It was a rocking good time in the County this weekend.

Base31 staff were likely checking the foundation of the Drill Hall on Sunday morning for cracks. A capacity crowd — the largest so far at the venue — were thrilled by a frenetic appearance by Canada’s top rock band, The Glorious Sons.

The night before, Maritime darlings The Trews and Matt Mays also played to a large and loving crowd.

Just as The Sons, who hail from Kingston (by way of Odessa) were putting the finishing touches on their signature melodic closer, Amigo, a long-time local live-music lover told this reporter they were impressed with both the venue and the lineup of the first ever rock festival at Base31.

“It’s a real vibe here in this hall,” the hoarse-but-enthusiastic concert goer said. “The Trews and Matt Mays were awesome last night and the Sons totally rocked it tonight! What a great weekend!”

Enjoying the proximity to home base Limestone City, Sons lead singer Brett Emmons called up Ernestown Secondary School student Hayden Leduc to perform the feel-good summer-love standard, Mama, delighting those from Frontenac who came to see their favourite band. “Hayden sent us a video of him performing this next song,” a sweat-soaked Mr. Emmons said. “I had to admit, he’s pretty (expletive) good.”

More to Come

Weekend festivals at the Base are events the community is turning out for.

The foot traffic around the Drill Hall and the Commissary Stage was constant over the weekend, building on the success of June’s Pretty Excellent Country Music Festival, which featured High Valley and the Reklaws.

Both days last weekend featured smaller scale concerts at the Commissary as festival goers chilled out in the cabanas, on the sun-soaked decks, and savoured the open-air food and drink markets. Local band Kojak were among the performers that entertained music fans prior to the headliners later Friday and Saturday evening.

“We are so thrilled with the success of our inaugural Rock the County festival. It showed us there is a real appetite in the County and the region for festivals and weekends geared toward great music,” said Tim Jones, CEO of Base31. “We couldn’t be more proud with the absolutely spectacular performances, the response from our patrons, the support from our neighbours in the County, our incredible sponsors and the talented team who come together to make it happen. Stay tuned for 2025, when there’s sure to be more to come!”