause for his performance of A Woman Like You abated.
Reid had a gregarious presence throughout the night. He exuded high energy and was eager to engage the audience, inviting them to sing and clap along as he moved from one end of the stage to the next.
At one point, he descended from the stage and ran into the crowd, high-fiving any fans near him in the middle of a song, emphasizing how grateful he was to everyone who showed up. At one point, Reid gave a shout out to a boy in the audience for his creativity and dedication, acknowledging that the boy built a light-up sign that caught his eye.
There were plenty of laughs as well, with Reid using the breaks in between songs to tell stories about where the inspiration for his songs came from. This resulted in some whacky moments, that included one point in the middle of a story about how a preening Speedo-wearing tourist inspired one of his songs, someone in the audience handed him a blue Speedo.
Throughout the night, Reid smoothly transitioned from more serious songs like his duet with singer Elage Diouf, Just One Day, to the high-energy songs like The Peacock Song and Light it Up. The concert included songs from several of Reid’s albums, including his newest, What Love Is All About. At one point, Reid revealed a new song that had never been heard before; a performance that earned one of many standing ovations.
At the end of the concert, Reid gave his band mates and opening act accolades, then inviting Shiplett and his band onstage for a song which felt more like an impromptu jam session than a planned part of the concert. The encore performance ended to the sound of thundering applause.
