Canadian country music star Aaron Pritchett has been announced as the headliner for the inaugural Music on Main event, to be held Sept. 7 as part of airdrieFEST. “The City is thrilled to welcome the very talented Aaron Pritchett and his band members to Airdrie. Music on Main will be an awesome kick-off event to airdrieFEST and the entire weekend is a great way to see all that Airdrie has to offer,” said Mayor Peter Brown in an Aug. 14 release. “This fun, free event is for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy live entertainment and activities in their community.” Pritchett, who hasn’t been to Airdrie in more than a decade, said he’s looking forward to returning to the community. “I’ve got ties to Airdrie that go back many years – several friends are from the area, too,” he said. “I’m curious to see what it’s like, because it’s been through so many changes in the last 15 years. It was a tiny little town when I was first there.” Visitors to Music on Main can expect to enjoy a high-energy, non-stop live show from Pritchett. “It starts with a bang and hopefully ends with an even bigger bang,” he said. “My train of thought has always been to make sure people have fun – make them feel good. My mantra has been to make them feel like they’re on stage with me and I’m in the crowd with them.” Pritchett’s last full album release was in 2016, with The Score, but he said he has a six-song EP slated to drop in October. He recently released a single from the upcoming EP, called Worth a Shot, which has been doing well on the Canadian Country Music charts. “It’s right around the top ten,” he said, adding he’s pleased to see that kind of success as an artist in his late 40s. Pritchett cites influences ranging from Elvis Presley to Motown. “Early on, it was Elvis, but it was also a lot of Motown, like James Brown, Stevie Wonder and the list goes on,” he said. “I think you can hear that sometimes in my music. It has a little bit of R&B tones to it.” According to Pritchett, the music industry has changed significantly throughout the past 25 years. “The thing I really like these days is that Canadians, especially, are very diverse. We like listening to all kinds of music,” he said. “The country fans are always there and extremely loyal. The style of [country] music is changing, but we also have some more traditional artists. I love seeing all aspects.” He said he has never felt the need to make his fortune in the United States, preferring to remain in Canada. “The opportunity arose early in my career, but I’ve got three sons…and I made a little bit of a choice back then and decided I didn’t want to move my family down to the States,” he said. “I’m so thankful that I did [stay in Canada] for many reasons, but mainly for the kids – to have them grow up as Canadian kids, learning how to play hockey and being able to ride their bikes.” Along with the music on stage, Music on Main will also feature a beer garden with products from Airdrie’s Fitzsimmons Brewing Company, hosted by Main Street Beer & BBQ. The first 150 people to enter will receive a special airdrieFEST beer stein. Drinking is not allowed outside the beer garden and space is limited to 200. The City is encouraging people to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets and to carpool to get to the event since parking will be limited. (See story here.) Music on Main takes place Sept. 7, starting at 6 p.m., outside of Airdrie City Hall. More information about airdrieFEST and Music on Main is available at airdrieFEST.ca
