It was an event 40 years in the making as Canadian rock group Lighthouse played to a crowd of nearly 900 at Brantford’s Sanderson Centre.
The group had previously played in Brantford in 1973, and the show was, and still is, the biggest indoor rock concert in Brantford history.
Besides gracing Brantford this past Thursday with the show the town has been waiting nearly four decades for, the band was also in town to support a good cause, Brantford’s Freedom House. Proceeds from the tickets, as well as money made from a 50/50 draw, all went towards the ‘Kindness Project’ set out by the Freedom House.
The Kindness Project is a mission that promotes kindness in the city and hopes to turn Brantford into the kindest city in Canada. President of Freedom House, Brian Beattie, took the stage in a red superhero costume disguised as the project’s mascot, Captain Kindness.
“I believe we can be transformed BY good INTO good and that Brantford can be the kindest city in Canada,” said Beattie.
After the short presentation from Freedom House, it was time for the show to begin. Supporting Lighthouse was Brantford native, Ray Materick. Accompanied by his talented band, Materick played most of the songs off of his newest record, “Home Sweet Home”. Materick had the audience engaged from the start and fans were singing along for his entire 45-minute set.
After a short fifteen-minute intermission the lights dimmed and the crowd’s screams were deafening. It was time for Lighthouse to finally take the stage.
The band casually walked on, waved to the crowd, and took their places. They opened the show with their hit “Take it Slow (Out in the Country)” and had the crowd clap along with the beat of the drums.
“This [show] has been long in the making,” said singer, Dan Clancy.
With 11 talented band mates on their roster, this Juno award-winning band together played in a harmonious tune charged with rock and roll vibes.
The band followed with some of their other hits like “1849” and “Remember the Times”.
As they belted out one of their biggest hits “Sunny Days” the fun turned into a competition of the men in the audience singing certain lyrics of the song against the women. The women won with a landslide.
Their next song was a combination of two of their songs, Lonely Places and Lonely Hours. The band described it as a “fusion”.
“This song is never the same night to night. This is a musical journey”.
With a complex trombone solo, the audience was captivated by this part of the performance.
Lighthouse finished the night off strong and received a standing ovation from their Brantford fans. In fact guests at the show did not want to leave, nor the show to end, and the town can only hope that Lighthouse will be back again soon.
