Elvis Costello
Winspear Centre, Edmonton - February 7, 2010
EDMONTON - If anyone can pull off a solo show and make it sound so much more than just one guy and his guitar — and not even a round-the-neck harmonica holder or knee tambourines to fill out the sound — it’s Elvis Costello.
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Mariah Carey
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - February 6, 2010
OTTAWA - Mariah Carey was at her diva-best at Scotiabank Place Saturday night, and not in a good way.
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Motley Crue
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - February 4, 2010
TORONTO - Warmth might be what's keeping Los Angeles rock band Motley Crue going through their Canadian Dead Of Winter tour.
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Gordon Lightfoot & Gord Downie
Toronto Centre Of The Arts, Toronto - February 4, 2010
TORONTO - A master class in songwriting was offered up by two of the greatest Gords our country has arguably ever offered up - folk icon Gordon Lightfoot and Tragically Hip rocker Gord Downie - on Thursday night at the George Weston Recital Hall.
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Blue Rodeo
Massey Hall, Toronto - February 2, 2010
TORONTO - There's life in the old band yet.
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Motley Crue
John Labatt Centre, London - February 1, 2010
LONDON, Ont. - When bad-boy rockers Motley Crue sing their hit song Don't Go Away Mad, (Just Go Away), you feel like shouting, "Right back at you."
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Rascal Flatts
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - January 29, 2010
OTTAWA - Rascal Flatts got the name of their 2010 tour right as country music's crooning clowns were absolutely unrelenting fun in front of 8,000 honky-tonking fans at Scotiabank Place Friday night.
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Glen Campbell
Casino Rama, Ontario - January 29, 2010
RAMA, Ont. - It was family night on Friday at Casino Rama as country music legend Glen Campbell launched the first of two shows with his eldest daughter Debby in tow.
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Guns N' Roses
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - January 28, 2010
TORONTO - How do you know you're at a Guns N' Roses concert?
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Rascal Flatts
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - January 28, 2010
LONDON, Ont. - The slickest act in country music proved to be pretty much unstoppable at the John Labatt Centre on Thursday night. U.S. vocal trio Rascal Flatts had plenty of everything for the 7,600 fans who jammed the downtown arena.
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Steve Earle
Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary - January 27, 2010
CALGARY - There are few things more mesmerizing than watching Steve Earle sing.
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Motley Crue
Rexall Place, Edmonton - January 27, 2010
EDMONTON - If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with ... explosions!
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Jann Arden
Massey Hall, Toronto - January 27, 2010
TORONTO - After two decades in the music business, Jann Arden still has a few tricks up her sleeve.
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Timbaland
The Sound Academy, Toronto - January 22, 2010
TORONTO - As part of his current Shock Value Tour, producer extraordinaire Timbaland has brought along Justin Timberlake, members of Jet, Katy Perry and Drake among others to bring his collaborative club grooves to the masses.
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Tegan and Sara
Massey Hall, Toronto - January 19, 2009
TORONTO - Could homegrown, pixie-looking pop-punk stars and sisters Tegan and Sara be any more adorable?
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Guns N' Roses
MTS Centre, Winnipeg - January 13, 2010
WINNIPEG - There might be better ways to kick off your 2010 concert calendar.
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Anvil
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - January 8, 2010
TORONTO - Try as they might to distance themselves from the mock rock legends, it's difficult not to see a little bit of Spinal Tap in longtime Toronto metal band Anvil.
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Tegan and Sara
Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary - January 8, 2010
CALGARY - Part of the appeal of Tegan and Sara is the hilarious way the sisters bark at each other onstage like, well, sisters.
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Blue Rodeo
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - January 7, 2010
EDMONTON - Blue Rodeo is exempt from the Classic Rock Commandment: Thou shalt not dwell too heavily upon thy new album lest thou annoyest thy most loyal fans.
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Matthew Good
Massey Hall, Toronto - December 18, 2009
TORONTO - With the upcoming Winter Olympics in his own backyard and the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week, it would've seemed reasonable for the oft-opinionated Matthew Good to say something Friday evening at Toronto's Massey Hall.
