Sheena Easton – Canada Place – July 1, 2016
Canada Day at Canada Place brings a massive crowd to participate in the family fun and take in the free entertainment. This year, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the opening of Canada Place for Expo 86, the day had an 80s theme. In 1986, Sheena Easton was one of the entertainers to grace the Expo 86 stage and she returned this year to co-headline Canada Day.
A large crowd gathered as the Scottish-born songstress took the stage. Under the hot afternoon sun, Ms Easton appeared onstage looking much younger than her self proclaimed 57 years. While she may not have hit the airwaves in a few years, the charismatic singer hasn’t stopped performing and recording. The experience shows as she’s so comfortable and affable onstage the audience, young and old, were attentive throughout the hour-long show, in spite of the outdoor distractions. Like me, many were fans from the 80s and we weren’t disappointed hearing all of her hits, like 9 to 5 (Morning Train), We’ve Got Tonight, Sugar Walls, Strut, U Got The Look, For Your Eyes Only as well as medley of Motown covers dueting with her backing singer Philip. Her voice has matured a bit since the 80s, making for some slight adjustments to the arrangements in some of her early pop songs, but the richness in her voice fits with her seemingly natural affinity for R&B/Soul sounds.
Even if it has been 30 years between her Expo 86 visit and now, the time melted away for many in the audience as they sang along to Ms Easton’s hits. A great way to reminisce about Expo 86 and celebrate Canada Day