In an homage to live rock and roll, the Aberdeen Reunion is set to take place Saturday evening.
Organizer Shawn Beaulieu said the event is named after the Aberdeen Tavern that for years was a hot spot for live music in Chatham. The building, located at the corner of St. Clair Street and Grand Avenue, now serves as a warehouse for Western Equipment. It last served alcohol and hosted live music 21 years ago.
Decades ago, the walls shook with good vibrations.
“I only caught the last three years (of the bar’s life), but it had its big day in the 1980s,” Beaulieu said of the Aberdeen. “And in the ’70s, it was a popular country bar.”
The Reunion takes place Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. outside at Bar Out Back (B.O.B.) on Keil Drive in Chatham, Beaulieu said. It will feature four vintage acts from the Aberdeen’s heydays. Electric Voodoo, Beggars Opera, Lyra, and Town Krier will play, along with London’s Def Bombs, who will close out the night.
Beaulieu, who is behind the Chatham Music Archive, said it’s a lot of work putting on the Reunion, but it’s worth it.
“Finding all the guys from the bands in the ’80s, these guys are amazing and all sound great,” he said.
Last year’s effort putting together the Reunion left Beaulieu wanting to do it once more, adding it will not become an annual thing.
“I did it last year and it was amazing. Everybody from that era was there. It was just hootin’ and hollerin’ all night long. You don’t get that when you go to a bar these days,” he said.
The only complaints from last year’s effort centred around how hot the venue got at the night progressed, and that it went into the early morning hours. This time around, Beaulieu said it will take place outdoors, and runs from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“After that, if people want to stay, they can go inside. This gives them more time to get together,” he said.
Beaulieu us no stranger to the local music scene, as he is a former member of Foster Child and The Janet Theory. He’s currently part of Saint Ends.
Advance tickets for the Aberdeen Reunion are available at the Cultural Centre Box Office, 75 William St. N. in Chatham from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, or order them online through cktickets.com. Price is $18 plus a handling fee.
