Kim Mitchell is planning to bring the fun when the Canadian singing legend and his band headline opening day of the Penticton Peach Festival on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 9:30 p.m.
“I’m super excited to be back in Penticton playing Peach Fest. I have a big love for Penticton,” said Mitchell who spoke with the Western News on Saturday, before taking the stage for a show in Edmonton.
“I have great memories of playing by the beach there.”
The last time Kim Mitchell rocked Peach Fest was the summer of 2018 where he drew some of the biggest crowds in the festival’s history.
The unique thing about playing Peach Fest is concerts are held at Okanagan Lake Park where bands take to the Peter Bros. Stage with the lake as their backdrop. The other cool thing is the concerts are free.
The Canadian Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee calls Penticton a ‘piece of paradise,’ with its “lakefront restaurants and boardwalk and Bench wineries.”
“I still have a photo on my phone of me in a car along the lakeshore biting into a big juicy peach,” he added.
When Mitchell plays some of his monster hit songs like Go For a Soda, Patio Lanterns and Rock N Roll Duty, to name a few, so many in the crowd can sing every word.
Some loyal fans have seen him play 20 or 30 times.
“We have a simple job. We try and transmit musical energy and make the audience feel good.”
Mitchell has been a huge part of the Canadian music scene for decades, with a large following. For Peach Fest, he invites younger people to come out on Wednesday night for the free concert.
“We’ll rock their butts off. They are better behaved than their parents were,” he said.
READ MORE: Kim Mitchell continues his Rock ‘n’ Roll duty to open Penticton Peach Fest
After all the years of touring, belting out song after song in concert venues across North America, Mitchell’s vocals are still pitch perfect and he knows how to put on an amazing show, according to numerous reviews from recent concerts.
“Excellent night, brilliant musicians’, ‘he created an amazing experience and vibe, energy was infectious’, Man, this guy tore up the town with a fantastic performance’, ‘Blew me away’, ‘The years have only made Kim Mitchell better than ever.’
Mitchell said he’s been doing some reflecting lately of all his years in music.
“I’m such a lucky person getting to do the job I do. When we spread that musical vibe to the audience and everyone is having fun, I just feel so fortunate.”
Soon he and his band Max Webster will be part of the Canadian Walk of Fame.
“I remember moving to Toronto at 17 years old when I started to become a real musician and I never thought in a million years I’d be lucky enough to be doing this at 40, let alone at my age now.”
Earning international acclaim in 1984 with the classic hit Go For a Soda, Mitchell has an enviable pile of accolades with five platinum and three gold albums, major awards with classic hits like Patio Lanterns, Rock N Roll Duty, Easy to Tame, Rockland Wonderland, I am a Wild Party and All We Are.
Peach Fest runs from Aug. 9 to 13. Get your official guide of Peach Fest in last Wednesday’s Penticton Western News or go to peachfest.com for the schedule of events.
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