This year's annual Blenders Concert Series featured a diverse lineup of performers from all over the world, and crowds that bonded over their love for music. 

Tennyson King rocked the Lyric Theatre stage last Friday as the final act of the season, bringing a taste of indie folk to electric blues. 

Executive Director of Blenders Events, Amanda Girardin, said the season overall was great; a full lineup of live shows is something the organization hasn’t done since pre-pandemic times.  

“It's hard to believe it's already over; I feel like just yesterday we had launched the lineup in September,” she said. "We had some really great artists come through, and some fantastic crowds." 

Kicking off last fall and running over eight months, the season featured ten regular concerts and two special shows: Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar, and Hannah Georgas. 

Also taking to the stage was Juno, Grammy, and Latin Grammy Award winner, Alex Cuba. The Cuban Canadian singer-songwriter performed colourful pop tunes with a smooth voice, singing both in English and Spanish. 

Up-and-coming Saskatchewan artist Jake Vaadeland and the Sturgeon River Boys was another highlight for many folks, selling out their show in October. Vaadeland takes his crowds time travelling through his 50s rockabilly and bluegrass sound.

While this year was a huge success, Girardin said things are going to look a little different for the next season of Blenders concerts. 

"We're looking to really encourage some younger crowds to come out to shows," she explained. "We're going to try and do a few things with our programming; we're looking at doing a mix of cabaret style shows, so half sitting, half standing, give folks some room to dance. And then obviously for some shows that lend a little bit better to more of a sit-down atmosphere, we're going to keep that format. People can expect a little bit of change for the for the new season, but one thing that that obviously doesn't change with Blenders is just a fantastic array of artists that we're excited to present."

Things are already coming together for next year’s lineup, but first the non-profit is getting geared up for the Long Day’s Night Festival returning to Swift Current in June.