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Jim Cuddy, Barney Bentall and a whole lot more at The Bailey

Cross-Canada ‘Constellation Tour’ stops in Trail
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Jim Cuddy delivered a great three-hour show performing new songs and old favorites at The Bailey on Sunday night. For more photos check out our e-edition or pick up a printed edition at a newstand. Guy Bertrand photo

It was a three-hour lovefest between Jim Cuddy, his talented offspring, rocker Barney Bentall, an army of incredible musicians and an enthusiastic crowd at The Bailey on Sunday night.

Jim Cuddy opened his show by thanking the fans who quickly changed their plans to accommodate a last-minute shift in scheduling that moved his Trail stop on his cross-Canada “Constellation Tour” ahead two days.

The Blue Rodeo frontman more than made up for it by delivering a three-hour show filled with great songs from his Jim Cuddy Band, sprinkled with classics from Blue Rodeo and introduced fans to his two sons, Devin Cuddy and Sam Polley, who brought their own musical style and added to a family-like atmosphere on stage.

Throw in Cuddy’s good buddy Barney Bentall, who can still get the crowd singing along to some of his biggest hits, the superb fiddle playing by Anne Lindsay, Blue Rodeo products guitarist Colin Cripps and Bazil Donovan on bass, the smiling drummer Joel Anderson and keyboardist extraordinaire Steve O’Connor it all added up to another highlight for The Bailey faithful.

Bentall kicked off the show playing a couple tracks from his newest album “The Drifter and the Preacher” but had the crowd singing along in his finale when Polley joined him onstage for a rendition of his biggest hit “Something to Live For” from his Legendary Hearts days in 1987.

That set the stage for Cuddy to roll right in and deliver a taste of songs off his just-released “Constellation” album. Sprinkled in among those songs were appearances by both Polley, who goes by his mother’s maiden name, and Devin Cuddy, who brought their own style, creativity and music to the show.

Not to disappoint the Blue Rodeo faithful, Cuddy threw in some of his other band’s biggest hits including “Five Days in May,” “Till I am Myself Again” and “Try,” which kicked off a five-song encore that kept the crowd on its feet.

The encore was rounded out with a rousing group performance of Bentall’s “Come Back to Me” before everyone stepped in front of the mics for the closing “Wash Me Down,” a cut from his 2011 “Skyscraper Soul” album, which blended the group’s great harmony and acoustic skills.

The crowd, which was hushed for the finale song, erupted with applause and was still buzzing as they headed for the exit following another fantastic show by a Canadian music legend at The Bailey.