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Building on last year’s new tradition of adding big-name Canadian bands to playoff final hockey, Hamilton, Ont.’s Arkells will blast their indie rock in the arena-adjacent Fan Park before Wednesday’s Game 1.
There’s been much anticipation about who the OEG and Rogers Place would bring in this time after Our Lady Peace and very impressively Shania Twain played June 13 and 15 last year as the Oilers trailed, but closed the gap with the Florida Panthers till the bitter end — where an entire hockey season came down to one damn goal.
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Still, the crowd of thousands was absolutely pumped and bumping as various Oilers vets, Gene Principe and our strangely chest-muscled mascot Hunter roamed around the pavement, which will certainly be the case Wednesday when the big-energy band hits the stage at 4 p.m.
Formed in 2006 with nine albums and nine Junos under their belt, Arkells’ songs People’s Champ, Knocking at the Door, Leather Jacket, Big Feelings and Hand Me Downs get regular play on edge-rock radio stations, perfect to pump up the Petroleros crowd before the rematch with those annoying overgrown housecats, to paraphrase Elder Scrolls.
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Notably, Arkells headlined Rogers Place in November on the Big Feelings Tour.
We should be hearing very soon about the concert plans for Friday night’s game — Nickelback’s not scheduled until June 13 in Michigan, just sayin’.
Fan Park gates just east of the downtown rink open at 3:30 p.m. — expect a lineup and bag check — and entry is free. A special viewing area is available to Rogers customers through its Beyond the Seat perk at rogersfanzone.com/concerts.
Catch you in the pit!
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