“I don’t feel it’s truly Christmas until Andy Kim comes to town. This year marked the 10th anniversary of his Christmas fundraiser for the Starlight Foundation in Montreal. Bringing along some returning friends and some new ones, the Beanfield was full of holiday cheer, and I felt the good vibes before I even entered the building. I actually found street parking very close by, and there was another wonderful surprise waiting for us at the door.
I got there early to purchase a ticket for my son. I wasn’t sure if he would be joining me since he’s getting too old to hang out with Mom and definitely too young for the Andy Kim crowd. As we waited at the front entrance for the ticket booth to open, a friendly couple arrived, and we moved aside to let them enter the venue. ‘Hey, I couldn’t help overhearing,’ said a familiar voice. ‘Do you guys need tickets?’ I smiled at the kind stranger and told him that I only needed one. Why did I know that voice? Had we met before? ‘Hey, are you Jay from CHOM?’ After 40 years of attending concerts, I’m not sure if the miracle was that my hearing was still so sharp or that a complete stranger offered us a free ticket. Either way, the night started on a good note.
There was old footage of previous shows playing on a large screen above the stage as people mingled around the bar. And a few minutes before 8 o’clock, Andy’s phenomenal band appeared and kicked off the show with ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town.’
Still rocking the jet-black hair, Palm Springs tan, and silver jewellery, Andy Kim has proven that if you do what you love, you never get old. Introducing the first band, Meds, from Montreal, with the same enthusiasm that he introduced every other artist: Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Harmer, Amy Millan, Murray Lightburn, Ivan Doroschuk (Men Without Hats), The Damn Truth and meds.
Hosted once again by CJAD’s Ken Connors, who reminded us that everyone performing that night was volunteering their time for https://www.starlight.org/.
Each artist would sing a song or two, and then Andy would reappear and do one of his old classics, like ‘So Good Together’ and ‘How’d We Ever Get This Way’ (which he did with Ron Sexsmith).
This was my first time seeing Sarah Harmer and Amy Millan, and they both blew me away. Their performance of ‘Old Perfume’ was one of my favourites of the night. Amy also did a lovely version of ‘Silent Night,’ and Sarah did ‘C’est L’hiver/Let It Snow.’ And it wouldn’t be an Andy Kim Christmas without Ron Sexsmith’s ‘Driving Home For Christmas.’
The crowd went nuts during ‘Safety Dance,’ but I think it was The Damn Truth who brought the house down with ‘I Just Gotta Let You Know’ and ‘Tomorrow.’
He closed the show with his two greatest hits that always get everyone on their feet: ‘Sugar Sugar’ and ‘Rock Me Gently.’ Joined on stage with all his fellow artists, joyfully singing along, the evening ended on a high note.
By sharing his voice and time, and with the spirit of giving to those in need, Andy has once again reminded us what is truly important and how music always brings us together and makes everything so much better.
Review – Annette Aghazarian
Photos – Steve Gerrard
