Canada’s largest camping and country music festival is back for its 13th edition with major headliners, exciting sponsors and intriguing contests. On site, festival-goers can find everything from Pizza Pizza to the Jack Daniel’s Bar, and indulge in a variety of midway games and rides.
Campers first began arriving at Burl’s Creek on August 7 and were allowed into the entertainment area on the following afternoon. As per tradition, Boots and Hearts kicked off with the annual Emerging Artist Showcase presented by Coors Original. This year’s top eight contestants included Spencer Burns, Blue Ridge Band, Alexa Goldie, Erika Rollin, Cam Galloway, Sarah Vanderzon, Maddy McKenzie and Bradley Hale.
Each contestant performed for about 10 minutes, playing a mix of both original songs and mashups of well-known country and pop hits. While Cam Galloway impressed the audience with his original hits, “Sober You” and “Repeat,” plus a feature of Diplo and Morgan Wallen’s “Heartless,” Alexa Goldie treated her fans to her latest single, “Bad Boy,” with a delightful mashup of throwback favourites including, “The Climb,” “Sk8er Bo”’ and “Summer of ’69.”
Afterwards, the judges, including Tyler Joe Miller and a representative from Universal Music Canada, took a break to deliberate and decide which two of the eight contestants would move forward to Sunday’s final round of the showcase. Ultimately, after an exciting few hours of competition, the judges chose Blue Ridge Band and Sarah Vanderzon to compete head-to-head for the grand prize. Festival goers can see the conclusion of the contest on the Main Stage this Sunday at 5pm, opening for Nate Smith.
Once the competition wrapped for the night, Shantaia took to the Front Porch Stage for a stellar performance of her own. The Saskatchewan-born artist was the winner of the 2023 Emerging Artist Showcase and came back to perform at this year’s festival as part of her prize! She showed off her new sound and style with her recently released hit, “What I Wouldn’t Do,” and impressed the audience with her strong vocal range. Complete with a vivid pattern of strobe lights that shone across the entertainment area, Shantaia absolutely rocked the crowd to its core.
To close out the night, Boots fans received two stellar shows from Lonestar and Midland. The two country music bands packed a completely full, shoulder-to-shoulder, house. Fans were cheering left, right, and centre, and they sang along with every word.
During Lonestar’s performance, the band gifted the audience with a unique sneak peek at their upcoming album, Iconic, Vol. 1, where the band adds their own spin to iconic songs with female singers. They went on to perform a beautiful rendition of Adele’s, “Rolling in the Deep.”
It’s safe to say that the kick-off night to Boots and Hearts 2024 was nothing short of spectacular and it is guaranteed that this weekend will only outdo itself as the days progress.
