He broke the ice with an embarrassing story about his neon pink shorts on Okanagan beach. Then he courted the audience with his big smile, signature black cowboy hat and deep voice. He even poured some romance on, singing I Do and inviting a soon-to-be married couple up on stage to dance.
Basically, Paul Brandt rocked Penticton’s socks off.
Brandt brought his show to the South Okanagan Events Centre on Thursday night and wasn’t short on charisma. Having local singing sensation Nikita Afonso open wasn’t a bad choice either. Afonso played original songs while praising remarks scrolled on the screen behind her from Twitter accounts of the concert-goers.
With the help of two ladies in the audience outfitted in sparkly red cowboy hats, Brandt had the floor up and dancing to the song Small Towns and Big Dreams. And, just as he had women swooning by the stage at his feet, it was the perfect time to sit down and get intimate.
Pulling up stools to the stage like he was sitting having a beer with friends at a bar, Brandt shared how he got to this place in his life. He explained how it all started at the Calgary Stampede where he won a talent competition and how this summer he will be returning as the headliner for the Grand Stand show. Just as the crowd felt like the relationship with Brandt was really starting to grow, he dropped the bomb. The lovely blond lady singing back up vocals and sitting with the band is his wife, who he just celebrated a 15th anniversary with.
While the swooning cowgirls at the stage may have been a little heartbroken, within seconds they were like putty again. The acoustic set went into the song When You Start With Love while pictures of Brandt and his wife throughout their years together flowed on the big screen behind them. The crowd cheered as they turned to wedding photos and finally a family shot of Brandt, his wife and two kids.
And just when they thought he couldn’t be any more perfect, Brandt announced the Penticton Vees had defeated the Merritt Centennials 5-3 bringing even more cheers.
To say he only had the ladies going would be wrong. He belted out the upbeat, irresistible-to-not-clap-to I’m Gonna Fly and put the hammer down for Convoy which had everyone in the crowd jacked.
The arena vibrated as the crowd screamed for more after Brandt said his goodbyes for the night. Even more so when Brandt came out for his encore clad in a Penticton Vees jersey. It was the perfect segue into I Was There, the theme song Brandt wrote for the World Junior Hockey Championships. He finished the evening out inviting the crowd to be Alberta Bound. Judging from the crowd’s reaction, let’s hope there was a few hundred extra seats on his bus.
