Kincardine News — “I can’t wait until next year!”

That comment came from a woman as she gathered up her blanket and walked away from the main stage of the Steelback Music Fest in Kincardine Monday night as the last strains of the Temptations’ “My Girl” drifted into the heavens.
You have the give full marks to Frank D’Angelo of Steelback Brewery. Frank gave something to Kincardine that the town has never seen – an entertainment venue of professional calibre. The best.
As he spoke Sunday night, during the Tom Cochrane concert, Frank said, “I think I might do this again next year.”
That comment, from a man who wasn’t too sure how the Steelback weekend would pan out after a dismal showing at the first night of the three-night event where several thousand fans crammed the stage in an area that could hold upwards of 30,000. An incredibly skimpy crowd, in fact, to listen to the sounds of Alannah Myles and Gino Vanelli. Live!
The show must go on, and Alannah set the stage for what would turn out to be a great weekend of wonderful music.
Fans were restricted from the stage area by orange fencing, a fact that Alannah dealt with in short order when she encouraged fans to break through the barricades and get up close. That they did, and soon hundreds of fans were within metres of the stage.
The stage area was redesigned in short order for the following night’s entertainment when upwards of 10,000 fans crowded close to the most fan friendly entertainer, Tom Cochrane. Cochrane closed the night that included a stint by the Cowboy Junkies.
Cochrane, without a doubt, loves his work. He kibitzed with the crowd encouraging fans on many occasions to sing his songs as he pushed his microphone to the masses.
A true Canadian, Cochrane talked proudly of his roots, of his summers spent as a teenager in the Sauble Beach/Oliphant area, where he wrote lyrics and sang his song s around the campfire with friends.
Cochrane flew up from Toronto to the Kincardine airport in his own plane on Sunday, leaving Monday. But before he did, he received a request to visit a young fan who has learning disabilities. And so, after his rockin’ show closed shortly after 11:30 p.m., Cochrane was taken by limousine up the street a few blocks, where his presence in person brought tears to the teens’ eyes.
He also encouraged the crowd to support the Parkinsons’ Walk in Kincardine later this month, alluding that the disease had affected his family.
At one point, a roadie whispered to Cochrane that it was curfew time ... time to wrap up the show.
Curfew! To a man who didn’t want to leave the stage! Cochrane was having nothing of it, joking with the crowd that he had spoken with the town’s mayor (Glenn Sutton was at the concert), and that no mention was made of curfew. Even so, he said he hadn’t had a curfew in 25 years, and wasn’t about to observe one now. In fact, Cochrane said he was prepared to play all night.
The crowd loved it. Cochrane and is Red Ryder band rocked the night away. It was a blast.

It was a great Labour Day Weekend of music to end a spectacular summer of fun in Kincardine.
It’s true ... we can’t wait until next year!