When Canadian Country Music Hall of Famer Jason McCoy makes his next stop in Sault Ste. Marie he will share the stage in a triple bill with two other renowned artists as part of the Great Canadian Road Trip 2.0.
The unique format of the March 1 concert at The Machine Shop will feature one backing band for the entire show, with McCoy sharing the stage with fellow singers Chad Brownlee and Jason Blaine.
"That's probably the biggest thing people will be surprised about on this tour. It's not like one opens for the other and then there's a headliner — we're all on stage at the same time," McCoy said in a recent telephone interview.
"When Jason plays a song, I slide back and play guitar for him and when I sing a song he slides back and plays guitar for me and the same goes for Chad."
That format will also allow the music to keep playing, instead of there being a tear-down and set up between acts like there often is in a conventional opener-headliner performance, there will instead be one common intermission.
"It's cool because I'm singing harmonies on these songs by these guys that I'm a fan of and vice versa," said McCoy.
The Great Canadian Road Trip 2.0 builds upon the success of McCoy's original Great Canadian Road Trip tour, when he shared the stage with Michelle Wright and Doc Walker.
McCoy said the format of having three artists on stage with one backing band is a great bang for your buck for fans.
"When you do it this way, it's literally not what songs can we put in, it's what are we taking out because it's hit after hit," he said.
Born in Orillia, McCoy may best be known as a member of the Road Hammers, a Juno-winning trio known for their hit country songs like East Bound and Down and I'm a Road Hammer.
In 2023, McCoy was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in an exhibit that includes a photo of him playing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry.
McCoy said he has often heard people in his industry use the phrase 'this is surreal' when they are recognized with accolades, but he never truly understood it until it happened to him.
"I'm still like, 'when is the guy who deserves this going to show up?'" he said of the recognition.
Although he's toured all over, McCoy said he really enjoys playing for crowds closer to home.
"All of the tough country folk live in northern Ontario. They know how to work hard, they play hard and we're going to have a good time," he said.