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Wednesday February 10 2016 11 OP-ED MUSIC GET MORE INVOLVED in your childs education Fill out the Alberta Education Survey before February 26th. These surveys help shape your childs education and give you the opportunity to have more input. Your answers help provide students with the best educational experiences possible. Thank you students parents and community members for supporting education at Northland School Division. For more information contact your local school or visit www.nsd61.ca. By JACK ANTONIO Im sitting at Rexall Place inmyrentalcarwhileitsrun- ning so that I can charge my phone.IknowIknowitsnot environmentally conscious. TechnicallybackhomeinYel- lowknife I am not even sure its legal. Its 6 p.m. though and they arent really letting people into the building yet. Because I am on very good terms with their Canadian publicist I was able to pro- cure a face-to-face interview with guitar player Scott Holi- day of Rival Sons. WhoareRivalSonsThats the most common question I encounter when I start name dropping this band to many ofmynon-audiophilefriends. But I can assure you that in 2014 this California based hard rock outt had the num- ber one rock song in Canada for about six weeks with their track Open My Eyes. Upon learning of my inter- view with Scott my mind is immediately set at ease. I was originally supposed to chat with the bands vocalist Jay Buchanan. Believe it or not I getprettynervousbeforeevery interviewIfaceespeciallyifits onunfamiliarturforifitswith someone I have never chatted with before. In this instance Scott and I had actually chat- ted in the fall of 2014 over the phoneandIrememberthatthe two of us had a great rapport. Once I arrive Scott leads me to the back of the Rival Sons tour bus and I set up shop. He seems in good spirits which also bodes well for our chat. When I ask him how Rival Sonsmanagedtoscoretheslot on such a prestigious tour he launches into a detailed ac- count of how the bands lat- estreleasewasnominatedfor an album of the year award by Classic Rock Magazine so they were invited to play a two-songsetduringtheawards show itself. Given the level of legendaryactsintheroomfor thesamegalaeventitenabled thebandtoessentiallystagea de facto showcase in front of all the right people. Itwentgood.Itwentreally good muses the curly mus- tached plaid-laden Holiday. The audience was really just theuppercrustofclassicrock. Soevenjusttogoissuperfun. Theyreourheroes.BrianMay. Ozzy.GlenHughesandthelist goes on and on. Oh my God Its like a dream. Scotts enthusiasm is now reaching a fever pitch. He continues We got a standing Iwrapupmyinterviewwith Scott by getting him to sign a few CDs for me and pose out- sidethetourbusforasele.At thispointIamprettypumped fortheshow.NotjustSabbath but also Rival Sons. I have a photo pass for their show and Scott promised to make it worth my while so I am starting to get anxious about using the camera as its usu- allymywifetakingthepictures and she couldnt come on this trip. This brings me back to the present. I need to try out cantbetrueIhaveV.I.P.tick- ets.Ispentalotofhard-earned dime. I just interviewed Scott of Rival Sons and I was going to be in their photo pit My voice trails o. YoufromYellowknifeIgot a few buddies that I was meet- ingattheshowfromtherehe responds.AndImfromTuk. Ihavetoseeformyselfabout whatisgoingonwiththisshow and the only way Ill know for sure is if I check at the box of- ce. As I get closer I feel like a sh swimming up stream. Theres many people heading intheoppositedirectionnota goodsign.AsIarriveatthefront entrancevenueemployeesare in the process of securing and lockingthedoorsastheyplace up the cancellation notices. I see a young fella in his early 20s approach read the notice and instantly burst into tears while his girlfriend consoles him and tells him to quit act- inglikeababy.Meanwhilethe 50-somethings are begging to be able to be let in just so they canatleastbuyat-shirt.Their pleas fall on deaf ears. Personally I am in shock. I feel very helpless and equal parts disappointed. It doesnt seem real. I have been wait- ing for this show not just since it was announced in the fall of 2015 but literally all my life. I rstbecameafanofBlackSab- bathin1985-30yearsago.This cancellationsucks.Itstotalcrap. I understand why Ozzy has a case of extreme sinusitis and I can well imagine singing with this aiction cant be all that pleasant. But being from Canadas North I dont know if Ill be able to make it back for therescheduledshow.Flyingis expensive. Renting a car is ex- pensive.Mealsareexpensiveas aretheinevitablepiecesofspe- cial tour swag. And relying on yourfriendscouchtocrashon issomethingthatshouldonlybe usedsparinglyThanksMike. Its a delicate balance just get- ting here to this point. I head back to the car in a completelydejectedstate.Retail therapyisinordersoImakethe decisiontomeanderbacktothe WestEdmontonMallbutwhen I get there my heart is just not init.Thesunhasgonedownin theCityofChampionsnowand IfeellikeIhaveplayedhergame and lost. In the distance of my subconscious a bell tolls. A g- ure in black points at me and I realizeitsmyowndowntrodden reection. Is this the end my friends Perhaps ... But theres stillmoretothisstorytoshare. Read the continuation of Jack Antonios adventures in Edmonton next week. Is this the end YK rock writer stood up in Edmonton PhotocourtesyofeOneMusicCanada Rival Sons Michael Miley Jay Buchanan Scott Holiday and Dave Best were set to open for Black Sabbath in Edmonton and Calgary late last month but the shows were postponed. ovation in this room. It was amazing yknow It turns out that Ozzy and Sharon are big fans of the band.ApparentlySharonjust proposed that Rival Sons join TheEndtourastheopening act on the spot which really surprised the band - I get the impression that that is virtu- allyunheardofintheindustry. And in terms of the level of respectforSabbaththefeeling fromRivalSonsisobviouslymu- tual.LeadguitarplayerTony Iommiwasahugeinuenceon measakidScott gushes.And Sabbath in general. Especially theearlyrecordsweremassive forme.IthinkElectricFuneral might have been the rst rock tune I ever learned. the camera one more time so that I am condent enough to operateitinthedarkduringa loud rock n roll show. I shut o my rental car and pop the trunk.Itsrightaboutthenthat someguyafewcarsovermut- terssomethingcompletelyun- intelligibletomeouthistruck window - a smoke dangling dangerously close to falling out of his mouth. I break my anxietyriddledconcentration tozeroinonwhathehastosay. Hey buddy The shows cancelled. Ozzys sick. What I gasp. Yeah.Theyjustannounced it on the radio. Seriously I came here all the way from the Northwest TerritoriesIcomplain.This PhotoJackAntonio