As summer draws to an end, so does my summer concerts. One show that I have been looking forward to for months was Depeche Mode, at the Air Canada Centre. I have been a fan of this band since the 80’s but for some reason have not seen them live yet. That is why I was so happy to finally after all these years to see them.

As the band took the stage promptly at 8:45pm the crowd mostly made up of people between 40 – 60 years of age were ready to hear the songs from the 80’s and 90’s. Unfortunately that didn’t really happen. As someone said in the audience “its seems that they have catalogue of music after Violator that nobody is that familiar with.”

Now look, I get that the hard core fans, that will listen to anything they put out. However they represented roughly about 30% of the actually arena. They decided to focus the set list to new songs, that most in the section I was sitting in, didn’t really know the words to. When they finally got around to singing Everything Counts (the 14 song in the set!) The crowd was ready to sing along and thought ok, here we go now. Nope not so fast the show was almost over. They sang a few more notable songs, Somebody, Enjoy the Silence and Personal Jesus and then boom the show was over. To a chorus of boos from the floor I may add as the house lights went on.

For some reason Depeche Mode forgot they had huge hits in the 80s. Those same hits are why 14000 people spent good money to see them.
Forgotten from the concert, People are People, Stangelove, Just Can’t Enough, Blasphemous Rumours, Policy of Truth, World in My Eyes and Master and Servant (which was selling merch with that logo, yet not in show??)

I want to compare this to going to see another 80’s band, and my favourite Duran Duran. I could not imagine them not playing Rio, Hungry Like the Wolf or The Reflex because they wanted to focus on new material.

Did I like the show, yes, but it was 5 hits away from me really enjoying it. Overall I left disappointed.

Revolution
(The Beatles song)
Cover Me (Alt Out)
(instrumental video intro)
Going Backwards
So Much Love
Barrel of a Gun
(with ‘The Message’ (Grandmaster Flash) snippet)
A Pain That I’m Used To
(‘Jacques Lu Cont’s remix’ version)
Corrupt
In Your Room
World in My Eyes
Cover Me
A Question of Lust
(acoustic)
Home
Poison Heart
Where’s the Revolution
Wrong
Everything Counts
Stripped
Enjoy the Silence
Never Let Me Down Again

Encore:
Somebody
Walking in My Shoes
“Heroes”
(David Bowie cover)
I Feel You
Personal Jesus

3/5

Here are some photos from the show

Coldplay. Its a band that people either like or think they are the worst thing to happen to music in the last 15 years. I happen to be somewhere in the middle. I have been a causal fan, but after seeing them a couple of times at the ACC I found them to be boring and an average show at best.

So when I heard that they were playing not 1, but 2 shows at the Rogers Centre I was like “really” ok I did’t think that they could still sell stadium shows.
Curious to see what it was all about, I got tickets for the 2nd show. Luckily I was also asked to help assist with the 1st show, so I was about to experience Coldplay for 2 nights back to back.

What happened over the next two nights was completely unexpected. I watched what has become once of the best concerts I have ever seen period. This was not the same band that ways years ago. this was a live experience that would have blew the roof off the Rogers Centre, had the dome not been open already.

Coldplay was in sensory overload. The entire audience had wristbands call Xylobands, that are led lights that make the audience feel apart of the show. Combine that with lasers, confetti, pyro, huge oversized balloons and did I mention the roof was open, so the CN Tower became part of the performance. This show left me in awe of the production. Combine this with songs that had the entire audience was on there feet, signing and dancing. I left this show speeches and in awe of the entire thing.

I was lucky to see both nights. One night I was higher up, looking down at that crowd and getting a full view of the show and the enormity of the production. The second night I was down in the crowd and felt like I was part of the performance.

The energy level of band and the audience was a 1000% and the set list was a perfect order of Coldplay classics and some new tracks thrown in.

Below are some photos I took from the shows, the beauty of the lights and size of the stages are hard to capture. Sorry U2 I love you guys, but this was the best show I have seen this year.

5 /5 (both nights)

What they played

O mio babbino caro
(Maria Callas song)
A Head Full of Dreams
(extended intro with Charlie Chaplin speech)
Yellow
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
The Scientist
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Paradise

B-Stage
Always in My Head
Magic
Everglow
A-Stage
Clocks
(with “Army of One” excerpt in intro)
Midnight
Charlie Brown
Hymn for the Weekend
Fix You
Viva la Vida
Adventure of a Lifetime

C-Stage
Kaleidoscope
In My Place
Don’t Panic
(acoustic; Will on lead vocals)
Green Eyes
(acoustic; Chris only after first chorus)

A-Stage
Amazing Day
Something Just Like This
(The Chainsmokers & Coldplay cover)
A Sky Full of Stars
Up&Up

Beyonce bought her Formation Tour to the Rogers Centre this week and I was one of the almost 50,000 that were able to see her.

