For nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, live music has been cancelled, but as restrictions ease and cases drop, the show must go on — as is — at the 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, Ont.
The open-air theatre is playing host to concert series The Barnyard Sessions: All About the Song.
Kate Suhr, who is doubling as performer and producer for the shows, said it will be a bit different than your typical concert.
“So The Barnyard Sessions is inspired and influenced by the traditional songwriting circles that take place in Nashville and all over the world,” she said. “The artists trade stories about why they wrote their songs and how their process goes.”
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Singer/songwriter Dylan Ireland is playing the venue Oct. 14 alongside musicians Eric Brandon, Evangeline Gentle and J.D. Nicholsen.
He said while songwriting has, for him, always been a solitary process, he is looking forward to being back on stage with other artists.
“I’m not even really a co-writing kind of person, I do a lot of it at home in secret, so it’s fun for sure,” said Ireland. “It’s always been a favourite part of performing for me, is those intimate shows where you can kind of show the audience your song, how you do it at home.”
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Meanwhile, Suhr said the shows end up being more than a night out and that the performances have been a way for both musicians and audience members to process what they’ve been through during the pandemic.
“When we first started doing this we were witnessing the audience grieving, and sharing in joy and processing with the artist and it was very healing.”
Shows began September 30th and run until October 15th, tickets are available online at the 4th Line Theatre website.