A few weeks ago, the sound of live music filled Superior Street soon before Mayor Victoria Snyder took the stage. With a crowd gathered under the cloudy sky, she declared August 23rd “The War and Treaty Day” – a fitting tribute on a night Albion will long remember.
The declaration came at the end of Walk the Beat, an annual event that turns downtown Albion into one long stage. From storefronts to sidewalks, local bands and musicians filled the air with sound as neighbors and visitors strolled from one performance to the next. Everywhere you looked, there was a unique performance – guitars strumming, drummers keeping rhythm, and voices carrying out well-known tunes. It was Albion at its most vibrant: community, creativity, and music woven together on a beautiful summer afternoon.
As the evening carried on, anticipation built for the homecoming headliners – husband-wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter, also known as The War and Treaty. After the declaration by Mayor Snyder, the band took to the stage, welcomed by hundreds of residents and supporters tightly packed together at the intersection of Superior and Ash.
Then, just minutes into their performance, the rain began to fall – almost as if right on queue. But that didn’t stop the band from putting on a show. With the stage power shut off and raindrops decorating the streets, Michael and Tanya stepped off stage with a few of their band members and joined the crowd in acoustic song and dance.
After a few minutes, the full extent of the rainfall swept through the concert – sending the band, supporters, and community members scurrying for cover inside buildings, under canopies and roofs, while others got drenched jogging back to their cars. But the community outlasted the weather, patiently waiting for the band to re-take the stage about an hour later.
And when things seemed like they couldn’t get worse, the power shut off once again. However, The War and Treaty were determined to put on a show for their homecoming performance – notably their first show since being Grammy-nominated for Best New Artist in 2024. To the community’s surprise, The War and Treaty decided to step off stage and make their way into the crowd. With backup from the band, Michael and Tanya sang a few songs, including “Down to the River” and “Set My Soul on Fire”, occasionally making references to Albion within the lyrics.
It was a beautiful moment for the community; hundreds of people circled around nodding along to the music. The Trotters were embraced by fans soon afterward, met with greetings, hugs, and thanks from familiar faces in the town they set down roots in around 2015. And while the concert didn’t exactly go to plan – the band and the community both made the most of the moment, Tanya stating she had no regrets with how things played out. “Going out into the crowd and feeling everyone’s energy, you can never plan these things, but they go the way they’re supposed to go. Now we’re out here and we’re hugging everyone, and this would not have happened any other way.”
For The War and Treaty, it was a homecoming unlike any other; for Albion, it was a reminder of just how powerful music can be when shared, even in the middle of a storm.
Albion Life Today 