Mississauga McBowl Classic An Instant Sell Out!
By Keith Sharp
McBowl charity concert organizer, Ed Sousa didn’t have to worry about selling tickets for his annual Ronald McDonald House event which runs over two nights, May 13th and May 14th at Mississauga’s Classic Bowl venue – he virtually sold the show out two years ago.
To say Sousa’s annual fund-raiser is a hot ticket would be an understatement to say the least. His fifth annual concert had been scheduled to run over two nights in May 2020, with a rock night on the Friday and a techno-pop night on the Saturday and was a virtual sell-out when COVID-19 closed down the event not just in 2020 but also 2021.
Yet the majority of fans who purchased tickets for those two 2020 concerts held on to them meaning there was virtually no tickets left when Sousa was given a green light to finally launch his 2022 fundraiser Friday May 13 and Saturday May 14.
“We have a very loyal fan base,” enthused Sousa in announcing that absolutely no tickets are available for this year’s concerts. “In the past, we have run a back-up list in case of any last-minute cancellations but we’ve had to tell people there is absolutely no tickets available and we are concerned that bogus tickets might be offered. As all the tickets are personalized and sold directly from this office, it’s virtually impossible to obtain a fake ticket but someone might try.”
With a Friday lineup that consists of Honeymoon Suite (making their fifth straight appearance) Winnipeg’s Harlequin, Montreal’s The BOX and Toronto’s The Kings and a Saturday show that features England’s Jesus Jones, The Spoons, Vancouver’s Strange Advance and Images In Vogue, Sousa boasts it’s hardly surprising that tickets are such a hot item when patrons can see four major bands for $45 and all eight bands for $80. (VIP tickets are $75 for one day and $140 for both shows.
“I understand that promoters are offering a pre-payment plan if you want to see Adele in Las Vegas,” mused Sousa. “Any major concert ticket is so outrageous these days, that you virtually have to mortgage your house to get decent tickets. This is why our shows are so popular, I could sell out these shows two or three times over.”
And it’s not just local punters with Sousa boasting he has sold tickets to fans from 20 U.S. states and from fans in every Canadian province.
The only major casualty from the original announced lineup is Saga who cancelled because of a possible pandemic situation with them appearing on board a rock cruise the week before their scheduled appearance. “We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and share your disappointment at the situation,” noted band members; Michael Sadler, Ian Crichton, Jim Gilmour, Mike Thorne and Dusty Chesterfield, citing the risk of a band or crew member testing positive for COVID either during or after the cruise.
They have been replaced by perennial favourites, The Box and The Kings who are about to relaunch themselves with a new album and future concert dates.
Sousa notes that his McBowl Classic has continually grown in statue over the past seven years with a faithful fan base continuing to support this popular charity event. “There’s a family feel to this event, obviously it’s for a good cause (Ronald McDonald House), the bands love to play the Classic and people who do attend know the lineup is good value for money.”
