North to a gig

Saskatoon
Originally uploaded by icemakk.

I’m sitting here in the hotel lobby of the northern Manitoba town of The Pas and feel like I’ve stepped back in time. What can you expect from a town that has the word “The” in its title? My cell phone stopped giving me reception a long time ago. So much for Rogers Wireless claim of being Canada’s largest cell network.
Not up here.
Not on the gravel road that brought us here. I now have a nice electronic paperweight for a couple of days. (There was a paved road route to get here but that would’ve added over an hour to our time and the less time in a car the better)

In a way it’s nice to be partially disconnected from the technological shackles of society. At least I have the internet although I have to sit in the lobby to get a weak signal.
The trip has been fun as I am traveling with 2 friends, Terry Hollas and Bob Beddow so there is little friction in the car.

We’re playing tourist on the way and taking pics of silly things to make the drive more fun. Passing through Tidsdale Saskatchewan we spotted this sign and had to stop.



For those of you not in the loop, Brent Butt is one of the biggest comedy success stories in Canada who never had to leave the country to achieve it. His sitcom “Corner Gas”, which he created, is one of the top rated shows on Canadian TV. He is doing a lot of soft seat theatre touring and living the life that all comics dream of. That is theatres filled with audiences of people coming to see him because they know who he is. Well done Brent. When we passed through your home town we had to stop and take the pics. I also had to try on Brent's big head that he always jokes about.



We had a great show in Saskatoon on Thursday with over 900 people and then met up with other comics for some beer and food.
Last night, in the town with “The” in its name, we had a packed house with an awesome audience. It made the drive worthwhile. Tonight looks to be as good or better. These northern towns, are quaint, down to earth with some friendly people that love to laugh. They just don’t provide all the modern amenities that I have grown use to. It’s a small price to pay.
Back to the big city tomorrow.

Makk