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Chantal Kreviazuk
Massey Hall, Toronto - December 8, 2009
TORONTO - If you've ever wondered which of Canadian music couple Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida's three young sons might follow in their footsteps, the answer became pretty clear on Tuesday night at Massey Hall.
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Lionel Richie
Casino Rama, Rama, ON - December 7, 2009
RAMA, Ont. - Tell anyone you’re going to a Lionel Richie concert and they’ll start singing his songs back to you.
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ZZ Top
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - December 1, 2009
CALGARY - If anyone needs a reminder of ZZ Top's timelessness, all one has to do is check out their performance of Gimme All Your Lovin' on the '80s British music show, The Tube.
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Lady Gaga
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - November 29, 2009
OTTAWA - She's created a Monster. Lady Gaga's Monster Ball tour steamrolled through Ottawa last night in all its electro-pop, disco-fused glory, giving the near-sellout Scotiabank Place crowd -- brimming with glamour boys and glitter girls -- a chance to break out the hairspray and heels and get their collective freak on.
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Corinne Bailey Rae
The Drake, Toronto - November 29, 2009
TORONTO - Back in 2006, British neo-soul singer-songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae was riding high on the success of her self-titled debut album, which subsequently sold four million copies worldwide, and spawned such breakout hits, Put Your Records On and Like A Star.
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ZZ Top
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - November 28, 2009
EDMONTON - Last time I saw ZZ Top, not only was beer being served, but beer was being spilled, flung around and hurled into the air.
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Lady Gaga
ACC, Toronto - November 28, 2009
TORONTO - Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour touched down at the Air Canada Centre for a sold-out show on Saturday night but there was nothing remotely frightening about it.
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Lights
Kool Haus, Toronto - November 26, 2009
TORONTO - It was a homecoming, of sorts.
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Steely Dan
Massey Hall, Toronto - November 25, 2009
TORONTO – “That was Aja, what do you want to do now?” joked Steely Dan singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen on Wednesday night at Massey Hall.
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Devo
The Phoenix, Toronto - November 24, 2009
TORONTO - Devo energetically cracked that whip, and then some, as the ‘70s New Wave rockers wrapped up a much anticipated two-night stand at The Phoenix on Tuesday night in what were their first Toronto performances in 25 years.
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John Mayer
Sound Academy, Toronto - November 24, 2009
TORONTO - To coincide with announcing a national tour set for February, John Mayer entertained a sold-out crowd at Toronto’s Sound Academy with a polished, slick 100-minute set.
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The Cranberries
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto - November 20, 2009
TORONTO - The verdict on The Cranberries reunion tour, which touched down at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday night for a two-night stand, was that the hits by the '90s Irish pop-rock band have held up remarkably well.
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Kelly Clarkson
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - November 20, 2009
CALGARY - It seems like ages ago that Kelly Clarkson walked away with the inaugural American Idol crown.
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Stone Temple Pilots
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - November 19, 2009
LONDON, Ont. - Sometimes, Stone Temple Pilots taxied at the John Labatt Centre last night.
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Jimmy Buffett
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - November 19, 2009
TORONTO - When you go to a Jimmy Buffett concert, you're truly entering Margaritaville.
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Gordon Lightfoot
Massey Hall, Toronto - November 18, 2009
TORONTO - “They’re all toe-tappers.”
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Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - November 18, 2009
CALGARY - Subtlety is not Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s strong point.
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Peaches
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - November 18, 2009
TORONTO - Explicit electro-pop singer Peaches made a homecoming gig Tuesday night in Toronto one with plenty of show stoppers.
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Don Henley
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton - November 17, 2009
HAMILTON, Ont. - If anyone needed proof that The Eagles are greater than the sum of their parts, look no further than Don Henley’s solo show at Copps Coliseum on Tuesday night.
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Billy Bragg
Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto - November 17, 2009
TORONTO - British folkie Billy Bragg has kept the faith for a quarter century, and it appears that his loyal fan base is still doing the same.
