A trio of live concerts is set to serenade the coastline of Gambier Island this weekend, as longtime tribute artist Bobby Bruce casts off Neil Diamond’s sequins in favour of homespun support for the island’s only public-use building.
On Aug. 3 a flotilla of oceangoing vessels will follow the lead ship, The Sea Shadow, as it hosts local singer Bobby Bruce (also known by his stage name Nearly Neil), for a series of mini-concerts in West Bay, Gambier Harbour, and New Brighton.
“It’s by far one of the most special events I do in my whole career,” said Bruce, “just because of the uniqueness of it all and what it means to me. When you’re performing on a boat, there’s a lot more going on, because your equilibrium and your equipment are all moving as well. We’re rocking back and forth. The audience applauds, honks their bullhorns, and donate money.”
The floating concerts now known as Commotion on the Ocean were initiated by longtime Gambier Island resident Andy Harper. Harper owns and captains the motor vessel that serves as Bruce’s waterborne stage. At the annual event’s outset in 2000, spectators gathered on the lawn outside the Gambier Community Centre. When COVID-19 made social distancing necessary in 2020, the concert platform transitioned to the saltwater swells of Howe Sound. Its popularity surged and the innovation stuck. Music fans paddle, sail and swim into earshot to marinate in Bruce’s music.
Bruce, also a Gambier resident, has toured his Neil Diamond tribute show internationally for more than two decades. Nearly Neil and the Solitary Band have belted “Sweet Caroline” and other Diamond hits across Malaysia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and North America. He is planning another tour of Australia in February 2025.
During an earlier performance in choppy waters off Gambier, Bruce lost a microphone and its stand overboard. The mic was rescued; the stand sank out of reach.
“Things have changed,” he observed, “because the summers are getting hotter as the years have gone by. I’ve shaken off and shedded the hot sequined shirts. I just dress as a normal person and that opens it up for me to sing more variety of material.”
When COVID suspended touring in 2020, Bruce and his wife, Leanne, captained a volunteer grocery delivery service to help keep Gambier Island neighbours provisioned and safe. The Province of BC honoured their efforts with a Medal of Good Citizenship in 2021.
The Gambier Community Centre is managed by a volunteer board and is privately owned by the Gambier Community Centre Society, a registered charity. Donations help maintain its commercial kitchen facility, lounge and gymnasium. A room on the ground floor commemorates the service of army, navy and air force veterans.
“It’s our only gathering place,” said Bruce. “We don’t have police or fire or gas stations or stores here [on Gambier]. The only thing we have is the community centre, so we have to do whatever to keep the doors open.”
During his Commotion sets, Bruce sings to pre-recorded tracks as the pitching vessel could interfere with a live band’s rhythm.
“It’s a blast to be singing while people are swimming by, jumping off the dock, dancing in their boats, and on their paddle boards” added Bruce.
“What took me by surprise was looking back while we moved from bay to bay to see the armada of boats following us. It was emotional for me. I love Gambier Island and Howe Sound.”
The day after “Commotion,” Bruce and his Solitary Band will perform at White Rock’s Sea Fest/Semiahmoo Days. His upcoming appearance at the PNE on Aug. 25 will mark his 30th year of singing the music of Neil Diamond.
Tickets to attend the one-day tour of Gambier Island’s southwest peninsula are available from the Gambier Community Centre at gambierisland.org/Events.htm ($20 for fans 16 and older). Bruce’s first set starts on Aug. 3 at 3:30 p.m. in West Bay, followed by 5 p.m. in Gambier Harbour and 6:30 p.m. in New Brighton.