This wasn’t my first time at seeing Queen Bey,it would be my 3rd but it was her first stand alone show of stadiums.

Now unlike Justin Bieber, whom I had just seen 6 days earlier, I had very high expectations for The Formation Tour.  I had been listening to Lemonade non-stop since it was released earlier in the month and had been reading about the incredible set design of this show.

After reading for days about the incredible staging of this show,it really was more spectacular in person.

The show started a little late at around 9:15, Queen Bey started out with a bang with Formation. I have to admit this is currently one of my favourite songs this year.

Not only did this show well go past my exceptions, it is probably on of the best concerts I have see in the last few year.

Beyonce was on point this night, her singing was great, her dancing was amazing ( I will get back to that) her wind machines were next level and Beyonce has no time for pants on this tour. Pants to her are what a smile is to Justin Bieber, what’s the point.

It was a a two hour spectacle that even included a pool of water at the end on the B stage, where Beyonce and her dancers stomped and danced in bare feet and shin deep water.

Now one of things I have always been a bit critical of Beyonce was her dancing. Not that it is not good,  its fantastic, but it is literally the identical choreography even time she sings certain songs. Crazy in Love, it exactly what she did in the video ten plus years ago, Single Ladies, yes we know what she is going to do. End of Time, yup same choreography as the Super Bowl and the last 3 concerts.  In this show same thing, some of the dancing was right from the the On The Run tour of tour years ago (Bow Down and Ring the Alarm for example). But this time I didn’t care at all, everything else about the show was so fantastic that it didn’t matter.

The other thing about a Beyonce show. Her Wind Machines.  How important are they to the show? They are the 2nd most important part of the whole show.

It goes

1. Beyonce
2. Beyonce Wind Machines
3. the rest of the band/dancers

They don’t let her sweat, they don’t let her hair get her mouth, they make sure the wind is in the exact direction that it needs to be and with what like at lest 100 on the stage, I am surprised Toronto Hydro kept up.

Beyonce and her massive stage @rogerscentre

I can’t  even compare this show to Justin at all. This was on a different level. Beyonce really set herself apart from the rest that night. The more days away from the show, the more I wish I could see it again. Now I just have to hope for a HBO broadcast of The Formation tour. One that HBO Canada would actually air live this time.

The incredible set list from the night
Formation
Sorry
Bow Down
Run the World (Girls)
Superpower
Mine
Baby Boy
Hold Up
Countdown
Me, Myself and I
Runnin’ (Lose It All)
(Naughty Boy cover)
All Night
Don’t Hurt Yourself
Ring the Alarm
Diva
(with samples of ‘U Mad’, ‘Cut It’, & ‘Panda’)
Flawless (remix)
Feeling Myself
Yoncé
Drunk in Love
Rocket
Partition
Hip Hop Star / Freakum Dress
Daddy Lessons
Love on Top
1+1
The Beautiful Ones (Price cover)
Purple Rain(Interlude)
Crazy in Love
(‘2014 Remix’ intro. With samples of ‘Bootylicious’.)
Naughty Girl
Party
Blow
(with samples of ‘Nasty Girl’)
Die with You / Blue
Freedom
Survivor
End of Time
(with samples of ‘Grown Woman’)
Halo

5/5 for the Wind Machines and10/10 for Queen Bey

I know this is late, but better late than never right?
Last week I was giving a chance to see two much talked about concerts in Toronto. The Biebs and Queen Bey .

Both shows were sold out and both left 2 different impressions on me.
This post will talk about the first show I saw, Justin Bieber The Purpose World tour.

I went to not really having too high of expectations, as I am far from being a “Belieber” He has some catchy songs, and from what I was hearing this show was high on production value.

I will admit the show started out strong, with the “Where r u now”. Justin danced, Justin sang (we will get to that later) but want Justin didn’t do, so any sort of emotion at all.

After a few decent songs, the show seemed to lose steam. Although the sound was great, Justin looked like he was hating every single minute on the stage. He didn’t smile once, not even a grin. Nothing. My god he even had a trampoline come down from the ceiling. Nothing. No smile.