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Matthew Good Band
Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton - November 14, 2009
EDMONTON - Whatever Matthew Good has been full of all of these years, there was a lot more of it at the Shaw Conference Centre Saturday night.
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Lyle Lovett
Massey Hall, Toronto - November 13, 2009
Not only is Lyle Lovett's band large but so is the singer-songwriter-guitarist's generosity and versatility as a performer as witnessed on Friday night during a marathon two-and-a-half hour concert at Massey Hall.
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Emmylou Harris
Winspear Centre, Edmonton - November 12, 2009
EDMONTON - A folk music concert held outside the cozy confines of the folk fest is a good test of just how popular this stuff is in Edmonton. What kind of a folk town are we, really?
Full Review
KISS
Saddledome, Calgary - November 12, 2009
CALGARY - They rocked, they rolled, they made inappropriate facial expressions and hand gestures towards women.
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Stone Temple Pilots
Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton - November 11, 2009
EDMONTON - Rarely will you find a band as confounded about its place in the world as the Stone Temple Pilots.
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Aretha Franklin
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto - November 6, 2009
TORONTO - She didn't perform her signature song but I still have nothing but the utmost Respect for Aretha Franklin.
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Justin Bieber
Kool Haus, Toronto - November 6, 2009
TORONTO - He should be studying to get his learner's permit, but instead the success and buzz surrounding 15-year-old Canadian teenage idol Justin Bieber means he'll probably be able to buy his choice of wheels first.
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Roger Daltrey
Casino Rama, Ontario - November 5, 2009
RAMA, Ont.- The voice was rough, but the spirit was willing.
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The Swell Season
Massey Hall, Toronto - November 3, 2009
TORONTO - Success couldn't have happened to a seemingly nicer, more talented guy than Glen Hansard.
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Metallica
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - November 3, 2009
OTTAWA - A record crowd for a Scotiabank Place concert, just over 19,100 fans, got metallicized for Metallica.
Full Review
The Mod Club, Toronto - November 2, 2009
If a new rock club ever opened up in Sherwood Forest, one would suspect British group Florence And The Machine would be the house band.
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Daughtry
ACC, Toronto - November 2, 2009
TORONTO - There’s really only one reason to see Daughtry in concert. And that’s the man himself, Chris Daughtry, whose big, booming rock voice - and some say cute, shiny bald head along with southern charm - propelled him to some of the greatest success an American Idol contestant has ever enjoyed.
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Jay-Z
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - November 1, 2009
OTTAWA - He’s sold more records than Elvis and holds the record for No. 1 albums in the Billboard 200. He co-owns the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and swank nightclubs. He’s the former CEO of Def Jam Records and he’s married to Beyonce.
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Jay-Z
ACC, Toronto - October 31, 2009
TORONTO - Jay-Z donned a white plastic hockey mask for the opening of his Hallowe’en show on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.
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Jay-Z
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - October 29, 2009
LONDON, Ont. - Say what you want about Jay-Z -- the man's got ballgame.
Full Review
U2
B.C. Place, Vancouver - October 28, 2009
U2 closed out the second leg of their 360 Degree Tour Wednesday night at B.C. Place. Excitement on Vancouver streets hit a fever pitch earlier in the day when hundreds of people lined up to get first crack at prime spots on the arena floor.
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Rascal Flatts
Saddledome, Calgary - October 27, 2009
CALGARY - Flashy pyrotechnics, pearly white grins, snazzy J.C. Penny outfits and a suitcase of sing-along songs.
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Metallica
ACC, Toronto - October 26, 2009
TORONTO - Nearly 30 years later, Metallica still have thousands of fans willing to obey them as metal masters.
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David Gray
Massey Hall, Toronto - October 26, 2009
TORONTO - David Gray almost made it to the end of his show at Massey Hall on Monday night without having to tell anyone off in the audience.
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Rascal Flatts
Rexall Place, Edmonton - October 26, 2009
EDMONTON - The boys in Rascal Flatts are excellent salesmen. Whether they’re peddling their brand of pop-marinated country or posing sullenly in department store advertisements, the Nashville-based trio knows how to make a buck.
