Canadian country music icon Michelle Wright will be in Swift Current on Nov. 28 during the fifth stop of her I’m Dreaming Of A Wright Christmas Tour 2009.
Wright, who last appeared in Swift Current during Frontier Days 2007, said the Christmas tour is a special one for her and her band.
“There’s no doubt that this Christmas tour has a way of lifting all of our spirits – my band and I included. We just really look forward to it. It’s fun. Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much,” Wright said during a recent phone interview.
The Swift Current concert at the Sky Centre is one of just six Saskatchewan dates. Her 21-date tour runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 20, with stops across Western Canada, but she looks forward to the opportunity to perform during this special time of year.
“It is a little bit of a go there, no doubt. But, gosh, I used to be on the road 200/250 days of the year. This is just kind of same old, same old on one level. I’ve been able to slow down a little bit more, which has been good for me cause I’ve got a bit more of a balance in my life now. But going out there for a month, the band and I look forward to it.”
This is the seventh straight year she has hit the road for a Christmas-themed concert tour, and it follows up on her 2005 Christmas CD A Wright Christmas.
She admits she gets to perform her favourite Christmas songs and a variety of musical styles during the concert.
“The thing about our Christmas show is that it’s about 65 per cent Christmas music and about 35 per cent the hits. And the material varies, everything from our country music -which is everything from traditional country, to R&B country, to rock country. And then the Christmas music is everything from child-like Christmas music, to some wonderful jazz/R&B flavoured Christmas music.”
“I think what makes this tour successful and interesting for the audience is that it’s a real evening of music.”
Wright also highlights that there is a special visual treat for her audiences at the shows, as they use an eco-friendly lighting system while on tour.
“It’s a wall of little LED lights that move and create images and that sort of thing. And you can literally plug it into the wall. And I’m still just fascinated by it.”
“It’s a wonderful way of sort of being a bit more eco-friendly I think. And also, we have the newest technology, flat screen tvs with video playing. And that we set the stage up like a beautiful winter wonderland, so there’s really lots of beautiful images for the audience to enjoy, as well as the music.”
Wright has won a range of awards since bursting onto the Canadian music scene in 1988 with her debut album Do Right By Me and turning into a superstar with her 1990 self-titled debut album. She has to her credit seven chart topping hits, 25 top 10 recordings, two multi-platinum albums, plus five gold albums.
She has won a total of 15 Canadian Country Music Awards, including having been named the Female Vocalist of the Year five times (2000 along with a four year streak between 1990 and 1993), plus earning CCMA top single honours for New Kind of Love (1991), Take It Like A Man (1992), and He Would Be Sixteen (1993).
She is also a two-time Juno Country Female Vocalist of the Year for 1993 and 1995.
