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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Keith Urban
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - October 1, 2009
LONDON, Ont. - Keith Urban's most famous fan was likely somewhere in the house.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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KISS
John Labatt Centre, London, Ont. - September 29, 2009
LONDON, Ont. Sweet 35 and still being KISSed like the first time.
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Moby
Kool Haus, Toronto - September 28, 2009
TORONTO - Moby's dual musical personalities traded places all evening long on Monday night at Kool Haus.
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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.
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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.
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The Tragically Hip
Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary - September 21, 2009
CALGARY - The Tragically Hip are still the same.
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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.
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Keith Urban
Rexall Place, Edmonton - September 20, 2009
EDMONTON - Here's a "what if?" scenario for you -- what if Bryan Adams had gone country?
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Marilyn Manson
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - September 20, 2009
OTTAWA - Things recently haven’t been going well for shock-rock’s leading man, Marilyn Manson.
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Keith Urban
Saddledome, Calgary - September 18, 2009
CALGARY - Keith Urban is more than just a pretty face.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Rogers Centre, Toronto - August 30, 2009
Jonas Brothers pulled into Rogers Centre last night, delighting 55,000 shrieking, screaming fans as the teen pop phenoms brought a huge production with them.
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Elvis Costello
Massey Hall, Toronto - August 28, 2009
TORONTO - Elvis had gone country and it sure suits him.
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AC/DC
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton - August 26, 2009
EDMONTON - How delightful to encounter an AC/DC virgin posing the innocent question, "What's with all the devil horns?"
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AC/DC
Canad Inns Stadium, Winnipeg - August 22, 2009
WINNIPEG - Concert. Of. The. Year. Yeah, I know it's only August. Yeah, I know Metallica are coming.
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Pearl Jam
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 21, 2009
TORONTO - Pearl Jam's admiration for Neil Young is well-known and documented, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that their show at Toronto's sold-out Molson Amphitheatre started and ended with covers of Young's hits.
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Britney Spears
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - August 21, 2009
OTTAWA - Mom said it's rude to stare, but what are you supposed to do when Britney Spears descends from the rafters and rips off her red circus jacket to reveal a glittering bra and bare midriff?
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Kenny Chesney
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 20, 2009
TORONTO - The adage goes that every cloud has a silver lining, and perhaps that might have been exemplified by Kenny Chesney.
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Kenny Chesney
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - August 19, 2009
OTTAWA - You didn't have to be a Kenny Chesney fan, or even like country music much to have had a kick-up-yer-heels good time at his Sun City Carnival gig last night at Scotiabank Place.
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Jason Mraz
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 15, 2009
TORONTO- Singer Jason Mraz's biggest asset might also be his biggest flaw: he's simply too nice. There's just no getting around it.
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Rod Stewart
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - August 14, 2009
CALGARY - Rod Stewart has always been a confident showman.
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John Prine
Massey Hall, Toronto - August 14, 2009
Longtime singer-songwriter John Prine came to prominence in the early '70s with a string of albums containing some humorous numbers alongside more thoughtful, reflective political-leaning tunes.
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Kings of Leon
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - August 13, 2009
CALGARY - It may have been cold and wet outside last night, but it was hotter than Georgia asphalt inside the Saddle-dome.
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Bryan Adams
Massey Hall, Toronto - August 13, 2009
TORONTO - It seemed only fitting that the hall with such a rich history would play host to a musician with such a deep catalogue of hits.
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Stompin' Tom Connors
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - August 13, 2009
OTTAWA - When your 73 years old and your name is Stompin' Tom Connors, you can get away with a lot.
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Kings of Leon
Rexall Place, Edmonton - August 12, 2009
EDMONTON - Hail to the Kings, baby.
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Bryan Adams
National Arts Centre, Ottawa - August 12, 2009
OTTAWA - Back in the early 1980s, before he hit it big with Cuts Like A Knife, Bryan Adams played a concert on the campus of Saint Mary's University in Halifax. He put on a sweaty, energetic show, veins bursting out of his neck as he wailed into the mic.
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The Moody Blues
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 12, 2009
TORONTO - British rock band The Moody Blues rarely sound blue but oftentimes their songs evoke many moods.
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AC/DC
Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - Augist 10, 2009
OTTAWA - Before most AC/DC shows you can safely assume Angus Young will strip to his undies, Brian Johnson will swing from a mammoth bell and canon blasts will pierce the stale arena air.
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Rod Stewart
Rexall Place, Edmonton - August 10, 2009
EDMONTON - It's not just the authors of the Great American Songbook who should shudder when Rod Stewart approaches.
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Blink-182
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 8, 2009
TORONTO - After four years of acrimony, the odds of seeing punk rockers Blink-182 together again seemed at best a long shot.
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Pearl Jam
Virgin Fest, Calgary - August 8, 2009
CALGARY - There was only one reason why Trevor Bowen was at Canada Olympic Park yesterday afternoon.
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Tool
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 5, 2009
TORONTO - Los Angeles alternative prog-metal band Tool dazzled a near sold-out crowd Wednesday night at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre.
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The Pretenders
Casino Rama, Ontario - August 5, 2009
RAMA, Ont. - The Pretenders had some pedal steel wafting through their normally straight-ahead rock sound on Wednesday night during the second of two shows at Casino Rama.
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Kool Haus, Toronto - August 4, 2009
TORONTO - The entranced audience sang the exact same words too - loudly and clearly.
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Lil' Wayne
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - August 4, 2009
TORONTO - America's Most Wanted touched down at Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre Tuesday night, but in the end nobody got hurt and nobody was shot.
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Blink-182
Rexall Place, Edmonton - July 31, 2009
EDMONTON - Blink-182 made a hollow mockery of punk rock -- which, let's face it, really needed it -- and in doing so helped spawn the abominable musical genre known as "pop punk."
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Johnny Reid
Big Valley Jamboree, Camrose - July 31, 2009
CAMROSE - The big wow. Johnny Rocket.
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Coldplay
Rogers Centre, Toronto - July 30, 2009
TORONTO - Exactly a year after Coldplay played the first of two sold-out shows at the Air Canada Centre, the Brit pop-rock outfit returned to Toronto for a show at Rogers Centre on Thursday night in front of over 45,000 fans.
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Blink-182
Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary - July 30, 2009
CALGARY - With Sum 41 MIA and Green Day bonafide stadium rockers -- not to mention Avril Lavigne's continuing transformation into Shania Twain -- it seems pop-punk's heyday has long passed.
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Incubus
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - July 30, 2009
TORONTO - Last June, Incubus singer Brandon Boyd revealed the California alternative rock group would step away from the stage and studio to basically "disappear" for a few years.
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Katy Perry
Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto - July 26, 2009
TORONTO - Katy Perry's fruit obsession continued on Sunday night at the Molson Amphitheatre as the proud Santa Barbara native made a grand entrance wearing a '20s bathing suit-inspired outfit and carrying an large inflatable strawberry on her back.
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