A big bag of ketchup chips. That's what Douglas “Katch” Gray, one of the performers in the Four by Four tribute show to the music of The Beach Boys, The Bee-Gees, The Beatles and Motown, wants when he gets to Canada this week.
Four by Four kicks off its Canadian spring tour in Greater Sudbury March 22 at Laurentian University's Fraser Auditorium.
The Texas-born, Las Vegas-based Gray said he's not asking fans to bring him bags of his favourite Canadian chips, but he wouldn't turn them down, either.
“I used to work on cruise ships a lot, and we'd dock in Vancouver,” Gray said. “That's the first time I ever had them. Now every time I go back (I buy them), because I can't find them here. That's one of my favourite things. And poutine. Everybody loves poutine.”
You may be familiar with the "Oh What a Night!" tribute show to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons that's visited Greater Sudbury several times. The show's producers are also behind the Four by Four show.
Of the 50 songs performed during the show, Gray said he loves performing The Beach Boys' harmony-filled “Good Vibrations,” as well as “pretty much every song in Motown.”
While there tends to be a crowd of Baby Boomers there to relive the music of their youth, Gray said he often notices a few younger faces in the audience.
“They do bring their kids and grandkids, and it's nice to see some younger faces out there maybe hearing the music for the first time,” he said.
Gray said there's always a great response to both Four by Four and "Oh What a Night!" when he tours Canada.
“This will be our third tour up in Canada, and every single time I'm up there, there's always standing ovations,” he said.
“Everyone comes and talks to you after the show, which we love. Everyone seems to have a great time.”
Tickets to the show, which starts at 7 p.m. at Laurentian University's Fraser Auditorium, cost $60.15 each, and are available through the Sudbury Theatre Centre box office. Visit sudburytheatre.com.
http://www.sudburytheatre.com/
