CONCERT REVIEW: Judas Priest rocks new generation in Edmonton
There are three things you can rely on in Edmonton in the spring: unpredictable weather, potholes and a proper heavy metal extravaganza from a classic band. When we found out that Judas Priest was coming to Edmonton in support of their No. 1 album FIREPOWER, I just had to share this local spring tradition with […]
REVIEW: Cher turns back a LOT of time in Edmonton
Among my late mother’s LP collection is Cher’s 1966 self-titled album. As a kid, I would stare at the album cover, mesmerized by this dark-haired woman who looked both exotic and mysterious. The album was produced by her then-husband and collaborator Sonny Bono, and was largely folk-influenced. My mom was a big fan of ‘60s […]
REVIEW: Alessia Cara inspires little girls in Edmonton
Security sure had their hands full at the Alessia Cara concert in Edmonton on Wednesday night. What a tough crowd. Once the 22-year-old star started high-fiving and clasping hands with all the girls in the front row of the Jubilee Auditorium, everyone wanted a piece of her. Moms carried up their little ones to get […]
Grindstone on the nose! Comedy fest an off-Whyte hit
The Grindstone Comedy Theatre & Bistro is a lively little off-Whyte oasis in the otherwise boring squalor of the 81st Avenue area east of 102 Street – in the fringe of the Ritchie neighbourhood that wouldn’t be out of place in Stettler. But with this weekend’s inaugural Grindstone Comedy Festival, it’s clear this club is […]
REVIEW: Alan Parsons Live Project a mixed bag of magic in Edmonton
To be more famous for a throwaway joke in an Austin Powers movie than for recent music must be galling to such titans of progressive pop as … The Alan Parsons Project! Mwa, ha, ha, ha! Besides, it’s the Alan Parsons Live Project now – so named to distance itself from the original British 1980s […]
REVIEW: Alice in Chains pleases several generations with grunge metal mayhem
You can’t argue the success that Alice In Chains has enjoyed of late – with the group’s latest album Rainier Fog earning a Grammy nomination, and summit positions on the Billboard and iTunes charts. But to more discerning ears, how a band that earned much of its notoriety in the grunge-fueled 1990s could still be […]
REVIEW: Colin James shows effortless blues-rock mastery in Edmonton
It’s been more than 30 years since Colin James made his debut – and he still remains a musical mainstay in Canada with his ability to blend gritty blues with hook-happy mainstream rock. It’s a schtick that’s worked well enough for him to pack the Jubilee Auditorium with 2,700 faithful fans on Thursday night. When […]
REVIEW: Michelle Obama thrills Edmonton fans with familiar inspirations
The numbers are in! Michelle Obama is the coolest First Lady in American history – a fact she made plain before a crowd of thousands of women in Rogers Place on Friday night. Biggest book tour ever. Certainly Eleanor Roosevelt is in the running for coolest wife of an American president. So is Abigail Fillmore. […]
REVIEW: Lynyrd Skynyrd brings out a little redneck in Edmonton
There weren’t a lot of Confederate flags spotted at the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert in Edmonton on Tuesday night. Maybe four in a crowd of thousands at Rogers Place – not counting the one hanging from lead singer Johnny Van Zant’s microphone. Sure, it was a bit distracting – but not enough to take away from […]
REVIEW: Snoop Dogg lights up Edmonton
There were some surprising things about Snoop Dogg’s concert at Rogers Place on Wednesday night. The cool thing was how much old stuff he played, songs from the ‘90s, songs people grew up to. They gave the show an air of nostalgia. The vibe in the crowd was chill – and surprisingly there didn’t seem […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Mother Mother thrills, challenges Edmonton in sold out show
There’s no logical reason why Mother Mother should prosper in a cookie-cutter music industry bent on presenting the Next Best Thing, only to dupe listeners with yet another derivative result of generic engineering. But then, this Vancouver quintet has been clogging the cogs of the starmaker machinery for the last 15 years with an eclectic […]
REVIEW: Arkells open Rally Cry tour with a bang in Edmonton, at home in Oil Country
It was hard not to feel empathy for Arkells – who chose frigid Edmonton as the launching point of their current 11-city Canadian tour. But it made sense, given that the Steeltown stereotype of the band’s Hamilton origins is a match for the blue-collar reputation that’s worn on the sleeves of hardy Edmontonians. More significantly, […]
