For the first time in more than two years, live music has returned to Casino Rama.
Thousands of eager concert-goers descended on the casino Friday night to see country star Jake Owen, who gave the venue its first performance since Chilliwack was cancelled in March 2020.
“You really feel the atmosphere. It’s vibrant. Staff are excited,” Glenn Trickey, the casino’s vice-president of operations, told OrilliaMatters Friday evening. “It’s (been) just over two years. The weekend we closed on March 15, 2020, it was scheduled to be Chilliwack, and this would be our first one tonight with Jake Owen.”
Over the course of the pandemic, the casino remained closed between March 2020 and July 2021, with another brief closure in January 2022.
Trickey said the Jake Owen concert marks the return of a major attraction at the casino.
“We are a big venue, and bringing in 5,000 people for a concert really adds to the atmosphere,” he said. “We’ve been known for it in the industry and in the market for going on 25 years. People love coming up here. We put on great shows, great artists, and it’s one of our key components.”
Following the two-year gap in performances, a number of big-name performers are scheduled for the rest of the year.
“Jake Owen — obviously, a big country star — kicking us off upon our reopening, and Avril Lavigne (Saturday) night,” he said. “Through May we have Chilliwack, Howie Mandel, and wrap up the month of May with Ringo Starr, all the way through to Russell Peters in December, so we have a full lineup throughout the whole year.”
Guests attending the Jake Owen concert were excited to be able to get out and see live music again.
“It’s just nice to be able to get to see people,” said Josh Van Gerben. “You’re not stuck in your house staring at the same four walls all the time — you get to see a concert. Good times.”
“It feels like you’re living again,” said Sharon Rowden. “(We’re) just excited to be out to have dinner and enjoy the show.”
Although concerts have returned, Trickey said the casino is not entirely out of the woods yet, but that it is working hard to get everything running as usual.
“We’re still working through the reopening and, obviously, there’s still challenges as we are still at the tail end of a pandemic with, unfortunately, staff still getting sick and some shortages,” he said. “We are striving to reopen all of our amenities in the near future.”