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Lamb of God
JLC, London, ON - October 25, 2009
LONDON, Ontario - No metal mercy was expected from Lamb of God last night. None was needed as the U.S. metal band blitzed the RBC Theatre at the John Labatt Centre with about 2,000 fans thrashing and shouting from the start.
Full Review
Echo & The Bunnymen
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto - October 20, 2009
TORONTO - Ian McCulloch makes fifty seem fabulous.
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Metric
Massey Hall, Toronto - October 20, 2009
TORONTO - Heck, if Shania Twain can briefly run with the Olympic torch as it makes its way to Vancouver in February, there has to be room for Metric's Emily Haines to boogie with it part of the way as well.
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Slipknot
Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton - October 18, 2009
EDMONTON - It's a strange experience seeing a heavy metal singer in a death mask gushing over his fans like some country star.
Full Review
Casino Rama, Ontario - October 15, 2009
Of all of the sonic garbage passing for American Idol winners and Top Ten Finalists in recent years, it’s nice to know the television franchise have discovered a few diamonds in the rough, notably Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.
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Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto - October 15, 2009
TORONTO - Much has been made of the fact that Steve Martin is currently on his very first music tour playing the banjo on the road, after 40-plus years as a successful touring comedian, actor and screenwriter, playwright and novelist.
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Tony Bennett
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - October 15, 2009
EDMONTON - Tony Bennett is the perfect example of an entertainer who can get a standing ovation just by showing up, just by still being alive -- but he would never, ever leave his audience wanting.
Full Review
Jay-Z
Saddledome, Calgary - October 14, 2009
CALGARY - He's the king of hip hop braggadocio -- with good reason.
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Chris Isaak
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - October 14, 2009
EDMONTON - Whenever there was a scene on The Chris Isaak Show where the band was playing, there was almost always a group of burly men at the front going crazy for the music.
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Wilco
Massey Hall, Toronto - October 14, 2009
TORONTO - They walked on stage to The Price Is Right theme yet for most of the night it seemed as if Wilco was playing Beat The Clock.
Full Review
Gossip
Opera House, Toronto - October 14, 2009
TORONTO - There’s a whole lot about Beth Ditto to love.
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Jay-Z
Rexall Place, Edmonton - October 13, 2009
EDMONTON - Rap music sure has come a long way. Golly, just 30 years ago, it was underground, a voice from the underclass, a passionate expression of the "word on the street." Now it's an entertainment industry unto itself, whose biggest stars tend to celebrate little more than their own massive success.
Full Review
Lucinda Williams
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto - October 10, 2009
TORONTO - The normally bitter and bruised alt-country veteran Lucinda Williams - in her songs anyways - has plenty to celebrate these days.
Full Review
Colbie Caillat
Kool Haus, Toronto - October 10, 2009
TORONTO - While she closed with two crowd pleasers in the encore, singer Colbie Caillat's show Saturday night at a half-full Kool Haus showed that she's still a bit of a work in progress on stage.
Full Review
Kylie Minogue
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - October 9, 2009
TORONTO - Kylie Minogue’s first-ever North American tour touched down at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on Friday night for its only Canadian stop.
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Them Crooked Vultures
Sound Academy, Toronto - October 9, 2009
TORONTO - If the future of rock and roll includes one part Foo Fighters, one part Led Zeppelin and one part Queens Of The Stone Age, then it is still in good and incredibly capable hands.
Full Review
Keith Urban
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - October 3, 2009
TORONTO - Country music cutie Keith Urban Hit The Ground Running, also the name of the first song he played on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre, and never really stopped.
Full Review
KISS
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - October 2, 2009
TORONTO - Sure, they wanted to rock and roll all night, but KISS short circuited just one song into their Air Canada Centre show Friday night.
Full Review
Keith Urban
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - October 1, 2009
LONDON, Ont. - Keith Urban's most famous fan was likely somewhere in the house.
Full Review
Van Morrison
Massey Hall, Toronto - September 30, 2009
TORONTO - With roughly three dozen studio albums under his belt, it took more than four decades for Van Morrison to return to one of his and rock music's landmarks.
