Canada PoliticsStephen Harper rocks out at convention after-party
Prime Minister Stephen Harper had two pretty significant performances on Friday night.
As part of the 'festivities' of the Conservative Party's biennial convention in Calgary, he had to deliver the keynote address in the face of an ongoing Senate expense scandal that has engulfed his government over the past several months.
[ Related: Harper addresses Senate scandal, slams Trudeau in rah-rah convention speech ]
And then there was this: the prime minister took to the stage at the Cowboys nightclub for some melodious tunes.
According to the Canadian Press, Harper and his band performed half a dozen songs for a Conservative Party delegate-only after party.
Backed by the band Herringbone, Harper handled keyboards and lead vocals for the half-hour set. And given the set list he and his fellow musicians were all appropriately garbed in black.
They opened with "The Hockey Song" by Stompin Tom Connors and also knocked off a version of Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash — the original man in black.
Harper, of course is no stranger to the stage. He's performed on the campaign trail and at a Tory Christmas party. He also earned praise, in 2009, for his rendition of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" with cellist Yo-Yo Ma at a National Arts Centre gala.
While delegates seemed to enjoy Friday night's performance in Calgary, there were some party-poopers on Twitter.
Some took to social media website with some witty repartee evoking the prime minister and the Senate expense scandal with the hashtag #Harpersongs.
Here's a sampling:
#HarperSongs Too Bad, that you had to get caught - Doug & The Slugs #cdnpoli #CPC13 — Cheryl MacIntyre (@MacIntyreCheryl) November 2, 2013
50 ways to leave your chief of staff #harpersongs #cpc13
— Pete Quily (@pqpolitics) November 2, 2013
#HarperSongs I get by with a little help from my friends #Duffy, #Wallin, #Wright, #Porter, #Carson, #Brazeau, & all the rest — David Paterson (@DavidPatersonca) November 2, 2013
"Don't Fence Me in!" #HarperSongs
— Joyce Murray 梅麗喬 (@joycemurray) November 2, 2013
(Photo courtesy of Twitter/@JamesMoore_org)
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