What could be lovelier than attending a Christmas concert in your own home?
Well, how about a virtual visit from popular trio the Good Lovelies, who have found a way to put on their annual Christmas show in Midland, despite a year unlike no other.
The trio will perform a live concert Sunday afternoon in partnership with the Midland Cultural Centre while also donating a portion of ticket sales to the Georgian Bay Native Women's Association.
“Shifting our Christmas tour to a virtual concert series has been a mammoth undertaking, but we are thrilled to be able to put on some unique concerts in this way,” band member Sue Passmore told MidlandToday.
Passmore joked that past Midland shows have often occurred during major snowstorms.
“So hopefully, it will be a reliably snowy day!” she added. “All shows will be streamed from a theatre in Hamilton, so we’ll miss our favourite stops and shops.
“As for the show itself, we are still performing with our band of merry men, on a festively dressed stage, so the cast of characters and the look will be familiar for those who have attended in the past.
“We will sing through a catalogue of familiar music, tell stories, and I’m certain we’ll have some laughs, as always.”
Passmore said the decision to include Midland on the limited 10-concert, Christmas Time’s A Comin’ tour was an easy one.
“We have performed in Midland every year since 2009, and at Christmastime since 2015, so how could we not include Midland in this year’s Christmas concert series,” she said.
“The community has been an important part of our history as a band, and it’s important to us that we continue to celebrate community relationships like this one, no matter the exceptional circumstances.
“In addition to that, there will be special guest performances – we are big fans of our Midland guests, and will be announcing who they are 24 hours before show time on social media and our website.”
And since this is a new way of seeing concerts, Passmore noted that anyone with questions about the 3 p.m. Sunday show or to get tickets, can check out their website.
“The show isn’t restricted to the Midland area, so anyone reading outside the area can absolutely get a ticket,” she said. “We have also been posting videos to our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages to answer questions about the virtual shows, how to get tickets, etc.”
And like other musicians and artists, the pandemic has proved particularly challenging to the Good Lovelies.
Passmore said there are many things she misses about not being to perform in front of a live audience.
“Personally, I miss the travel to the shows, setting up for the shows and the adrenaline of performing live,” she said.
“I miss the laughter throughout the shows, meeting everyone after the shows, and most of all, the time spent with my friends and band mates on tour. Face to face time, and hugs, are at an all-time low – we will never take these things for granted again. We miss everything.”
But that said, Passmore noted that they’re pleased with how they’ve been able to weather the storm.
“We are finding our own light, and doing our best to think creatively about how we can carry on,” she said.
“Pretty much all of our work for 2020 disappeared, and as a trio, there are significant logistical limitations to what we can do in the live-stream world without being able to bubble together.
“And still, we have managed a few performances, managed to create space for mental health and we are all writing new material, so we will be flush with music by the time we’re ready to get back into the studio, I’m sure!”
