SASKATOON—Country singer Brett Kissel got the crowd dancing and jumping on their feet during the first day of the Hudsons Pub Block Party on Wednesday night, July 16, outside their location downtown at the corner of 4th Avenue South and 21st Street.
Kissel, who was born in St. Paul, Alberta, got the crowd singing when he played some of his hit songs like Another One and Drink About Me. He has won 16 Canadian Country Music Awards, including three times as the Male Artist of the Year, and three Juno Awards.
During the show, he said it was nice to come back and play in front of an energetic crowd in Saskatoon, recalling how he had held his show five years ago outside the SaskTel Centre due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a sea of vehicles in attendance.
In an earlier interview with Cruz FM, Kissel said he balances his time between family, farm, and yard work, and will be showing this summer, including the Block Party, which has a theme celebrating the province’s hardworking farmers, as it coincides with Ag in Motion in Langham.
“Farming has been in our family for 115 years. I was able to buy the farm from my grandma and grandpa. We know that Ag in Motion is something that many people across the province want to go to,” said Kissel.
Fellow Albertan Travis Dolter, who was born and raised in the village of Hay Lakes, warmed things up for Kissel as he was the opening act of the first night of the annual summer event. He said he was glad to open up for Kissel.
“Brett Kissel signed my first guitar, and I don’t play that one. In 2007, he signed my first guitar with a message, ‘Keep picking, Travis.’ Now, here I am opening up for him, so it’s a cool full circle moment,” Dolter told SaskToday.
Despite taking the stage a little past 8 p.m., Dolter, who records his songs in Saskatoon and also has family in the city and Regina, got the crowd pumping and jamming along when he and his band played a mix of country and ’50s Rock and Roll.
“Buddy Holly was my first guitar idol, and I learned how to play all of his songs. Then I started playing more country music, which slowly turned into writing country music when I turned 18,” Dolter added.
The Block Party, which began seven years ago, was sponsored in part by Harvard Media, SaskAgToday.com, 620 CKRM, GX94, and 96.3 Cruz FM.
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