Collingwood’s Crow Bar & Variety makes Tuesday the hottest ticket in town
words :: Drew McIvor.
Crow Bar & Variety, a premier restaurant and music hotspot in downtown Collingwood, Ontario, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary for The Crow Sessions.
The venue’s signature event, as partner/owner Steven Vipond explains, “takes our core values of serving delicious food and drink in a welcoming atmosphere with great live music and blends it all into one magical evening.”
The Crow Sessions is a bi-monthly concert series with a unique edge: the Sessions take place on Tuesday nights. They feature a three-course culinary dining experience, followed by an intimate concert by highly acclaimed musicians plus a candid casual mid-show interview with rock radio strongman Jeff Woods, creator and host of The Legends of Classic Rock.
Initially dubbed “Shut up and Listen Tuesdays” by Vipond, the series has been a remarkable success featuring A-list talents including Tom Wilson, Stephen Fearing, Danny Michel, Catherine MacLellan and Steve Poltz to name a few.
The Crow Sessions offer a magical level of intimacy between musician and fan, between staff and guests, between first-timers and seasoned veterans.
With guests arriving at 5:30 for drinks and dinner, and showtime at 7, patrons can enjoy the equivalent of a big city night out—an exquisite set menu from chef/partner Shaun Edmonstone and a theatre-calibre performance—and still get home before 10pm.
As a patron at several of these delightful evenings I can point to a more ethereal element which might be the Sessions’ most remarkable feature. The event features a magical level of intimacy between musician and fan, between staff and guests, between first-timers and seasoned veterans. The chef might sit at your table, the performer might stand on your table, and all the while it has the same charm as a cookin’ kitchen party.
Smiles, photos, and tears of joy will all happen as gifted songwriters share songs from the heart, up close and interactive. Because it’s an off-night, the performers are relaxed; they might play acoustic or even unplugged, they might pull hidden treasures from the vault, or take a chance on a bizarre tangent. The audience just gets to soak it all up and take it all in.
The last word belongs to Crow Sessions creator Steven Vipond: “It’s a way for us to celebrate our similarities, our differences, to protest and to raise awareness. Music is a language of its own and we all can sing along.”
Look forward to Session #19 with Carole Pope June 25 and 26, and Session #20 with Digging Roots July 17.
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