I was running late for the CCMA Legends Concert due to prior engagements. I got there as quick as I could. Unfortunately, I missed the Hunter Brothers performance. That bummed me out but I did catch this sweet photo:

When I walked in, songstress Lisa Brokop was in the middle of Patsy Cline classic “She’s Got You”, and doing an incredible job of it I might add.

She then brought out new female artist Madeline Merlo to do a duet of Brokop’s hit “I’d like to see you try”. Not only do the two sound phenomenal together, they looked like they were having a great time.

Brokop left Merlo on stage to play her hit single “Whatcha Wanna Do About It” on her own. I love seeing Madeline live. It’s so obvious that she loves what she does and adores being on stage.

Can we just discuss Deric Ruttan for a moment? This guy is as funny as hell. I would watch him host any show almost as much as I would watch him play anywhere. He and friend Jimmy Rankin played an amazing version of “Sister Golden Hair”. I wish I would have recorded it so I could rewatch it. That is how good it was.

Jimmy went on to a duet with Patricia Conroy. It was beautiful. The two of them together sound flawless.

Up next was CCMA Spotlight Artist winner Mallory Johnson. She honestly looked and sounded as though you could have plucked her from the CCMA stage and put her in The Opry. She was worried about doing Hank Snow’s “Fool Such As I” justice. She shouldn’t have worried at all. I am sure Hank was smiling.

If you are a fan of Washboard Union and haven’t seen them live yet, get to it! They are outstanding. When they performed “Shot of Glory” that night, it turned in to one big sing-a-long. And really. Who doesn’t love a big sing-a-long?

After a brief intermission Wendell Ferguson cranked out a kick-ass version of “Running Back to Saskatoon”.

Award winner Patrica Conroy moved the whole audience with an outstanding version of her song “What Else Can I Do”.

She then invited Washboard Union to join her in performing a really fantastic version of Jess Moskaluke’s “Cheap Wine and Cigarettes” only the way that they can do.

The evening continued with Deric Ruttan performing a number one hit that he wrote but isn’t necessarily known for singing. While “Any Ol’ Barstool” is a Jason Aldean hit song, it was written by Ruttan. And he sang it with perfection.

One of the highlights of the evening was being able to see legend Ian Tyson. I have never seen him before. And even though this may be nearing the end stages of his career, he received a standing ovation as he came out. Singing “Four Strong Winds” and the recently released “You Should Have Known”, the crowd was captivated.

As if that wasn’t enough, he invited 16 time CCMA Award winner Carolyn Dawn Johnson on stage to sing “Some Day Soon”. What an amazing moment in country music history.

After a verklempt Carolyn took a moment to compose herself, friend Deric Ruttan joined her on stage. The two did the most beautiful duet of her hit “Don’t Let Me Die Of A Broken Heart”. Their voices filled the room the room around us, almost taking your breath away.

Ruttan left the stage and replaced him was Brokop, Merlo, Conroy, and Johnson. A stage full of Canadian girl power! This incredible group of women paid homage to Sasktchewan female singer/songwriter Joanie Mitchell and sang a fantastic version of “Big Yellow Taxi”.

The evening had already been so full of exceptional entertainment. It was hard to believe that there was more. The evening ended with 15 time CCMA Award winner and CCMA Hall of Honour inductee, Paul Brandt.

Despite his accomplishments and the fact that this was kind of “his” weekend, he took a moment to remember Troy Gentry and Don Williams, both huge losses for the country music community that day. An emotional Paul told us of some fond memories and continued with the evening. He did a fantastic medley, which turned in to a sing-a-long (two in one night? Yes!) of “My Heart Has A History”, “Small Towns And Big Dreams”, “I Do” and “Convoy”.

He then invited Carolyn Dawn Johnson to perform “Open Road”, a song he normally sings with Saskatchewan native Jess Moskaluke – which, I am sorry Jess, was remarkable.

To end the evening, Paul brought out his wife to sing “Alberta Bound” and they finished the song with a kiss.

The crowd rose to their feet for a much deserved standing ovation. The whole evening was absolutely fantastic. If you are ever taking in CCMA Week and they have an event like this, you should make sure to get tickets for it. It really was a memorable evening. And CCMA, you should have Deric Ruttan host, oh, everything. He is awesome.