Thank god for sunscreen and beer… I mean, water.

Saturday was a scorcher, but that didn’t slow anyone down! The fields were full and I was excited for a day full of music including two of my favourites, FGL and Russell Dickerson.

Aaron Goodvin performed at the Boots And Hearts in Oro Medonte, Canada. Photo : Spencer Smye

Aaron Goodvin opened on the main stage with a powerful performance to get everyone going for the day. Steven Lee Olsen and Meghan Patrick followed, also giving top notch performances, solidifying that Canadian artists can compete with these super star American artists.

As a Canadian artist myself, I’d once again like to touch on the fact that if Boots and Hearts were to put Aaron, Steven or Meghan in between Russell and FGL, it would give them the opportunity to show how incredible they are to a sold out crowd. I believe this would help build the Canadian music industry immensely when we need it the most.

Steven Lee Olsen performed at the Boots And Hearts in Oro Medonte, Canada. Photo : Spencer Smye

Something else that is bothersome as an artist and would love to see corrected for next year, is the scheduling overlap. Hear me out, picture yourself as an artist with two of your greatest hits to close your set, and everyone starts walking away because they hear someone new starting and want to get a good spot to watch them. This would make you question yourself and whether people are enjoying your show, even if that’s not the case. I feel this could easily be fixed by an MC on the other stage doing a five minute introduction as soon as the main stage performer finishes. This gives people time to get from one stage to the next without having to leave before the artist has finished their set. All in all, today was by far my favourite day! Russell Dickerson took the stage and warmed up the crowd perfectly for one of country music’s best live acts, Florida Georgia Line!

I am looking forward to seeing Lindsay Ell and Shania Twain for a Sunday funday! See you at Boots!

Editor’s note: Brian John Harwood is an emerging Canadian Country artist based in Barrie, Ontario. We thought it would be fun to get an artist’s take on the festivities at this year’s Boots and Hearts. You can find more about BJH at his official website here: https://www.brianjohnharwood.com/