Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Sep 08/03) - As a concert promoter based in Hay River, Garth Mackie might have to work for years to get a famous band to come North.

And aside from dealing with issues of distance, venues and band availability, Mackie may have the added duty of having to explain where Yellowknife and Hay River are.

When he arranged for this past summer's concerts in Yellowknife, Hay River and High Level by the classic rock group Nazareth, he says band members had to check an atlas to find out where they were going.

However, after the shows, Nazareth was very pleased with the response from fans, he says. "They say they'd come back here in a minute."

Mackie believes Northerners are as much into music as anyone else and want to see live entertainment from well-known performers.

"I think there's a need to try to get some of these bands up here," he says.

Mackie says he loves music, and has probably seen over 100 concerts in his life.

He plans to promote two concerts next summer through his JAG Entertainment. (He also owns The Zoo lounge in Hay River.)

These days, Mackie is in negotiations with representatives of country music star Dwight Yoakam. If he comes north, Yoakam will likely play a couple of concerts in Yellowknife.

Mackie says there are other country artists available, including some well-known Canadian performers. "There's lots of them willing to come up."

And he would like to promote another concert by a classic rock band. "I don't want to stick to one genre."

Among the bands that could be available are the likes of Trooper, Prism, Doug and the Slugs, Bad Company and Foreigner. While they are past the peak of their popularity, Mackie notes "they are very professional and very good live."

But don't expect any of today's star performers to visit any time soon, he says. "They're pretty much untouchable."

For example, he notes Nickelback would have been no problem to get two years ago, but once on top they are out of range both in terms of venue size and cost. A top band would need a minimum of a 5,000 capacity venue to make it worthwhile and even then tickets would be very expensive.

Most venues in the North are arenas that are only available in the summer, he explains. "Right now, it's very much a June to August window to bring in any major bands where you need an arena venue."

Mackie says his favourite type of music is heavy rock, such as AC/DC and Van Halen.

However, if he could bring any band in the world up north, it would be The Rolling Stones.

"You never know with Mick and the boys. If I get to them when then they're getting a little senile, they might say 'sure, mate.'"