Over 20 artists take over Toronto stage for northern fire relief

All proceeds from Concert Hall show for Mikinakoos Children’s Fund supporting youth from wildfire-hit communities

Twenty-plus Indigenous artists took over Toronto’s Concert Hall on Aug. 29 and sent every dollar north to fire-hit First Nations youth.

The old Masonic Temple on Yonge rarely sees a bill this deep with Indigenous talent in one night. The Mikinakoos Forest Fire Relief Show put more than 20 artists on stage and pointed the money straight at the Mikinakoos Children’s Fund, a Thunder Bay-area charity that has spent years getting food, clothing, baby supplies and other basics into remote northwestern Ontario First Nations.

This summer’s wildfires hit hard. Around 25 First Nations felt the impact. Roughly 13 to 15 were under evacuation orders at the peak. Families left with whatever they could carry. Some communities lost homes and infrastructure. Mikinakoos was already on the ground during the evacuations. The concert was the music community’s way of keeping that support moving.

Doors opened at 4 p.m. for the all-ages show. Logan Staats brought the kind of presence that fits a night like this. The Mohawk singer-songwriter from Six Nations has spent years writing country, folk and roots songs that sound like they come from somewhere real. His voice carries weight without theatrics.

The rest of the lineup carried its own heat. Jeremy Dutcher, the Wolastoqiyik tenor and two-time Polaris winner, brought the blend of traditional song and contemporary arrangement that has made him impossible to ignore. Aysanabee cut through with the sharp, current sound that keeps pushing his name higher. Julian Taylor, DJ Shub, Digging Roots, Sebastian Gaskin, Natasha Fisher, Drezus, Mimi O’Bonsawin, Amanda Rheaume, Adrian Sutherland and Derek Miller rounded out a bill that mixed heavy hitters with artists still building their catalogues. Layla Staats kept the family thread visible.

A benefit concert does not rebuild houses or replace a lost season of land-based learning. What it can do is move money fast and keep the story visible in a city that sometimes feels a long way from the north. The artists who took the stage understood that. They played the room, kept the focus on the fund, and left the counting to the people on the other end.

Photo captions: Jace Martin debuted his new single “5 Arrows” with Derek C. Miller & Julian Taylor at The Concert Hall Toronto. “Six Nations showed up in a big way,” said Logan Staats, who also coordinated the multi-artist event. Semiah Smith is a multi-talented songstress from Six Nations. Aysanabee performed at the wildfire relief concert and also has a show coming up Sept 10 at Massey Hall. Drezus and DJ Shub closed out the night with a deadly set. Dan General is a Mohawk DJ and music producer and member of the Six Nations of the Grand River; he has won numerous awards for his work as a former member of A Tribe Called Red. Photos by Brian Lockyer and Matthew Richard Gillis.

Originally published in the Two Row Times, September 2, 2026 (Volume 14, Issue 3), page 1.