Since last May, no other Canadian city has stood out more than Winnipeg for its relentless posts, messages and comments, demanding that we bring the next Secret Show to their town. Well, persistent Peg City folk, you asked for it and we delivered!

The weather was extraordinarily energizing on Sunday, warm and bright. Fueled by 7-Eleven Slurpies, MySpacers camped outside the West End Cultural Centre from as early as 7:30 AM to witness Bedouin Soundclash’s first show in their town in 2 years, or so the band claimed.

The show kicked off just before 8 PM with a short set from Zaki Ibrahim, a fun-loving R&B artist and Bedouin backup singer, with some deep soul and a steady beat box. Then hometown ska staples, The Afterbeat, stole the stage. It wasn’t hard to get the audience dancing, as they led with an animated set. A highlight of the night was their own version of the reggae classic, “Pressure Drop,” by Toots and the Maytals.

Bedouin Soundclash emerged through some thick cheering from an excited capacity audience. The young trio played many tunes from the new album, Street Gospels, as well as some fan favorites. The newly-added backup singers enriched the band’s performance with a new dimension of harmony.

In a Secret Shows rendition of the fan favorite, lead singer Jay Malinowski led the audience in an intimate call-and-response. A brave man began belting out “Money Worries” amidst the back and forth, in perfect timing and near accurate tone. With or without realizing it, the entire club could hear. While the band encouraged this interjection as harmonious participation, this moment defined exactly what Secret Shows are all about. 300 lucky MySpacers pack into a small club, the barrier between audience and band dissolves and everyone takes part in the magic.

Big ups go out to Zaki Ibrahim and The Afterbeat for warming up the crowd, to the West End Cultural Centre for their hospitality, to Hot103 for the hype, to the Bedlam and Dine Alone family, to Bedouin Soundclash for putting on a memorable show FOR FREE and, of course, to the hundreds of dedicated fans and MySpacers who came out to the show. See you next time!

Big ups go out to Zaki Ibrahim and The Afterbeat for warming up the crowd, to the West End Cultural Centre for their hospitality, to Hot103 for the hype, to the Bedlam and Dine Alone family, to Bedouin Soundclash for putting on a memorable show FOR FREE and, of course, to the hundreds of dedicated fans and MySpacers who came out to the show. See you next time!