Dead Troll homecoming a Fringe triumph
Get Me the F*ck out of Edmonton, and other ramblings of a Fringe has-been By Wes Borg, Victoria, Venue 8 (Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre) Sure, Wes Borg did manage to get the f*ck out of Edmonton, but the most important thing right now is that he’s back in town with a new Fringe show […]
3 HUNGARY Fringe plays
The Inventor of All Things By big word performance, UK, Venue 13, Old Strathcona Library Jem Rolls returns to this year’s Fringe with his successful 2015 spoken word performance detailing the strangely forgotten life of pioneering nuclear physicist savant Leo Szilard, Hungary’s early 20th Century approximation of a much more interesting Sheldon Cooper. Thank God […]
Colin James phones it in sick
About four songs into Thursday night’s nearly sold out show at the Jubilee Auditorium, Colin James figured he’d acknowledge the giant elephant sitting in the corner – as the rasp in his voice and evident lack of energy made the score pretty clear. He was sick. “Winnipeg was brutal,” he said of the show there […]
REVIEW: Chris De Burgh King of Easy Listening
Chris De Burgh fans got high on emotion at the Shaw Conference Centre Thursday night, witnessing a gifted yet largely critically neglected artist who blew the dust off a staggering back catalogue of music. He is the King of Easy Listening. A long time ago in a galaxy now since nuked into oblivion by Darth […]
ROCKFEST REVIEW: Classic rock to die for
Dennis DeYoung of Styx couldn’t have captured the zeitgeist of the 2015 Edmonton Rock Music Festival better than when he sang the line, “Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime.” For this was the best of times long past for the city’s classic rock community. For all the flak DeYoung taken in the press […]
COMMENT: WTF at the BVJ?
It was one of those weekends at the Big Valley Jamboree, the BVJ – a WTF weekend. As in, “WTF did I just hear? WTF did I just see?” And mostly importantly, in the words of one obscenely intoxicated youth, “Just what the f— is a Corb Lund, anyways?” It’s not surprising that the BVJ […]
REVIEW: Don’t stop believin’ in Journey
How many rock bands do you know that can not only fill Canadian hockey barns 42 years into their career – but perform with the same fiery spirit as youngsters in their first year? Enter Journey. If most “heritage” acts don’t fade away into booze and drug addled oblivion, they just start treating rock ‘n’ […]
REVIEW: Steven Wilson far beyond prog
Steven Wilson represents something quite rare in today’s music industry: An artist who’s remarkably creative and actually writes interesting material – in case you thought they were all dead by now. More than 700 prog rock fans sold out the Myer Horowitz Theatre Monday night to see their hero perform his first-ever gig in Edmonton. […]
REVIEW: Def Leppard past its prime
It was a tough night on the entertainment front Thursday night in Edmonton. Leadership debate, or Def Leppard concert. Some choice. More than 12,000 Edmontonians paid good money not to sit at home and watch the carnage on TV, instead plunking their patooties on hard plastic to hear the British band take a run through […]
REVIEW: Future is grim for Marilyn Manson
For those mystified why Marilyn Manson is still doing his shtick after all these years, it’s not that difficult to understand. Just imagine April Wine, oh, about 20 odd years ago, trying desperately to stay relevant, but needing to trade on past glories to pay the bills, while playing for long time fans in their […]
REVIEW: Tragically Hip fully, completely Canadian rock
Thirty years into their career, the Tragically Hip have managed to turn Canada into their own personal niche market. Their modus operandi continued to be in fine working order for a packed house at Rexall Place in Edmonton Thursday night. Early on in the band’s career, they wrote some songs that referenced America – Last […]
Border hassles can’t stop young bluesman
The way our border cops treat Taylor Scott and his band, it’s a marvel he keeps coming back to play Edmonton. “It was our worst experience yet,” says the 21-year-old frontman of the latest crossing ordeal. “They literally tore our van apart,” adds keyboardist Jon Wirtz. They’re talking after a set at Blues on Whyte […]
