MacKenzie Porter is playing two sold-out shows at the Esplanade tonight and tomorrow.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
Hometown country music star MacKenzie Porter is playing two sold-out shows at the Esplanade tonight and tomorrow.
She is on her first headlining tour and released the news she is expecting a baby the day before the tour started.
“I was a little nervous, but I’m so glad it’s out in the world now and I can just relax a bit. It’s hard to hide that for so long,” said Porter.
Porter is busy for the next few months with her current tour ending in mid-November, touring with the CP Holiday Train in December and new music coming out in January. Her baby is due in March and Porter plans to take a month or two off before she starts touring again.
“I’ll be carrying a little nugget around with me when we tour that time,” explained Porter. “We’ll figure it out, my husband will come, we’ll have help out on the road with us and we’ll just be a touring circus.”
While there are always ups and downs, she feels lucky to have reached so many of her musical and career goals in the past year. While she’s played at festivals, opened for other acts and done some one-off shows, she’s thrilled about her current tour. Griffen Palmer, who wrote a single for Porter, is the opening act and she is looking forward to watching him perform each night.
“I have an opener this time, it’s my show, my set and I’m so excited for it because I get to finally take my time up on stage and have a full hour and a half, tell stories and not be rushed. It naturally happens when you are opening for somebody or in a festival, you have to get on and off within your time period. This is more easy and flexible, I get to be myself up there and share my story a bit more.”
Medicine Hat is the third stop on the tour and the only city she is playing for two nights. The Esplanade initially asked Porter to book two nights but she wasn’t certain enough tickets would sell. After the first show sold out in hours, it worked out to add the second show, which also sold out.
“That’s our biggest, the other rooms we are playing are 500 people and in Medicine Hat we are playing two nights of 700 people. I have so much support there and I’m always blown away by how much people support and show me love.”
Porter loves playing at the Esplanade and says it will be the nicest room on the tour.
“It sounds so good in there and it’s a beautiful venue, I always enjoy playing there,” stated Porter. “My band has never played there and I’m excited for them to hear that room because they nerd out about that kind of stuff.”
Porter was on the Holiday Train last year and loved it so much she reached out this year to ask if she could be on it again. “It’s such a magical experience, unless you are doing it, it’s really hard to explain. You are raising money for the food bank, so you feel like you are doing something good and spreading joy to people who sometimes don’t get to have concerts in their town. It’s the perfect way to wrap up the year right before Christmas, this wholesome Christmas polar express experience.”
She’ll be on the train for seven days and, depending on where they stop, sometimes will play for 30 people and sometimes for 30,000. Porter explained there are anywhere from four to eight stops per day where she will play some of her own songs mixed in with Christmas songs.
“I’m so excited and I appreciate all my friends, family and fans in Medicine Hat and I can’t wait to come and play for them for two nights,” concluded Porter.
The Holiday Train is in Medicine Hat on Dec. 19.
