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Canadian rock legend Darby Mills, the “Queen of Scream” and former frontwoman of multi-platinum ‘80s band The Headpins, will bring her touring rockumentary True Story to the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan on Sept. 27.
Billed as one of Canada’s first-ever touring rockumentaries, True Story blends live performance, storytelling and custom video for an intimate, high-energy look at Mills’ 48-year career. Over the decades, she has sold more than one million records worldwide, earning four gold, one platinum and one double-platinum certification, along with three Juno Award nominations.
“This show is my life in music — the highs, the struggles, and the songs that bring it all together,” Mills said on the SUN 102 Morning Show.
Check out the full interview below.
The concept began in 2015 after she left The Headpins and faced a series of personal challenges.
“It just became apparent that I needed to refocus,” she said. “The opportunities that I wanted to take just were not available or allowed for me to do with the Headpins — I had to be 100 per cent committed or not. So I chose not, and then moved on.”
That decision came shortly after the death of her mother and a medical emergency involving her husband.
“My husband had a heart attack and basically flatlined in our driveway in the ambulance,” she said. “And just everything started coming to the forefront and ‘What are you going to do with your life?’ — to quote Twisted Sister.”
The show features 21 songs and 21 custom-made videos, with Mills narrating her journey between performances. She spent two years during the COVID-19 pandemic learning video editing and building the production from scratch.
“I was so excited about what I was putting together and designed it to go into the performing arts centres with the big screens,” she said. “It basically tells the story of my journey right from day one.”
Alongside her own music, Mills performs rock anthems from artists who shaped her style, including Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and Nazareth.
“We backed them up (Nazareth) I don’t know — 15, 20 times in about an eight- or nine-year period,” she said. “Dan McCafferty was a huge influence on me before I even started singing.”
Tickets are $60, taxes included, and available at Henders Drugs, the Orpheum Theatre and online at orpheumtheatre.ca. The show begins at 9 PM, with limited seating.
“I haven’t been out on the prairies since 2016,” Mills said. “So this is our reintroduction to a place that I visited three or four times a year for most of my life.”