Homegrown entertainers converged at Riel Recreation Park on Canada Day during the late morning and afternoon hours to entertain several thousand visitors dressed in a sea of patriotic red.
Opening the day were the Melisizwe Brothers, a trio of dynamic siblings originally from Leduc. They developed international recognition after posting a YouTube video of I’ll Be There that went viral. The trio was subsequently invited to perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where they honoured her with an original rap song.
These three rising stars are Zachary (vocalist), Seth (piano) and Mark (guitar), and they burst on the Riel Park stage with youthful eagerness and vitality.
While the Canada Day program steered clear of rap, the brothers, supported by a drummer, keyboardist and bassist, nailed close to 10 upbeat pop songs from Don’t Stop Believing and Just the Way You Are to Counting Stars and Pharrell Williams Happy, a bouncy tune that perfectly captured the crowd’s mood.
As the boys kicked off the party with Happy Birthday, about 50 people were sitting and standing, watching. But as Zachary, 10, belted out each song in his chirpy, high-pitched vocals, people in twos, threes and groups streamed toward the stage. By the set's end, several hundred were milling about.
But it wasn’t just Zachary. Like the Jackson 5, who they’ve been often compared to, it’s the vocal blend of harmonies that created such an unmistakable sound and made them stand out – just enough soul and poignancy wrapped in feel-good sentimentality.
“They were outstanding and such nice kids. Ten-year-old Zachary was incredible. What a showman. He was charming and friendly and what a pistol,” said master of ceremonies Tracy Aisenstat.
Next on the program was folk-pop band Cypress with St. Albert’s Andrea Shipka singing lead.
“Andrea is so high-energy and so positive. She was so delighted to be there. Her throat was bothering her, but she didn’t miss a beat.”
Revving up the intensity, Edmonton’s Troupe Zéphyr, an energetic ensemble of Francophone step dancers ratcheted up the noise factor with their energetic foot stomping.
“This year there was even a little girl with wooden spoons.”
Stephen Badry, a MacEwan student who also performed in Cypress, also stepped on stage as a progressive one-man band.
Immediately following was the 52-member St. Albert Community Band. Since the large numbers of musicians were unable to fit on stage, they were seated in front of the stage. The drummer in his usual spot behind the band was the only musician seated on stage, drawing the audience’s focus.
“When they were setting up, the wind hit its peak. They didn’t know if they could do it, but as soon as they started playing, the wind died down,” Aisenstat said.
The band took the crowd through a wide catalogue from Broadway hits and a Disney medley to the Hockey Night in Canada anthem.
And closing the afternoon was folk-rock band Soft March, with their toe-tapping vibe.
“It was the end of the day and people were starting to leave. I wish they’d had a bigger crowd, but once they started singing, people came in. They had tons of energy and it was a great way to end the day.”
