The Great Canadian Road Trip 2.0 featuring Jason McCoy, Jason Blaine and Chad Brownlee stops at the Townshend Theatre in Fort Frances on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Singer-songwriter Jason McCoy is on his second iteration of the Great Canadian Road Trip, which he previously toured with Doc Walker and Michelle Wright.
McCoy says the artists’ agents were instrumental in coming up with the idea for the tour.
“I think it was our agents that had this idea,” McCoy said.
“They said ‘Hey we should get all these acts that are all looking to tour and what if we made a package show of it?’”
The tour is different from many tours where acts play the same show. The three singers are all on stage for the duration.
“We decided we’d do it a little different, so we’d all be on stage at the same time,” McCoy said.
“There’s no opener, no headliner. So we’re doing the same thing now with Jason Blaine, Chad Brownlee and myself. I kind of host it but I also perform. So we’re all on stage at the same time. Jason Blaine will start off with a song, then Chad, then I sing.”
McCoy says there is a real sense of quality throughout the show, as the three performers all get along and enjoy each other’s music.
“There’s no egos, we’re fans of each other and that’s why we’re out doing it,” he said.
“While Chad’s singing I’ll play guitar for him, and while I’m singing Jason plays guitar for me. The way I look at it, it’s way better value to the ticket buyer because you don’t have to sit and wait while the other band gets ready and all that kind of stuff. It’s just a non-stop night of hits.”
McCoy said they’re happy to be bringing a show across Canada right now given some of the political climate.
“We’re very proud to be Canadian, we’ve got the Four Nations Face Off [Finals between USA and Canada] on Thursday and with all this tariff war and all these types of things I think Canadian pride has never been greater, so that will be a part of the great emphasis on the Canadian Road Trip.”
The show will feature McCoy, who is a member of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Jason Blaine and Chad Brownlee. McCoy has won the Canadian Country Music Award (CCMA) for Male Vocalist of the and has earned five Juno Nominations for Best Country Male Vocalist. Blaine is also a CCMA award winner and has written songs for country stars like Parmalee, Brantley Gilbert and Scotty McCreery.
Chad Brownlee originally tried to make a career as a hockey player and was even drafted by the Vancouver Canucks. He played college hockey at Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn., and played for the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL before injuries forced him to take a different path which led to country music. In 2019, Brownlee landed his first number one hit with Forever’s Gotta Start Somewhere.
During the songs, there will be video projections behind the band.
“We share home movies, and videos of our past,” McCoy said.
“We’ve got some footage of Chad playing hockey, I brought some videos of Buddy, my singing dog, from home. It just adds some comedy and some personality to the whole thing. It’s really a one of a kind show.”
While not a Tour de Fort passport season show, the local music organization has been selling tickets and promoting the show in Fort Frances. Tickets are available at tourdefort.com or in person through the Fort Frances Library or Ski’s Variety. General admission tickets are $45. The Great Canadian Roadtrip gets underway at the Townshend Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
