George Canyon Concert Review - Belleville Empire Theater - October 16, 2006

The regular set came to a close with two fun and upbeat songs, his current single "Drinkin' Thinkin'" and another catchy song from the new CD "Time for Goodbye." Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for George to reappear for an encore. The next song was another highlight of the night for me. George told us that they had planned on retiring this song from the set list, thinking that it might be too painful for some people to hear, but when they were flooded with over 5000 letters telling them how much the song meant to people, they decided to keep singing it. If you have never heard the song "My Name" you should go to iTunes and buy it right now! It's a story told from the perspective of an unborn child who dies during childbirth. "They loved me just the same, and they didn't even know my name."

The night ended with another Johnny Cash cover, "Folsom Prison Blues," and all George's guest came back out on stage to help him out. George kicked it off, then Gord Bamford and Dave Gunning both sang a verse of the song. You could tell how much they were enjoying themselves on that stage and how appreciative they were of their fans. During the last song several of George's band members came up the aisles into the audience while they played and George himself even wandered up the aisle while he was singing.

I am an avid fan of Nashville Star and I loved George Canyon when he was on the show, but I had no idea what an incredible entertainer he would turn out to be. I wasn't sure what to expect but I was treated to 2 full hours of something far more enjoyable than I would have ever imagined. The venue was tiny, less than 1000 people I'm sure, but the man on stage was a HUGE talent and he proved to me that he could easily open stadium tours for the likes of Alan Jackson or yes, even the king of country himself, George Strait. I bought the new CD on my way out and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one.

Set List:

1. Somebody Wrote Love
2. Who Would You Be
3. Your Smile
4. Ladders To Climb
5. One Good Friend
6. Pancho And Lefty (W/ Dave Gunning)
7. Drank All Daddy's Beer (Dave Gunning)
8. Saltwater Hearts (Dave Gunning)
9. The Long Black Veil (W/ Dave Gunning)
10. I Want You To Live
11. A Good Day To Ride
12. I'll Never Do Better Than You
13. Walk The Line
14. Ring Of Fire
15. Madi's Song (The Way She Thinks I Am)
16. Some People Change
17. Quitters
18. Drinkin' Thinkin'
19. Time For Goodbye
20. My Name
21. Folsom Prison Blues

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