Famous Chemainus tenor Ken Lavigne is playing favourites during a six-day blitz of the South Island next week.
Lavigne promises he’ll sing all your favourite songs; well, most of them at least.
Playing Favourites with Ken Lavigne and his band will begin Sept. 25 at ArtSpring on Salt Spring Island followed by two shows Sept. 26 at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney, Sept. 27 at Sylvan United Church in Mill Bay, Sept. 28 at Church of the Advent in Victoria, Sept. 29 at Comox United Church and Sept. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Chemainus United Church. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kenlavigne.com for $30 and $37 at the door, if available, plus service charges.
“This show features my ‘Deserted Island’ go-to list,” noted Lavigne. “If I could only take three songs with me, these would be them.”
Of course, there are more than three songs in the show, each one a tried and true favourite with audiences, a personal favourite of Lavigne’s or a new favourite that might just bump one off the top of the ‘Deserted Island’ list.
“I get a sense being on the stage of what people enjoy by the universal and democratic clap-o-meter,” Lavigne indicated. “I get a sense of what they are really into and they come to hear their favourites. This tour is about reconnecting the audience with some of the great songs they’ve grown to love.
“You start to recognize where the audiences are at and you will morph and adapt to where they are, and from that place you can start to lead. It’s a duet between the audience and the performer. I always strive for that, a synergy. When that happens, you can emerge renewed and transformed.”
Playing Favourites will include Lavigne’s renditions of songs from Andrea Bocelli, Elton John, Billy Joel, Leonard Cohen and David Foster, to name a few, and he’s been exploring some of the great music from country artists like Hank Williams, Roy Rogers and Johnny Cash.
“Much of that musical style is in alignment with how I sing,” Lavigne added. “Hank Williams’ songs are so poignant. The stories are so heartbreaking. I want to go down that road a little bit. I like to experiment and have fun.
“It’s great to take an audience on a new ride, share stories and new musical obsessions but it’s important to remember that people want to hear what they’ve grown to love. This concert features the favourites of all the favourites.”
Lavigne also has Christmas-oriented shows booked for Dec. 1 at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo and Dec. 3 at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan, with guest artist Nadya Blanchette.