Canadian Tulip Festival Ottawa Citizen's Get Out! Concert Series Opening Night Featuring: The Tea Party The opening night of The Get Out! Concert series at Major's Hill Park was a rollicking good time. Showcasing two bands from Ottawa, a bilingual group from La Belle Province and the Eastern influenced, Windsor formed, three piece rock outfit The Tea Party, the venue gave national capital music fans a great start to what will be 11 days of Canadian music mastery. The first act to hit the stage at approximately six o'clock was local boy Greg Pilon and his band Bobcat Gray (www.bobcatgray.com). Making his name around town through the Ottawa Blues Fest, Pilon and the boys play a blues-styled rock that put the evening's music on the right footing.

Ottawa singer/songwriter Amanda Rheaume and her bandmates (www.amandarheaume.com) graced the stage next. With acoustic guitar in hand Amanda lit up the growing crowd with songs from her CD "Unravelling." The band's infectious down home style of rock combined with Amanda's energetic presence and powerful voice glued everyone to the stage throughout the performance.

Dusk had set in by the time the French Canadian group Projet Orange (www.vikrecordings.com/projetorange) began playing. As the place got darker the music got louder. The brothers Jean-Christophe and Jean-Sebastien led the 5-piece band kicked out some hard rockin' tunes from both their French and English albums. The songs, "De Heros a Zero" (off of their self-titled debut) and, "Tell All Your Friends" (off 2004's Megaphobe) were highlights.

Although the crowds at Major's Hill Park increased in number through the night, it wasn't until The Tea Party was on stage that the venue hit capacity. With the exception of breathing space next to the side fences, the venue filled until a sea of heads was all that Jeff Martin could see when addressing the audience.

Since releasing their debut CD Splendor Solis 12 years ago, The Tea Party has been gracing Canadian and international audiences with an eastern influenced trippy rock that hasn't seen the mainstream since the heyday of the sixties. Using instruments such as the sitar, tar shehnai, mandolin and the usual guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, Martin and bandmates Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows created a sound that has stuck in the heads of fans since the single "Save Me" made its way onto rock radio back in '93.

Playing songs off of their latest release Seven Circles as well as hits of years past ("Save Me" included), The Tea Party disappointed no one in the audience including the many girls on the shoulders of their boyfriends yelling out "We Love You Jeff." A highlight was the song "Oceans" a tribute to the band's manager Steve Hoffman who died 18 months ago of lung cancer.

The concert entered the world of the surreal when the band finished off the song "Heaven Coming Down". Just as the last note was played a raindrop hit my shoulder. The band should have taken to heart the cliche "Be careful what you wish for..." as the drizzle was to stay the rest of the night with nary an umbrella to be found anywhere in the crowd. The fans took it in stride and the band lived up to their reputation of being a great live act.

The concerts on Major's Hill Park continue until the 23rd of May when The Hi Lo Trons, Boy, and Hawksley Workman will close up the festivities on Monday night starting at 6 pm.