Let Barney Bentall give you 'something to live for'

Legendary rocker Barney Bentall takes the stage at Grace Hartman Amphitheatre on Sept. 17 for the final concert in the popular 2014 Vale Concert Series.

The show starts at at 7 p.m.

While admission is free to this rain or shine event, monetary donations in support of the Sudbury Food Bank are welcome. As the Sudbury Food Bank can convert each $1 in cash to $6 worth of food, the concert series is an important funding source for this charity which sees about 14,000 people per month accessing its service.

Food bank administrator Dan Xilon said the summer concert series brought in $17,000 for food in its inaugural year last year, “which is spectacular."


This year, he is once again looking forward to some of the best in Canadian folk music, for a good cause.

"The audiences have been incredibly supportive,” he said.

Many remember Barney Bentall and his band The Legendary Hearts when they rose to fame in 1988 with the release of their first album. The hit single, “Something To Live For,” drove the album to platinum record status and won the band the 1989 Juno for Most Promising Group.

That award proved to be well deserved as Bentall and his band released three more records in the 1990s, all of which reached gold record status.

From 2000 to 2007, Bentall took time out to run his cattle ranch in the B.C. interior, but missed performing live. So, in 2007, Bentall cut his first solo album and returned to touring. He has released two other albums since, all rooted in the singer/songwriter folk genre.

Playing several instruments and providing harmony vocals, Eric Reed will accompany Barney at the Vale Concert. Bentall will perform hits from his first albums and will include songs from his solo albums.

I had the pleasure to watch Bentall perform on a few occasions in Atlantic Canada in 2013 and to chat with him about his career.

His performances were solid, his songwriting excellent his stage presence engaging. He has a wide array of life experiences that he will share with Sudburians at the Vale Concert. The stories behind the songs make his music even richer.

Down to earth and clearly comfortable in his skin, this is a performer well worth seeing.
The 2014 Concert Series has faced challenges due to inclement weather this summer. We are hoping for a good turnout at Bentall’s September show to bring attendance numbers back in line with those from the previous two years. We hope to see you there.

Vale announced the lineup for this year's series with a $50,000 donation to the Sudbury Food Bank.

“Since beginning the Vale Concert Series two years ago, we have been amazed at the generosity of the people in our community,” said Kelly Strong, vice-president of Vale’s Ontario & UK operations.

Bob Bale is the concert co-ordinator for the Vale Concert Series.