There are 32 people on the road with Johnny Reid and they're all in boot camp getting in fighting -- or rather performing -- shape.
Reid, an award-winning country singer, will perform at CN Centre Oct. 6.
Reid's dad told him he looked a bit heavy when Reid showed him his very first video and Reid was quick to respond with 'the camera adds ten pounds'.
"How many cameras were on you at once, then," Reid's dad quipped.
So, for the last seven weeks the team has been working out under the guidance of a former British military man to buff them up.
"So the band's been getting up for training sessions followed by yoga sessions," Reid laughed. "Everybody in the band is complaining on their facebooks about how sore they are, how tired they are, but at the end of the day they're all looking a lot better and feeling a lot better."
Reid is a country singer with soul and rhythm and blues influences to his sound. He recently won four Canadian Country Music Awards, including single of the year for Dance With Me, songwriter of the year, Fan's Choice, and top selling album of the year. These awards are added to his 13 other CCMA awards. His latest album A Place Called Love went platinum in its first day of sales and continues its success as Reid tours to promote the album.
"The whole band is extremely excited about coming out west and putting on a show this size," said Reid. "It's a lovely place to be - British Columbia."
Reid performed at the CN Centre in September last year. During the show, he left the stage to run up the stairs and kiss a lady on the cheek. She was so thrilled she swooned in his arms.
"I've always been myself and I want to connect with as many people as possible," said Reid. "I remember going to shows when I was young and I'd be way at the back and you could hardly see the performer and I always wondered what they looked like up close. I've always been a big fan of coming off stage and trying to get to the very back of the arena to connect myself and to make sure they know I'm just a guy out there singing songs, telling stories and playing music."
"I'm bringing an incredible show, I've got 12 people on stage, a full horn section, extra guitars, bass, drums, keys, back-up singers - we're going to have a wonderful time," said Reid. There's a big stage, big lights - I really want every single person that walks out of that centre that night to get their money's worth and feel like they have had a great experience."
Reid knows that in these tough economic times, it's sometimes hard to come up with the cash for concerts.
"It means the world to me that people are coming to my concerts and I'm going to make sure that each and every one of these people get their money's worth," he said.
Because Reid does wear his heart on his sleeve, he can still be touched by audience reaction to his music.
"A few nights ago we were in Calgary and there was a wee girl in the front row and she was wearing a head scarf and you could tell she was sick," said Reid, getting choked up. "At the end of the night I sang A Place Called Love and she reached up and it tore me up - I could hardly get through the song and she reached up and I took her hand and she mouthed 'I believe in A Place Called Love'. And it was like - bam - every emotion I had when I was writing that song just came flooding out and not only me but the band and the audience too, and it was an incredible flood of human emotion. Songs and music are very powerful things that connect everybody."
Some tickets are still available at Ticketmaster outlets.
