Paging Mr. McNally, Vancouver Is Calling

This is Canada. It contains provinces and territories. Most of these regions have people living in them. Some smoke in them, some work in them, some have sex in them, some play music in them. Some regions even have bands that play instruments well in them. These bands make music, sell albums and tour. I can name several Canadian bands that play music well and would do well to represent their home provinces and territories.

So, it is only obvious that the brains at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver have decided to make certain evenings dedicated to different provinces during the Games, with bands performing concerts each night.

There are a couple of snags though. For example, on February 16th it is Nova Scotia night. The band performing is none other than Barenaked Ladies. The Barenaked Ladies are from a suburb west of Halifax, called Scarborough, Ontario! No Joel Plaskett, no Rankin Family, no Sloan, no Nova Scotia bands on this night.

On February 18th, Prince Edward Island night is showcasing Hedley, again located in a suburb west of Charlottetown called British Columbia. Obviously there are no bands or musical talent from P.E.I. that can play in Vancouver that night. And Quebec's band is to be announced, of course in the event a referendum is called and the province separates from the rest of Canada in the next six weeks or so.

Nunavut Night? Trooper and Loverboy, again no connection with that region aside from maybe headlining Classic Rock Festivals in the parking lots of Nunavut shopping malls. Ontario will be represented by INXS, who have played in Toronto but are from Australia. Billy Talent, who call Mississauga home, are representing Saskatchewan. And the Yukon is showcasing British act Stereophonics on Feb. 20. Again, no connection. Oh wait, I forgot, there is an "O" in Yukon and Stereophonics, so that's the link right there!

It's not all doom and gloom and dumbness though. Burton Cummings is from Manitoba and plays on Manitoba night and Great Big Sea plays on Newfoundland night.

Hey, don't knock organizers, they only had about 8 years to select bands from different provinces to play on those provinces' respective nights.

And look on the bright side, none of the artists chosen are dead!