Photo Credit Dave Howells
Séan McCann, the beloved Canadian troubadour and Order of Canada recipient best known as a founding member of Great Big Sea, is hitting the road for a different kind of tour in 2025—a tour not about charts, fame, or the “American dream,” but about connection, community, and commitment to country. Literally.
In the wake of tightening U.S. visa restrictions, rising touring costs, and the recent cultural backlash from artists choosing to avoid the U.S., McCann is embracing a path less travelled—right here at home. While others are cancelling American dates due to aggressive tariffs and threats to our sovereignty, McCann is leaning hard into Canada, launching his Great Big Canadian Road Trip, a coast-to-coast journey through many towns and cities he’s never played before. “I LOVE Americans!” says McCann. “I love them so much that I even married one, but I won’t return to the states until the current president is gone and our neighbours change their angry tone. In the meantime, I believe that Canada needs a little more singing, and a little less shouting.”
Armed with nothing but his acoustic guitar, his powerful voice, and a lifetime of songs that heal as much as they entertain, McCann will criss-cross the country from Sudbury to Victoria and everywhere in between on the first leg of his national journey. This is not about sold-out stadiums or velvet rope green rooms—It’s about parking lots, prayer halls, libraries, and legion halls; places where local people still show up and sing along.
Best known for his stadium-shaking anthems with Great Big Sea, Séan has since carved out a deeply personal solo path, speaking and singing about mental health, recovery, and resilience. His shows are raw, real, and—above all—relational. “Music is medicine,” he says, “and we all need a dose right now”
Listen on Spotify here:
open.spotify.com/track/267UtirsNzsD8PzGHvUMY7
This tour is also a celebration of McCann’s independence—not just from the U.S. industry machine, but from the relentless noise of the mainstream. He’s hitting the road to bring music to the people who need it most, in places that don’t always make the tour poster.
The Great Big Canadian Road Trip is about more than the 10,000 kilometres it will take to make the drive —it’s about finding harmony in a world that feels off-key. It's about reminding Canadians, from Kamloops to Kenora, that their stories matter and their voices count and that together we are strong enough to overcome every challenge we may face as a country moving forward.
TOUR DATES – 2025
MAY
21 – Sudbury, ON – Trinity United Lively
22 – Sault Ste. Marie, ON – Willow Grove United
23 – Thunder Bay, ON – St. Andrews Presbyterian
24 – Fort Frances, ON – Knox United
25 – Kenora, ON – Knox United
28 – Winnipeg, MB – Bord-Aire Community Centre
29 – Regina, SK – Harmony United (Fundraiser for Carmichael Outreach)
30 – Swift Current, SK – Lyric Theatre (Fundraiser)
31 – Medicine Hat, AB – Public Library
JUNE
1 – Calgary, AB – Parkdale United
4 – Salmon Arm, BC – Song Sparrow Hall
5 – Penticton, BC – The Dream Cafe
6 – Chilliwack, BC – Ryder Lake Hall
7 – Parksville, BC – Knox United
8 – Victoria, BC – Hermann’s Jazz
12 – Kamloops, BC – St. Andrews Presbyterian
13 – Jasper, AB – Historic Jasper Baptist Church (Fundraiser for fire victims)
14 – Edmonton, AB – Grace United
15 – North Battleford, SK – Third Ave United
16 – Rosthern, SK – Trinity Lutheran
17 – Yorkton, SK – St. Andrews United
18 – Neepawa, MB – Arts Forward
20 – Hearst, ON – Hearst University Amphitheatre
21 – Timmins ,ON – MacIntyre Community Centre
22 – North Bay, ON – St. Andrews United
