Not Gone Yet! is definitely a fitting title for Ian Thomas’s upcoming show at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
Thomas and his four-piece band take to the Main Stage on Monday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m. and for those who might be on the fence, he assures that it will be a great night filled with favourite tunes, including those of his band The Boomers.
It will be an extra special evening for Thomas, 73, as well, since his wife and daughter will both be in the audience - not something that happens a lot for the Dundas resident.
“My wife hates it when I'm off on tour every so often,” he said. The couple, who met when they were in Grade 5 in Dundas, will celebrate their 54th anniversary in August.
It’s easy to see why she’d miss his energetic personality, and he understands, but music has always been a huge part of his life and he’s toured throughout his musical career. He was on the road in April in the Maritimes, followed by this series; Burlington is the final stop of a month-long southern-Ontario tour.
“When I went out last year, we filled all the venues," he said. "I was gob-smacked. It’s my life’s blood; (performing) it's the only real thing left in the music business. There isn't really a music business anymore, it’s about having a huge sort of Ringling Bros stadium act and drift-packing the globe.”
Thomas first garnered major radio airplay in 1973 with the top-40 single Painted Ladies, followed by a string of hits throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, and on into the ‘90s with The Boomers.
He’s excited to be on stage, finding it a fulfilling experience.
“It’s just such a warm embrace from people these days, from the moment I walk on it’s a real shot in the arm; it’s wonderful,” he said. “The band is just so good; I’m pretty lucky to play with such wonderful players.”
He also enjoys the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.
“I love the theatre there, the staff there are always great," he said. "It’s a wonderful venue to play. I think we’ll be close to being sold out and that makes it even more wonderful,” he added.
Thomas said his songs have become part of people’s lives in this country.
“It’s great that people are embracing my music as a part of their lives and what a privilege for me,” he said, adding most of his songs have special meaning. For instance Good Again is about the process of digging out emotionally after the loss of someone close to you.
He says at the time he wrote it he was starting to lose folks around him, including his father.
“When I listen to one of my old albums, I remember where I was and the people I made them with, some living, some now dead," he said. "I think about who I am, who I used to be, and who I thought I was. These albums are like flags stuck in the road behind me that wind back, into the past, almost out of view.”
Thomas's creativity doesn't stop at performing. He has composed the music for 22 feature films; he's an author, much sought-after voice-over artist and actor, recognized for roles such as Dougie Franklin on the Red Green Show. And, of course, he's a Juno-award-winning singer-songwriter whose songs helped form the bedrock of the Canadian musical landscape, a contribution recognized by SOCAN when Thomas was honoured with a National Achievement Award for Songwriting.
Not Gone Yet! ticket prices are $71.50 and available online here or the box office: 905-681-6000.
