Great Big Sea member performing intimate show in the Hat on Saturday

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on May 29, 2025.

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asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Musician, author and founder of the band Great Big Sea, Séan McCann, is making Medicine Hat one of the stages where he aims to continue his fight for unity and joy for Canada.

On Saturday, McCann will be performing at the Medicine Hat Public Library starting at 7¯p.m. as part of his Great Big Canadian Road Trip Tour.

“I was supposed to be in America now on tour, and I didn’t like the tone that the new president took when he took office and to be quite honest, I don’t feel safe there now,” said McCann. “So like many Canadians, I chose to sort of pivot and find another way to play, because I do really want to play concerts.”

As a result, he made the decision to tour as many different locations within Canada as he could, largely playing small-town halls and similar venues. While these are all smaller shows, McCann prefers them, since it allows him to truly hear his audience connecting with his music and singing along.

MHPL is the only library on the tour however, but he expressed gratitude for the staff for their interest and eagerness to help make the performance work, as well as hope that they will be forgiving of the noise levels of a folk concert within what is traditionally thought of as a quiet space.

It is his hope that these performances help to bring people back together, and to fight the growing anger in the world not with more anger, but with art and unity.

“I’m not a soldier, I’m not a politician. I’m a folk singer from Newfoundland. But I do want to push back against this darkness, this bitterness and this division that seems to be spreading like cancer across the world,” said McCann. “I don’t want Canada to head down that path, so I’m literally going to do what I can; I’m going from town to town using what I know works, and that’s songs that remind people that we’re all human beings and that our differences are not as big as we think.”

Despite attempting to perform here for several years, this will be McCann’s first performance in Medicine Hat as a solo act, and something he is deeply looking forward to as he continues along his journey from his current home all the way out to Victoria and back, with plans to head further east in the future.

“So far, I’ve punched in 20,584 kilometres,” said McCann. “It’s one thing to say you’re proud to be a Canadian. It’s another thing to go out there and be one every single place. So I’m doing it. I’m going to find out what I’m so proud about.”

Tickets are available at the library while space lasts, due to the limited capacity of the theatre.