Yellowknife (Jun 26/06) - Sometimes, the second time is the charm.

Last week, the CBC's annual True North Concert took a second stab at its 25th anniversary at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife, after last year's show was cancelled by the CBC labour dispute and lockout.

Leon Andrew of Tulita sings and drums the opening prayer song for the 25th annual CBC True North Concert, held at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in Yellowknife last week. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

The show opened with a prayer song from Tulita's Leon Andrew, the only NWT performer to come from outside of Yellowknife.

"(The performers) need some spirit in them, I'm sure," he said afterwards of his performance. "It's very important for me to be a part of that."

Andrew said he had drummed since he was a teenager, in the difficult style of the central Mackenzie Mountains. He said this style was difficult to pass on and therefore important to share.

"We do have some drummers who know most of the songs," he said.

The show also featured Yellowknife's Leela Gilday and Godson, who brought their unique and disparate styles to the NACC stage.

The Juno-nominee and three-time Aboriginal Achievement Award winner performed a pair of strong, vocally-oriented songs, backed by an all-acoustic band.

"They're pretty good looking, aren't they? That's what I look for in a band," she joked.

Godson (aka Aaron Hernandez) performed a pair of hip-hop tracks focusing on the drug problem in Yellowknife, as well as the city's unique, positive character.

Other performers came from around the North, from Whitehorse to Eyou Istchee, Que. This included long-time True North contributors Tracey Brown and Randall Prescott, rock trio CerAmony and Mathew Nuqinaq, among others.

The concerts were recorded by CBC to be aired during the fall season of "World in Performance."