Pearl Jam to play Calgary Saddledome in December
The Saddledome WILL be cleaned up in time for Pearl Jam’s December 2 date in Calgary. There is no Edmonton date on this new tour announced Monday, after a mysterious “countdown clock” ran down on the band’s website, but given the flood-related Albertan solidarity demonstrated over the last couple of weeks, we’re not going to […]
The curse of high expectations: Alice in Chains in Edmonton
In the harsh light of a new day after the buzz has worn off, Alice in Chains seemed a bit sad. It wasn’t just the fact that barely more than 6,000 people came to Rexall Place on July 4 to witness what must’ve been the band’s first ever Edmonton appearance – though that was part […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Chains that bind us
The weekend begins with a bang Thursday, with a pair of standout acts slamming into the city. First, at Rexall Place, the legendary Alice In Chains. Born in the thick sludge of the Seattle grunge scene, the band rose to international fame in the early 1990s with songs like “Would?”, “Them Bones”, “Rooster”, and “Down […]
FLOOD RELIEF: Albertans band together in adversity
The Calgary-Edmonton rivalry seems awfully silly – sillier than it already is, that is – in light of the devastating floods that swamped our sister city to the South. Sure, she may be a bit more of a looker, a bit more successful, better dressed and have a better head for business, and frankly we […]
Jr. Gone Wild embroiled in emblem imbroglio
Once a rebel, always a rebel. One of Alberta’s favourite rock bands is in trouble from the Province of Alberta for unauthorized use of Alberta’s official coat of arms. Jr. Gone Wild altered the Alberta shield for use as a logo for its recent reunion, unknowingly contravening the Emblems of Alberta act. Special permission is […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Something for everyone at Boonstock
The region’s musical focus turns to the North this weekend with Boonstock occurring just outside Gibbons for four amazing days of sound and fun in what’s looking to be the best weather of the year so far. Like many local festivals, they may not have the massive headliners that you’re used to seeing if you […]
REVIEW: Taylor Swift is THE drama queen
OK, Taylor Swift, we get it: We are never, ever getting back together. The pop superstar might as well have blazed those words across the stormy Edmonton sky in flaming letters as she sang them for her grand finale at Rexall Place on Tuesday night. Some 13,000 mainly young female fans sang along to every […]
New music festival to boost downtown Edmonton
Too many music festivals? Not enough music festivals! Adding to an already jam-packed slate of events in the area this year is a new one called Up+Downtown Music and Art Festival (UP+DT), happening Oct. 12-13 at venues around downtown Edmonton. Hence the name. That’s kind of a novel approach to a multi-venue event, but after […]
After low key start, Jazz festival hits high gear
So much jazz, so little time – especially if it’s “free” jazz where “time” takes on a completely different meaning, as does “free,” because you still have to pay to see it. Hope that helps. It’s always hard to choose among so many acts at the Edmonton International Jazz Festival. It didn’t really have a […]
Dance and rock cultures mingle at Boonstock festival
“Are you a rocker or a raver?” the Bear announcer asked the caller looking forward to Boonstock 2013 this weekend. Amazingly, the caller replied that she’s a little of both. She will rock out to such rockers as the Headstones, Godsmack, Sebastian Bach and Slash from Guns N’ Roses, and then maybe paint herself blue […]
Promoters work to salvage flooded out Sled Island Festival
CALGARY – I woke up Friday morning to see downtown Calgary covered in brown water no more than a block from my vantage point at Hotel Arts, which was on evacuation order after power and water had been shut off. I’d spent the previous two nights getting soaked walking from venue to venue, trying to […]
JAZZ FEST: Nuela Charles finds her niche
The trouble with making music that’s different and unique is where to rack it. Nuela Charles, who earned a four year music degree from a bible college in Saskatchewan, initially had some luck in the Christian music scene, where style isn’t as important as content. In short, sing about Jesus and you’re in. “Everything I […]
