Introduction
Tim E Hendry after his 2017 Canal Days show with Carolyn MacArthur. Photo Credit: C. MacArthur.
Hot, hot hot! Bring your lawn chairs and settle in to be entertained by the best tribute acts in the business! On Civic Holiday Monday, August 5th, 2019, award-winning Elvis Tribute Artist and 2018 Collingwood Elvis Festival Grand Champion, Tim E Hendry, and Beatles Tribute Band, The Caverners, will be performing in back-to-back shows at a free* event at Canal Days in Port Colbourne, ON. Tim E Hendry will take the stage at HH Knoll Park at 12:00 noon; and following an intermission, Tim will be back for a second set starting around 1:30 pm. The Caverners will perform at 3:00 pm on the same stage. I had the pleasure of seeing both Tim E Hendry and The Caverners two years ago at Canal Days—and what a memorable afternoon it was!
Tim E Hendry
There was a big crowd sitting under the shade trees. Here I am, all alone, at the stage in the midday sun.
As hot as the weather was on Civic Monday in August 2017, no one was hotter, both literally and figuratively, than Tim E Hendry appearing on stage at high noon dressed in black leather! For his second set, Tim wore the Eagle jumpsuit. Leather and polyester in August…need I say more! Joking often with his band about the excessive heat, Tim E Hendry, the consummate performer, held nothing back and gave a stellar performance that included singing the vocally challenging “Hurt” to perfection. It was my first time seeing Tim E perform, so I wanted to get as close to the stage as possible. Due to the heat, others sat under the shade trees; but I made my way to the fence that corralled the stage. I was the only person standing there, so Tim could not help but notice me, and we chatted between songs. I stood by the stage in the sweltering heat for the entire show. Later, my diligence paid off when Tim made a beeline to give me a scarf during “Suspicious Minds”.
Tim E Hendry wearing the eagle jumpsuit at the 2018 Collingwood Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe, lA Crewe Photography.
Others had moved closer to the stage in the hopes of also getting a scarf; and the lady beside me told me that Tim E would make an appearance after the show to sign our scarves. After Tim’s last song, I joined her by the exit that led to Tim’s trailer. We waited, and waited. More than a half hour had passed, when I finally turned to her and asked, “Are you sure Tim will come out for a meet-and-greet?” Not that I doubted her word, but we were conspicuously the only two fans standing by the gate. She said she had been to every one of his Canal shows, and sometimes he came by to say hi. Sometimes? Oh.
As I watched several people, mostly band members and festival employees, make their way past the guard, I wondered if Tim was just too exhausted by the heat to give any more of his time. After another half hour of waiting, I asked a stage hand if he had a marker that I might borrow, “Just in case Tim should appear to sign my scarf.” He didn’t respond at all and kept walking straight to the trailer. “Well, that was rude!” commented the lady waiting with me. In a matter of minutes, the same fellow came back and handed me a marker with a knowing look. Minutes later, to our delight, Tim E Hendry, looking cool, relaxed and very summery in his Hawaiian shirt and white shorts, made an appearance. Tim spent time chatting with us, and other fans who had gathered, and graciously signed our scarves and posed for several photos.
Tim E Hendry during his title winning performance at the 2018 Collingwood Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe, lA Crewe Photography.
Since the time of our first meeting at Canal Days in 2017, I have seen many of Tim’s outstanding performances (most recently at the 2018 Collingwood Elvis Festival); and, along with others, I enjoyed getting to know Tim more closely through the insightful answers he gave in his interview for SIDEBURNS Magazine’s Spotlight On, December 1st, 2017.
If you are already a big fan of ETA Tim E Hendry, or if you want to be entertained to the max by one of the best ETAs in the business, plan on coming to see Tim E Hendry on Civic Monday this August in Port Colbourne.
Photos from the 2017 Canal Days Show
Videos
The Caverners Beatles Tribute Band
Gospel show, 2019 Niagara Falls Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: C. MacArthur.
If you read Keeping His Memory Alive, you know that I was a huge Beatles fan in the 1960s; so when I heard that a Beatles tribute band was playing the same afternoon and on the same stage as ETA Tim E Hendry, I was elated.
By mid afternoon the sun had mercifully moved from its position directly overhead, and the August heat was manageable. The popularity of the band was evident by the growing crowd that was edging ever closer to the stage. Soon there would be no standing room for me near the fence at this show. Fortunately, as it turned out, where I stood did not really matter. With attention to detail in their costumes, their authentic sounding Beatles vocals, and their musical expertise on guitar and drums, The Caverners Beatles Tribute Band created an illusion that took me back to a special time in my youth. As a fan of the Fab Four’s early music, the first set The Caverners performed, played to my heart.
If you were at the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival, you would have been treated to the singing and musical talents of Sandy Vine (Paul McCartney in The Caverners Beatles Tribute Band). Sandy played keyboard and sang for the after show 50s-60s party with The Hired Hitmen (1955-75 Jukebox Hits), a band that included Jay Code on drums, Rob Motola on guitar, and Stan Szymkow on sax. On Sunday morning, Sandy, on keyboard and organ, backed headliner ETAs, Di Diogo Light, Riley Jenkins, and Cote Deonath, with Gospel musicians hired by NFEF: Bruce Tournay on piano, and Jay Code on drums.
Sandy Vine chats with Carolyn MacArthur at the 2019 NFEF. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe, lA Crewe Photography.
I met Sandy Vine for the first time last year when I went up to the stage at the NFEF post show party to give him my request for a song that I had written on a folded corner of a napkin. When Sandy opened the napkin, unbeknownst to me, the shape looked like a pair of undies. In my state of embarrassment, I don’t remember what Sandy said, but I do recall that it got laughs! My second meeting with Sandy at this year’s NFEF was less public, and less embarrassing. We had a pleasant conversation in which Sandy mentioned that he told Tony Busseri how much he enjoyed my interview with him, and I reminded Sandy of our first meeting, which made him grin.
This year at Canal Days’ shows, I am asking my children and grandchildren to join me, as it is a rare chance for them to experience music that I enjoyed in my youth, and still enjoy today, through Tim E Hendry’s Elvis and The Caverners Beatles Band’s brilliant live tributes. I hope to see you there for two not-to-be-missed shows! Cheers! C.M.
The Caverners Beatles Tribute Band: Rick Labrie as George Harrison, Michael Wainwright as John Lennon, Doug Boudreau as Ringo Starr, and Sandy Vine as Sir Paul McCartney. Photo Credit: Stephen Dominick
Photos from the 2017 Canal Days Show
Video
To view video of The Caverners, please click here
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/CavernersBeatlesTribute/
Website: https://www.caverners.com
Editor’s Notes: Photos in both grids were taken by C. MacArthur. All other photos, as credited. *(There may be a donation drop box as you enter the park and stage area.)