Chris Cornell unplugs grunge at the Jube
It’s official: Generation X has entered middle age. No better proof could be found than the fact that one of its rock ‘n’ roll heroes was playing the Jubilee Auditorium on Saturday night. The Jube! Where Engelbert Humperdinck played. It turned out to be the perfect venue for Chris Cornell, the 52-year-old former frontman of […]
REVIEW: Whitehorse divine at Interstellar Rodeo
Interstellar Rodeo is a deliciously Edmonton festival. A warm Saturday in Hawrelak Park boasted everything you could want from a music festival: Kids played football, people lounged on blankets; a woman gyrated to the music with an iridescent hula hoop, another lady rocked a tutu and a cowboy hat; babies were wearing Led Zeppelin T-shirts. […]
KISS STILL ALIVE!
“Let me remind you that patriotism is always cool!” declared Paul Stanley at Rexall Place on Tuesday night. There was general agreement among the 10,000 members of the Edmonton regiment of the KISS Army. Cue O Canada – the proper version – sung by a proper member of the Canadian military: Maj. John Kim. Man […]
Insane Clown Posse lives up to its name
Their reputation precedes them – but Insane Clown Posse is not so evil after all. The hundreds of Juggalos who turned up for the group’s first Edmonton show at Union Hall Saturday night aren’t about to run out and do any of the horrible things depicted in ICP songs, just as they wouldn’t go out […]
REVIEW: Blink-182 comes on strong with the new guy
Shuffling band lineups are nothing new in music. It’s a rarity to encounter a group with any sort of longevity behind its name that hasn’t endured its fair share of turnover. But losing a key member, particularly one whose voice has become a band’s hallmark, can be a make or break moment. Blink-182 doesn’t appear […]
Fire Aid so Alberta it hurts
There’s something about Commonwealth Stadium that makes Edmontonians nostalgic for all of the big events held there throughout their lives. There’s the long list of Edmonton Eskimos’ games (are we ever going to change that name?), Grey Cups, the 1983 Summer Universiade, Oilers Stanley Cup Parades, and the visit of Prince Charles & Lady Di, […]
Justin Bieber a mannish boy
Justin Bieber has matured – yet the boy inside the man still likes to play. At the show on Tuesday night in Edmonton, there was a slide, swings, monkey bars, a trampoline and a water park! Justin even appeared to be dressed in play clothes. His fans have matured, too. The 13,000 women who turned […]
James Taylor’s got a friend in Edmonton
If an artist can ruin his music by acting like an ass – we’re looking at you, Kanye – would it follow that good conduct could actually improve an artist’s music? It’s all very subjective and personal, of course, but it’s worth thinking about. Think about the easy listening legend James Taylor, who donated proceeds […]
REVIEW: One drummer down, show must go on
The Lamb of God concert in Edmonton was a classic demonstration of how the show must go on – even with one drummer short. Shortly before opening band Corrosion of Conformity was set to take the stage at the Shaw Conference Centre Sunday night, drummer Reed Mullin reportedly suffered a seizure after “prolonged, extreme and […]
Beyonce slays rainy night in Edmonton
Of course Beyonce’s Formation tour began with the song called Formation – she and her dancers entered the stage at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night draped head to toe in sparkly black with tall felt pilgrim hats and Beyoncé warming the crowd up by getting people screaming, “I SLAY!” And slay, Queen B did. The […]
The Who bids farewell to Edmonton Coliseum
It almost escaped me that The Who on Sunday night was likely the last time I’d see a band at Rexall Place … or rather, the Coliseum. It’s always been the Coliseum to me, regardless of whatever corporate entity owned it. I’d been going there since I was a kid, when my mom would take […]
Eagles of Death Metal: The Rock Must Go On
At the Eagles of Death Metal concert in Edmonton Thursday night, frontman Jesse Hughes didn’t say much about the Paris terrorist attacks that killed 90 of the band’s fans in November of 2015. Their merchandise man Nick Alexander was among the victims. “It’s been a weird couple of months – and we needed you tonight!” […]
