Two years ago, Ten Souljers opened for the Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan at Canada Place in Vancouver on the nation’s 150th birthday.
Last year, the high-energy dance band had another memorable show on Canada Day, playing Dawson City.
For this July 1, founder Marty Robson promises to keep the beats pumping as they usher in the country’s 152nd year with an evening show in Coquitlam.
The 11-piece ensemble will headline the city’s free party with a concert starting at 8:30 p.m. on the TD Community Plaza stage — about 90 minutes before the fireworks blastoff over Lafarge Lake, a spectacle that draws some 5,000 guests each year.
Robson vows they’ll make it a night to remember, with the national anthem sung just before the pyrotechnics are ignited. “We’re going to get the crowd singing along,” he told The Tri-City News last week. “It’s going to be fantastic.”
Robson said Ten Souljers won’t have their usual lineup as their third vocalist, D’arcy Han, is in China for the semi-finals of a reality TV singing contest.
Still, they’ll be playing covers from their extensive song list, which ranges from tunes made famous by the Motown singer Marvin Gaye to the Brit sensation Dua Lipa.
Robson said Ten Souljers tends to perform about 50 gigs a year — mostly private events in B.C. — but it has also played before large audiences in Washington State.
The Tri-Cities are familiar territory for them as well: They closed RibFest at Rocky Point Park last year and, in 2015, were at Summer Sundays in Port Moody.
For more info about Coquitlam Celebrates on July 1 at Town Centre Park, visit coquitlam.ca/canadaday.
