Canyon, Pritchett bring Cowboy Christmas to Virden

Canadian country music award winners George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett are used to performing loud and in front of large audiences, but this December they’ll be unplugged and intimate in Virden.

The historic Aud Theatre is the only Manitoba stop on Canyon and Pritchett’s cross-Canada Cowboy Christmas tour. Canyon said he made sure the venue was available for the Dec. 3 show.

“I played Virden a few times now, it’s special. My wife’s a Manitoban and we have a place up north in Baker’s Narrows, so Manitoba is a very special place to come home to,” Canyon said.

“So, we’re going to do a few of our songs together along with Christmas tunes, of course,” he said.

“It’s like having a big visit. We’ll play music, laugh, talk to each other, tell stories, talk to the crowd and the crowd will be talking to us. It’s what music is all about.”

Canyon and Pritchett have been friends for “at least” three decades. They text and call each other “a lot,” said Pritchett. Now and again, they’ll meet on the online video platform Zoom, which they did recently, with the Sun sitting in. Pritchett was in central Alberta, Canyon in Austin, Texas.

The two first met at a country and western hot spot in Langley, B.C., when “Spandex was in,” Canyon said. Pritchett split his time on stage and in the DJ booth.

“We’re like-minded, we understand each other,” said Pritchett.

“And the parallel in our careers is sort of uncanny. We cut our teeth playing in the clubs, and along the way when we had any sort of success, we got to the point where we were doing shows on the same stage,” he said.

Pritchett has won four Canadian Country Music Association awards, including best songwriter for “Hold My Beer.” Canyon has seven CCMA awards, including male artist of the year, and two Junos for country recording of the year.

They have the same agent — something else they have in common — and when he suggested they go on tour, “it made perfect sense,” Canyon said.

The most recent road trip for Pritchett was his “Liquored Up” tour that rolled through Brandon last February.

“This will be less intense because those were pretty much two-hour shows running around on stage,” Pritchett said.

“George’s personality on stage is so different compared to mine. He’s got a lot of energy and knows how to tell a story properly, so I kind of had to calm myself down to a degree,” he said.

“I’m not going to be running around on stage, I’m going to be sitting on a stool next to George. And it works perfectly.”

Canyon said he loves every second on stage with Pritchett.

“He’s just being humble, his storytelling is very much up to par, always has been,” Canyon said.

Two other musicians will join the concert for a few songs, adding their voices, an additional acoustic guitar and a bass guitar to Canyon’s deep baritone voice and Pritchett’s tenor vocal range.

“Those guys have some harmonies that are incredible. Whether they’re high or low, they got it all covered and everybody has said they sound amazing, really great,” Pritchett said.

Audiences can expect two 45-minute sets for every show with a 15- to 20-minute break in between, said Canyon, but sometimes the two get carried away.

“The hardest part is keeping it to a time limit, because when we get going, all of a sudden, you’re looking at three hours and the show is only supposed to be 90 minutes,” Canyon said.

“So that’s one of those things that’s going to be tough for Aaron and I. We might have to go to Walmart and get one of those big digital red countdown clocks,” he said as he laughed.

The Virden concert is about halfway through the artists’ 43-show tour. It is scheduled to start Nov. 12 on the East Coast, Canyon’s “stomping grounds,” and will end Dec. 23 on the West Coast, where Pritchett was born.

The two have already recorded an acoustic Christmas record, said Canyon, but it’s not for sale in stores or online.

“The only way you can get a copy is A, you come to the show, and then B, you make a donation to our charity sponsoring the tour, ‘Children Believe.’ And with a minimum $20 donation, you’re going to get a copy of the record,” Canyon said.

And for the first time in his career, Canyon will be offering merchandise at the concert. He and Pritchett will be selling T-shirts and hoodies.

“When I saw the hoodie, I got all excited, because I love hoodies, so I’ll be buying one,” Canyon said.

“It’s just kind of neat for our fans, who are the greatest fans in the world,” he said.

“So to be able to bring them something new and fresh and share it with them means a lot to us.”

For tickets or more information about the Cowboy Christmas concert, call the Aud box office at 204-748-1982.

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