North Vancouver’s favourite son is making his return to Victoria in January for what will be one of the most anticipated concerts of next year.
Bryan Adams, one of the best-selling Canadian artists in pop history, will celebrate his breakout recording, Reckless, with a tour feting the 30th anniversary of the album. His first nationwide tour since a 2012 trek in honour of his other masterpiece, 1992’s Waking Up the Neighbours, begins Jan. 12 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The tour kickoff is one of 13 dates on his Canadian tour.
Adams is in full swing where Reckless is concerned. In addition to the run of dates, a deluxe version of the album is due for release on Nov. 24. It will feature seven previously unreleased songs along with a 15-song live concert recorded at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in England.
One of the most popular albums ever, Reckless rocks with or without new material. The album saw six songs — Run to You, Kids Wanna Rock, Somebody, Summer of ’69, One Night Love Affair and It’s Only Love — crack the Top 15 on radio in the U.S., turning the quiet 25-year-old into one of the biggest stars on the planet.
Tickets for the Victoria performance ($19.69, $45, $65 or $95) go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. They are available at livenation.com and selectyourtickets.com. They are also available by phone at 250-220-7777 or in person at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre box office.
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Though they play here more often than about 90 per cent of the bands who call Victoria home, it says something about the popularity of Vancouver’s Mother Mother and Toronto’s USS that their two shows together at the Royal Theatre in December are expected to sell out.
Tickets went on sale Friday for both shows, set for Dec. 9-10 at the Broughton Street theatre. They are not expected to last long, so act accordingly, pop music fans.
As an added bonus, Mother Mother is offering VIP packages that include an intimate two-song acoustic performance, a meet and greet with the band, exclusive merch designed by the band, limited edition vinyl and more. Packages are on sale now through mothermothervip.com.
Individual tickets for the pair of Royal Theatre performances ($25 or $39.50) are on sale now at livenation.com. They are also available by phone at 250-386-6121 and 1-888-717-6121, or at the Royal McPherson Box Office.
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The dust from last weekend’s Rifflandia has finally settled, and the majority of Victoria residents have returned to normal after what was easily the best Rifflandia to date, in terms of vibe.
One person who likely hasn’t come back down to Earth is local blogger Adam Lee, whose footage of Death Cab for Cutie during the band’s Sept. 13 set — its final performance with longtime guitarist Chris Walla, no less — made international headlines.
Hours after the performance wrapped, Lee posted his video of Death Cab for Cutie performing Marching Band of Manhattan, the final song of the set and the last song Walla will ever play live with the band. Press outlets the world over picked up on the video, which culminated in a group hug by the band.
Lee’s work was featured prominently on the heavyweight homepages of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Billboard, NME, Consequence of Sound and more. Kudos to one of the hardest working people in the local music community.
To watch Lee’s video of Marching Band of Manhattan, visit timescolonist.com/entertainment. You can also follow his Magmazing Music channel on YouTube and visit his website atmagmazingmusic.com.
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A living legend of the classical guitar, Roland Dyens, will take a break from his duties at the national conservatory of Paris to perform Oct. 10 at the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Dyens is considered among the greats in contemporary classical music, and will be joined at his recital by the University of Victoria Guitar Ensemble, which is led by UVic music professor Alex Dunn.
First Church of Christ, Scientist, is located at 1205 Pandora Ave. Tickets for the event are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students. They are available in person at the Royal McPherson box office, by phone at 250-386-6121 or online at rmts.bc.ca.
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Singer-songwriters Matthew Barber and Jenn Grant make for a formidable pairing, so expectations are that their Nov. 4 date at Lucky Bar will be a late-season highlight.
Barber, who has recently been writing music for theatre, is touring his eighth album, Big Romance, which was released about the same time as Grant’s new EP, Clairvoyant. Both albums have been well-received critically.
For the upcoming tour, Barber — who occasionally performs as a solo artist — will be accompanied by his bandmates, bassist Julian Brown (Feist), drummer Joel Stouffer (Dragonette) and pianist Jesse O’Brien (Colin James).
Tickets for the show are $14 at Lyle’s Place, Ditch Records, and ticketweb.ca.
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Popular singing group Celtic Thunder is charging back to Canada, one of their best markets, in 2015.
The Irish group’s Very Best of Celtic Thunder Tour will stop March 11 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. The show will feature material from Celtic Thunder’s nine PBS specials, among their many DVDs and CDs.
Tickets go on sale Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. They are available for $55, $63, $65 $75.00 at the Save-on-Foods Memorial box office (1925 Blanshard St.). They are also available by phone at 220-7777 or online at selectyourtickets.com.
