Kathleen Edwards heats up The Palace Theatre at Block Heater 2025

By Hannah Caparino, March 2 2025—

On day two of Calgary Folk Music Festival’s Block Heater, The Palace Theatre hosted country singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards as their main headliner. Alongside Edwards, Block Heater hosted Toronto artist Charlotte Cornfield and more across the three venues on 8th Avenue. Edwards is a veteran in the music industry with over 20 years of experience and five released albums. 

Hailing from Florida, Edwards braved the Calgary cold to put on a memorable performance providing audiences with powerful lyrics and exceptional music. The country star closed the night at The Palace Theatre, singing her best hits from her extensive discography like “Hockey Skates” and “Six O’Clock News”.

Inspired by folk, country, rock and more, audiences were treated to a night of music that was equally emotional and cathartic. Starting her set with “Glenfern” from her most recent album, Total Freedom, the song is expressive and was the perfect way to open the show. The song eases audiences into Edwards’ music and the lyrical style, beginning with a high-strum pattern that gets people’s heads nodding and includes a guitar riff that hooks audiences. 

Edwards is a seasoned performer, changing and leading her songs with ease while playing both the acoustic and electric guitar in a masterful way. She wasn’t alone on stage as she was supported by a full band with Peter Von Althen on drums, bassist Jon Hynes, Gord Tough on guitar, Thomas Hammerton on keyboard and Aaron Goldstein on the pedal-steel guitar. Tough proved himself to be an impressive guitarist by improvising a number of solos and Hynes also provided backup vocals for Edwards on songs like “Six O’Clock News”, from Edwards’ debut album Failer.

While there were upbeat songs, the set also had vulnerable songs that ranged between heartache and loss. One of the staple songs from the 2012 Voyageur album, “A Soft Place to Land” is a mellow song with an effective build-up to the bridge where Edwards sings about finding a safe place, whether it be through a partner, loved one or physical place. Another song from the album that was featured in the set list was “Change the Sheets” and it was one of the songs that fully engaged the crowd with many viewers letting loose and dancing to the song’s country-rock influences. “Change the Sheets” became a favourite among audiences with many people pulling out their devices to record the performance and note Edwards’ entrancing vocals and instrumental fade out to close the song.

Edwards was a delight at Calgary’s Block Heater 2025 and became a quick fan-favourite through her witty banter and storytelling skills. Her lyrics were raw and reflected on how her experiences shaped her sound and music, utilizing authentic emotions to connect both her music and identity to the audience. The show had a perfect balance between quiet, reflective moments and heavy, country-rock songs, and audiences fed off of Edwards’ enthusiastic attitude.

For information about Calgary Folk Music Festival, click here and details on Block Heater 2025 can be found on their page. Information about Kathleen Edwards can be found on her artist website.