English folk/singer-songwriter Frank Turner was in Kingston on Monday, and social media lit up with fans posting praise and photos for his performance there.
Originally set to play just one concert at The Mansion, tickets sold out so quickly that a second show was added and it too sold out.
Turner kept things loose with no defined set list for the shows.
At one point early on in the first set, he was telling a story about getting a new tattoo in New Brunswick and accidentally referred to Canada as having “states” (instead of provinces).
The crowd immediately corrected him, and Turner, showing his humility, apologized and spontaneously played a cover of “Civil Twilight” by Winnipeg’s The Weakerthans, one of Turner’s favourite bands – the song has a line about reciting the names of provinces.
The musician was in a post-hardcore band before striking out solo with just his acoustic guitar in 2005. As such his fans are an interesting cross-section of society. The Kingston audiences were no different, with the music unifying the crowd who sang along with gusto to every tune.
In between the songs, Turner talked about what he had learned about Kingston, referring to the city’s history as the first capital of Canada as well as the Martello towers on the waterfront. He was excited to learn that Dan Aykroyd calls Kingston home, and even made a Tragically Hip-related joke.
His set consisted of a mix of old and new songs, singles and B-sides. Well known for his accessibility to fans, Turner posts his email address online – enabling ticket holders to reach out and request songs for upcoming concerts, which happened for one fan during the first local show when he played “Journey of the Magi”.
Known for his hectic tour schedule that often takes him off the beaten track, the singer apologized for taking so long to do a proper tour of Canada.
The twenty date tour, which launched in Halifax on February 18, features Turner playing solo shows as he makes his way out west. His touring band, The Sleeping Souls, join him in Vancouver in time to turn around and come back east again, when they play larger venues.
Supporting Turner on this leg of the tour is Northcote. Also known as Matt Goud, the Saskatchewan-born, Vancouver Island-living singer-songwriter has a fantastic voice and great song writing.
Turner comes back to Ontario with the Sleeping Souls in March, playing a sold out show in Toronto on March 11 as well as concerts in Ottawa on March 12 and Montreal on March 13.
Although he was battling with a cold or laryngitis, audiences were thrilled with his performance and social media filled up with tweets and pictures from his fans.
You can find out more about Frank Turner at his website or by following him on Twitter or visiting his Facebook page. You can also check out his book “The Road Beneath My Feet“
Photo source: Frank-Turner.com