Shaking hands and catching up with friends and fans at the Alehouse in Halifax last Saturday night, it showed that Mitch MacDonald was thrilled to be back in Nova Scotia.
During last week's nail-biter Canadian Idol finale, the Port Hood native couldn't quite edge out Lethbridge, Alberta's Theo Tames to become the next Canadian Idol.
But the sole Nova Scotian to make it to the Top 24 of the contest was in great spirits during an interview with The Weekly News less than 24-hours after being named first runner-up.
50-50 chance
"I am just super excited for Theo," MacDonald said. "We came into the finale with a 50-50 chance, and we both wanted it, but we knew one of us would come in second and we were prepared for that.
"Theo is going to have a great career ahead of him and hopefully I'll have to opportunity to have that, too, in the near future."
MacDonald said the highlight of his Canadian Idol experience was coming home to visit Halifax and Port Hood as part of the Top 3 events.
"To come back home and sing in front of 4,000 people screaming your name - I'll tell you, it was a crazy experience."
Working with big names in the music industry didn't hurt either.
"Bryan Adams and John Legend were amazing," he said. "Bryan Adams re-enforced that it's about having fun. And being in New York to see John Legend and just chillin' with Theo was cool."
Premier and fellow Cape Bretoner Rodney MacDonald congratulated MacDonald on his excellent showing on Canadian Idol.
"Even though Mitch placed second in the contest, the cheers coming from Port Hood could probably be heard in Toronto for their hometown hero," MacDonald said. "While Mitch finished second, he remains first in the hearts of Nova Scotians.
"Nova Scotia's musical talent has been shining in venues across the globe for sometime now. Mitch is another tremendous example of the exceptional abilities coming from our province. Like so many others before him, the key to his success throughout the contest was that he remained true to his musical roots."
MacDonald can't wait to perform in Nova Scotia as part of the Top 3 Canadian Idol tour, which will make stops in Sydney and Halifax.
After the tour, he's looking forward to spending Christmas in Port Hood with his family.
"After that, I have to have a chat with some of my mentors and figure out what my best next step will be," he said.
To see recaps of MacDonald's Idol performances, visit www.ctv.ca.
lkeilty@hfxnews.ca
Friday, September 19, 2008 The Halifax West Weekly News
WHAT: Canadian Idol Top 3 - Theo Tames, Mitch MacDonald and Drew Wright - in concert
WHEN: November 12 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Dalhousie Arts Centre
TICKETS: $37
MORE INFO: http://artscentre.dal.ca
