Your wise old grandma will tell you that the best things in life are free. She’s only half right. The best things in life are free—and only a quick car ride away.

For the last month and a half, North Van’s Shipbuilders’ Square has been quietly hosting some of the best free music of the season. Running every Saturday evening in July and August, the Summer Sessions Concert Series has presented some of the region’s best cover bands, chosen with the sole aim of encouraging Vancouverites to “dust off their dancing shoes.”

For the past eight weeks, acts such as The March Hare Band, the Day Trippers, and Souled Out have played to the packed-out square. Now entering the final week of August, local group Cease and Desist are set to close out the festivities with a bang.

With a résumé that includes support slots for The Tragically Hip, Canned Heat, and Blondie, Cease and Desist are one of the only tribute bands in the Lower Mainland who can claim that they’ve actually met the original artists of their tracks. Billing themselves as “consummate professionals,” the group’s set list spans fifty years and offers a versatility that sees the band move effortlessly from AC/DC to Joni Mitchell, providing a unique soundtrack for the final show of the Series.

Providing an on-site beer garden, food trucks, and stalls with artisan vendors, there’s plenty for those who would rather sit out the Summer Concert’s prize-awarding dance contests in favour of a more serene evening. And with the sun setting over the quayside as the backdrop, you can bet that even the most dedicated dancers will pause to look at the view.

The final Summer Sessions Concert Series is at Shipbuilders’ Square on Saturday (August 27). More details are available here.

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