The greatest gift is love.
It’s a philosophy that shaped Canadian country artist Jason McCoy’s song The Greatest Gift. It also inspired his The Perfect Gift tour.
“First of all I wanted to think about what the greatest thing in the world is. It’s not a hotrod car or a mansion. It’s not the thing I see. It’s the people surrounding it … which is the essence of Christmas,” said McCoy. “What’s exciting is when the doorbell rings and grandpa is there and every one runs there for a hug.”
McCoy is performing in Nanaimo at the Port Theatre Thursday (Nov. 22). His Christmas concert blends sophisticated technology and his acoustic playing to create an intimate evening with the artist.
McCoy said during the performance his home videos will be shown on big screens, which will also be used to display greetings from special guests who will interact with the audience.
It will also show clips from his upcoming Country Music Television special Christmas at the Grand, which is expected to air in early December. It will also include Nanaimo’s Jayden Holman as a guest performer.
“We have all the bells and whistles. Or sometimes it’s just me and my guitar and I take requests or sit at the edge of the stage,” said McCoy. “It’s kind of like having 1,000 of your closest friends in your living room.”
During the show he’ll perform traditional Christmas songs such as Jingle Bells and Walking in a Winter Wonderland mixed with some of his own songs.
McCoy’s career in the music industry has spanned 25 years. The country musician was nominated for a Juno award in the Country Recording of the Year for his first solo album, Everything. He has also won the Canadian Country Music Association’s Male of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. He founded The Road Hammers, the highest selling country band in Canadian country music history.
Jason McCoy performs Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40/$35 members and groups/$15 students and available at www.porttheatre.com, the Port Theatre box office, located at 125 Front St., or by calling 250-754-8550.
arts@nanaimobulletin.com