There was a moment early in the first set of March 14th's Great Big Sea concert at the Jubilee Auditorium where a young girl came to the front of the stage and gave Alan Doyle a flower. A simple and sweet gesture, but one that sums up Great Big Sea. They are instantly likeable whether you are 5 or 95.

For 20 years Great Big Sea has been representing the Maritimes and they brought it all to Calgary. On a sparse stage with a screen between two X's (representing their greatest hits package XX) Doyle, Sean McCann, and Bob Hallett along with bassist (and former Moxy Fruvous member) Murray Foster and drummer Kris McFarlane kicked off the show with Ordinary Day. What followed was nearly three hours of music, refreshing in a day of 75 – 90 minute shows at $100+ per ticket. Fans certainly got their money's worth on this night.

While the evening had many uplifting songs that had the audience up and dancing in their seats like The Night Paddy Murphy Died, Run Runaway, and When I Am King, some of the highlights were when the band showed their softer side. Hallet lead the audience in the sing song of Come And I Will Sing You, which stirred up memories for many of parents and grandparents singing the song to their families. McCann took the lead on Safe Upon The Shore with the rest of the group joining in on the chorus. The 5 part harmonies on the song were as beautiful as the song is heartbreaking, and was one of the highlights of the show.

As is the case with many Canadian bands, the between song banter was as entertaining as the music. Early on, Doyle was running down the plan for the night including, "some old songs, some new songs, some other people's songs, and the entire Michael Jackson catalogue." They then did snippets of Billie Jean and Ben much to the amusement of the audience and themselves. Later McCann talked about the lonliness of the road, hinting that his bunk being close to Foster's had lead to some awkard moments. The prologue lead to admitting that a female with fins was his fantasy, leading to The Mermaid.

The thing that stood out about the show was it was clear that even after 20 years, the guys were having an absolute blast on stage. This isn't a money grab or a group going through the motions, it was obvious that they truly love what they do. Many times Doyle thanked the audience for 20 years, as if not believing himself that they are still here. If they keep putting on shows like this one, they will be around for many years to come.

Here's a pint to Great Big Sea, and 20 more great years.