Tom Jackson on his path to a miracle

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This article was published 09/12/2019 (2407 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon residents who aren’t feeling the Christmas spirit might want to drop by the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium this Friday night, since Canadian actor, philanthropist and musician Tom Jackson will be returning to this venue to put on his latest Huron Carole concert.

In a recent phone interview with the Sun, Jackson revealed that this year’s cross-country tour features new songs, new stories and a fresh lineup of musicians, which will even entertain people who have seen this show countless times before.

“We know that there’s a constant need for re-igniting the spirit and there’s a constant need for paying attention to those who are around us in our various communities,” he said.

The theme for this year’s show is “Path to a Miracle” and takes inspiration from Jackson’s recent work with the Downtown Outreach Addictions Partnership (DOAP) team in his hometown of Calgary.

The 71-year-old has been a member of this mobile response group for the past couple years and has met many people struggling with addictions who have filled him with hope.

Jackson recalls one specific encounter with a woman on the street who was determined to turn her life around for the benefit of her daughter, Miracle.

Thus, Jackson turned this chance meeting into the thematic backbone of this year’s Huron Carole and hopes to empower other people to do good and improve their lives through an intimate evening of country music and inspirational anecdotes.

“We want people to experience what it’s like to create a path for yourself that others might follow, to create a better place, to create a place of peace and joy and love,” he said.

Jackson has been putting together these Huron Carole concerts since 1987, with the proceeds of each show going to a local organization in each community, ranging from food banks to family services agencies to disaster relief organizations.

As in previous years, this upcoming Brandon show will benefit the Counselling Centre, which has provided mental-health services in Westman since 1983.

On a more personal level, Jackson said he is looking forward to returning to southwestern Manitoba, since Brandon and the region have always been very close to his heart.

One of his more memorable Huron Carole shows in recent memory took place in Westman back in 2016, when a massive snowstorm prevented his team from travelling to Brandon. Instead of packing it in for the night, they performed an impromptu concert inside Virden’s Tundra Oil and Gas Place for other stranded motorists.

Despite having to cancel their Brandon show to maintain his touring schedule, Jackson returned to the Wheat City later that month to perform a make-up concert solo.

“It was a totally new experience for me,” he said. “The intimacy and the reason why we had to regroup was all in the spirit of Christmas.”

As of Monday, Jackson and his crew have performed 10 Huron Carole shows since kicking off their 2019 tour on Nov. 21 in Edmonton. Their most recent performance took them all the way to the Yukon Arts Centre in Whitehorse.

Despite the challenges associated with maintaining such a rigorous travel schedule, Jackson describes these annual tours as a “labour of love” and said the hardest part is always when he and his fellow musicians have to disband following their final show.

“We all become a family,” he said. “We cherish our relationships and maybe if there’s a sad point it’s when we all go home.”

Jackson’s upcoming Huron Carole in Brandon is taking place at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday and will also feature music from Tom McKillip, Darryl Havers, John MacArthur Ellis, Kirby Barber and Chris “the Wrist” Nordquist.

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