Andrew Hyatt’s show at Algonquin College brings out country fans

Canadian country singer Andrew Hyatt performed at the Observatory with opening singers Sully Borrows and Monique Messier on March 28.

Shortly after he finished his performance, Hyatt was surrounded by fans asking to take photos with him, one after another.

In an interview with the Algonquin Times, Hyatt said he enjoyed his performance.

“We were here last March and it’s always nice. I really enjoyed the crowd, it was just a different vibe,” he said.

Hyatt’s performance was part of his tour, Andrew Hyatt and The Ten Year War. The concert started at 8 p.m. with a crowd eagerly waiting for the concert to begin with its opening singer, Messier.

Messier, who won this year’s Algonquin’s Got Talent contest, prayed and hugged her family members before going on stage. It did not take long for the crowd to become fans of Messier’s music. (Read the Algonquin Times’ exclusive interview with Messier before her performance).

Audience member Isabelle Vangorder attended the concert with her boyfriend looking forward to seeing Hyatt, but she became a fan of Messier that night.

“We’re both from the countryside and fans of Andrew Hyatt but that girl (Messier) is really talented,” said Vangorder. “It’s awesome that someone from Ottawa is chasing their dreams.”

A small crowd from Parry Sound, Ont. began chanting for the next singer: “Sully, Sully, Sully.”

Burrows, who’s from Parry Sound, dominated the stage as the audience began singing along with him and eventually asking for one more song.

For Eric Versluis, a childhood friend of Burrows who was in the audience, seeing Burrows perform was a tear-jerking moment.

“Last time I saw Sully Burrows in person, he was four years old,” said Versluis. “I love seeing him out here doing his thing. He is going to be a star.”

It was finally time for Hyatt to enter the stage. Throughout his performance, the audience did not miss a moment to sing along with him.

Before starting his performance, Hyatt took a moment to thank the crowd for being here, engaging in conversations with them between songs.

“I recognized people in the crowd who had also attended my concert in Vancouver,” Hyatt told the audience.

Before he began his solo music career, Hyatt was a member of a Christian rock band. He briefly worked as a youth pastor at a church until he worked in a nickel mine in his hometown of Sudbury, Ont.

After his band split, Hyatt began his solo music career in 2015 with his debut EP, Never Back Down. He then released his debut album, Iron & Ashes, in 2017.

In 2022, Hyatt won the Canadian Country Music Association award for Rising Star.

Hyatt has no plans on saying farewell forever to Algonquin College, as he is eager to return for another performance.

“I think it will be a year or so but we are trying to make it back here every 14-18 months,” said Hyatt. “I love it here.”