With showing zero emotion, he must have been concentrating on remembering all the words to his songs right? Well when during your show you can actually drop the mic and still not miss a note you have other things going on. Let’s give credit to the sound team on this tour, because it was very clear at times that Justin, was just too bored to open is mouth.

The crowd made up of mostly 20 something women seemed to enjoy the show, and based on the insane lines at the merch counters they wanted an overpriced t-shirt from the night as well.

The Biebs finished the night with Sorry as water fell from the roof, (still no sound of any water on the mic) but the audience (minus me) sang right along.

Justin Bieber (not smiling) 

Justin Bieber at the Air Canada Centre 3/5

First off, everyone knows that I would never not like this video, so I will admit I am completely bias and I don’t care.

I love this song, I love video and I love whole Madonna doesn’t give a shit how old she is vibe the most. The last part is for a whole other rant.

Ghostown is the second song off on Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” album. I think it is the best song overall on the album and probably should have been the first single.

Little know fact about this song, Madonna worked with Michael Keaton’s son on it. You know the one he when on and on about when he won the globe this year. Yep same guy.

The video is takes place after a nuclear bomb has destroyed most of the cool cities in the world. Madonna thinking she is alone, decides to channel Stevie Nicks and go outside and see what has happened.

While walking through the rubble she is noticed by a man, that man is Terrence Howard. At first he wants to kill her, but then they become mesmerized with each out and do what I would totally do in the same situation. Tango.

While this is going on, a young boy, that looks strangely like one of the Jolie-Pitt kids appears and taken under the wing of these two dancing rebels. Lucky kid.

Again Madonna delivers stylish video that I have already watched multiple times. I can’t wait to see her perform this in October.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Neil Diamond concert at the ACC. Now I admit, I don’t know too much about Neil Diamond, I just knew that has a huge following and that jokes about “seas of grey” being all over the entire concert floor.

I spent 20 min with my friend Patricia trying to name a song other than Sweet Caroline, she rhymed of about 10 songs, while I could only remember a song about bringing flowers and something called “I am I am” I think . Turns out it called “I am. I said” and was a pretty big crowd pleaser when he sang it.

While working at the VIP event, I was talked to the attendees and was surprised that not only were they the nicest people I have ever dealt with at a concert, they had seen Neil multiple times, like eight,nine plus times. Some were well into the double digits. To my surprise I totally enjoyed this show. He is the constant performer and at 74 has maintained his voice.

Oh and take note Adam Levine, Neil spent a good 10 minutes introducing his band and he is a solo act. Neil sang and danced, well more like walked around the stage while pointing and holding his guitar over his head, but hey he is 74 and has a bad hip. At one point he bent down to kiss a fan in the front row. I was worried that he wasn’t going to be able to get back up.

He did and played for well over 2 hours without taking a break. Proving to this skeptic why he is still selling out areas.

Overall Neil delivered with the flare and showmanship that was lacking with Maroon 5. A well done show.

3.5 out of 5

Last week I was able to attend the Maroon 5 concert in Toronto. For those you don’t know they are also known as Adam Levine. I was looking forward to it for a couple of reasons. Mainly because I was able to catch up with some old friends before the show and also to see what all the hype with Adam..I mean Maroon 5 was about.

They have a ton of pop hits, ones that I know all the words to, yet I don’t have own a single song on my iTunes or can even remember watching a single video. Why is that?

The show started right on time and with the exception of a brief power outage went just as planned. Let me just say this. Maroon 5 likes smoke machines, like Beyonce likes wind machines. Fog was everywhere, maybe to keep all eyes focused on Adam. All the hits were sung, Adam had all the women and one guy with a hair bun beside me screaming. It was a typical pop show. Nothing too exciting, nothing too bad. Overall entertaining, but not life changing.

Adam spoke, Adam tried to dance and Adam played a green guitar. Its what Adam didn’t do that has bugged me since I left the show. He never introduced the band! Not even a mention, not even a nod. NOTHING.  The Rolling Stones for god sakes introduces the band. Adam Levine doesn’t seem to have the time, or maybe he doesn’t know the names?

Does anyone have any clue who is in Maroon 5? Did anyone even know there is a black guy in the band? That there were 4 other people in the band? No, and it seems like Adam didn’t remember either. I am pretty sure that the next time Maroon 5 comes to Toronto, it will be called Adam Levine.

Who are these other four people?

Adam sings to his admirers

Be quite, I am trying to sing a song that all of you will know

Maroon 5 – 3/5

L