Where do Easton Corbin, Chris Lane, and southern rock legends Blackberry Smoke like to stop when they’re in New Brunswick? Since 2015, the answer to that question has been R10 Venue, a tucked-away gem in the thick of the forest on Route 10, just a hop away from Grand Lake.
“We chose that area simply because it’s very beautiful up there,” says R10 artistic director Sheree Gillcrist.
She says in the eight years that she and partner Declan Campbell have been operating R10, they’ve gotten a lot of compliments from musicians about the kind of sound quality and terrific atmosphere the venue has.
“There was one band that told us that the sound is pristine, it’s like an acoustic amphitheatre, like playing at Glastonbury,” she says.
Without the noise bounce-back of big concrete buildings, or solid arena walls, outdoor venue R10 offers a more organic experience, but as with every business, being in a nice place wasn’t enough. The location had to be right too.
“It’s exactly in the centre of the province’s [three biggest cities], the same distance from Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton” Gillcrist notes.
That proximity to audiences not only from those three locations but also throughout the Maritimes is what drew Gillcrist to the area as a place where big music, in a great location, could happen outside of the confines of a city.
Gillcrist has deep roots in the New Brunswick music scene. A nurse by trade, she nurtured her love of music as an arts writer with CBC and the Evening Times Globe, which lead to other opportunities to become even more immersed in the scene, MCing events like Lunenburg’s Folk Harbour with CBC personality Costas Halavrezos.
It’s a passion she passed along to her family, including her children.
She started R10 in memory of her daughter, another music aficionado, who she tragically lost in 2013.
“Her name’s Neely G so she’s the head of our entertainment company, it’s Neely G Entertainment. So that gives her longevity in our memory,” Gillcrist says.
In 2015 R10 held its first series of concerts, a three-day event in her daughter’s honour featuring artists like Stephen Fearing, Tom Swift, and The Ennis Sisters.
“We brought the very best of all the Canadian musicians from coast to coast. And it was great!”
Like so many other businesses, R10 did not escape the ravages of Covid, and for two seasons they were unable to hold concerts or other events. They took that time to reinvest back in the venue, working with the local fire marshal and other government bodies to elevate it to a capacity of 35,000.
“That’s going to open us up to acts that are coming through on tour….they’re looking for those numbers, the bigger names,” she says. “It also opens it up to rental for other music promoters to rent the venue if they want to.”
When it comes to R10 Venue, looks from the outside can be deceiving. Beyond the turnoff signs indicating there’s something going on in the woods, lies ample parking for cars, buses, and coaches, and a touch further still, surrounded by the tranquillity of the woods is the concert venue with all the modern trappings of a world-class musical venue.
R10 concerts have been a draw to the little hamlet of Long Creek, and R10 reaching out to make sure that everyone in the community is part of the phenomenon.
“We’re really happy to get the engagement in New Brunswick in all parts, from the north to the southern shores, but also from Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island,” Gillcrist says. “If you like the band, you will come. And as a result of that, it’s really good for the economy of this area.”
“Everything we do on the venue is locally sourced,” she says. “We’ve made a commitment to the area as well. We love it! The people are great, and I think it works for everybody.”
This year they’ve added limited on-site camping as well, but with Sussex less than a half-hour drive away, the venue is working with local campsites and hotels, as well as Optimum Ride, to provide shuttle service to big concerts like the upcoming Blackberry Smoke event on July 15.
Back for their second concert at the venue in as many years, the Georgia band has chosen to make R10 their only Canadian stop East of Ottawa this tour season.
The venue is having an open house on July 9 and tickets to the Blackberry Smoke concert will be available for sale there, as well as at a number of other southern NB locations.
Alex Graham is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