Full Review
Pink
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - September 30, 2009
TORONTO - Britney's latest tour may be a Circus, but Pink's Funhouse trek is way more inspired.
Full Review
City and Colour
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - September 30, 2009
EDMONTON - It will be interesting to see how long Dallas Green can keep this up -- moonlighting between his punky screamo outfit Alexisonfire and his folky, far more tuneful and (if he doesn't blow it) far more successful "side project" City and Colour.
Full Review
Arctic Monkeys
Kool Haus, Toronto - September 29, 2009
TORONTO - Arctic Monkeys' most recent album may be called Humbug, but their dynamic show at Kool Haus on Tuesday night elicited a response that was anything but, "Bah, you-know-what."
Full Review
KISS
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - September 29, 2009
LONDON, Ont. Sweet 35 and still being KISSed like the first time.
Full Review
Moby
Kool Haus, Toronto - September 28, 2009
TORONTO - Moby's dual musical personalities traded places all evening long on Monday night at Kool Haus.
Full Review
Tragically Hip
NAC, Ottawa - September 26, 2009
OTTAWA - The Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie can always be counted on to do something bizarre and entertaining to crank up an audience.
Full Review
Maxwell
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - September 25, 2009
TORONTO - One thought kept running through my head as I watched neo-soul singer Maxwell struggle through the launch of his North American tour on Friday night at the Air Canada Centre Theatre.
Full Review
The Tragically Hip
Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary - September 21, 2009
CALGARY - The Tragically Hip are still the same.
Full Review
Kings of Leon
John Labatt Centre, London - September 20, 2009
Three sons of a preacher man and their cousin rocked and ruled the John Labatt Centre last night.
They're the Kings of Leon and they embrace all the rock and roll truths.
Full Review
Keith Urban
Rexall Place, Edmonton - September 20, 2009
EDMONTON - Here's a "what if?" scenario for you -- what if Bryan Adams had gone country?
Full Review
Marilyn Manson
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - September 20, 2009
OTTAWA - Things recently haven’t been going well for shock-rock’s leading man, Marilyn Manson.
Full Review
Keith Urban
Saddledome, Calgary - September 18, 2009
CALGARY - Keith Urban is more than just a pretty face.
Full Review
Marilyn Manson
Air Canada Centre, Toronto - September 17, 2009
TORONTO - As U2 again dazzled fans at Rogers Centre Thursday night, shock rock guru Marilyn Manson held court at Toronto's Air Canada Centre supporting his new album The High End Of Low.
Full Review
Kings of Leon
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - September 17, 2009
OTTAWA - The Kings of Leon began as a band of four southern boys, three of them Pentecostal preacher's sons no less, with a penchant for saving souls ... but once they fell from grace, or just ran out of faith, they turned to rock 'n' roll for salvation.
Full Review
U2
Rogers Centre, Toronto - September 16, 2009
TORONTO - Well, it wasn't under a blood red sky, but at least you could see the clouds before the sun set.
Full Review
Tragically Hip
Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton - September 13, 2009
EDMONTON - What can you say about a band whose most interesting feature isn't its music -- but its wild and whacked-out lead singer?
Full Review
Marilyn Manson
Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton - September 11, 2009
EDMONTON - Marilyn Manson -- like Alice Cooper before him -- may be going through an awkward phase, caught somewhere between freak, clown and seasoned showbiz entertainer.
Full Review
The Tragically Hip
Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg - September 7, 2009
WINNIPEG - Trust The Tragically Hip to turn a venue usually reserved for tutus and Beethoven into a sweaty haven for the beer guzzling set.
Full Review
Bryan Adams
Telus Field, Edmonton - September 4, 2009
EDMONTON - So the summer concert season ends in Edmonton -- not with a bang, exactly, just a sizzling serenade of Summer of '69 and Cuts Like a Knife and Run to You and on and on and on from Bryan Adams at the local ballpark.
Full Review
Jonas Brothers
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - August 31, 2009
OTTAWA - The Jonas Brothers will have to be declared a threat to healthy hearing if this fan screaming thing keeps up.
Full Review
