John McDermott can recall the precise moment when he realized that giving up his day job and making singing his full-time career had been the right decision.
That moment came at 8 p.m. on Oct. 5, 1993 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax as he walked on stage to a full house and a thunderous East Coast welcome.
It was his first concert with his own band, after a year as the opening act for the internationally renowned Irish group, The Chieftains.
He was received with such wild encore-inducing enthusiasm, the concert turned into a four-hour marathon.
Now, 20 years and more than 25 albums later, McDermott is an international recording star and household name who is about to embark on his tour celebrating two decades.
He stops at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre Oct. 24.
Besides his stellar musical career —platinum, double-platinum, triple-platinum albums and multiple Juno nominations— he is also known for his commitment to veterans’ causes. He has received the U.S. Congressional Medal of Honour Society’s Bob Hope Award and the Ted Williams Globe & Anchor Award from the USMC.
In Canada, he received a commendation from the Minister of Veteran’s Affairs for his ongoing work, which includes his foundation McDermott House Canada, dedicated to improving care in the final stages of terminal illness and providing a warm, welcoming place to stay for Canada’s veterans, military, first responders and their families.
Whether he is sharing the stage with a top-notch group of musical friends or touring the world as part of the famed Three Irish Tenors, McDermott continues to enchant audiences with his tenor voice and sensitive renditions.
Though time and travel have introduced him to a wealth of new material and experiences, he manages to incorporate that diversity into his performances, while retaining the charm and humour that endeared him to audiences from the beginning.
For this 20th anniversary national tour, McDermott will highlight a variety of songs from his early recordings through his latest releases.
Reserved seating tickets for McDermott’s concert in Vernon go on sale Monday. Tickets are $47.50 at the Ticket Seller (549-7469, www.ticketseller.ca.)
