This blog talks about acts that at time of publishing are still currently touring
Lady Gaga
Easily one of the greatest living artists, Gaga started to play piano at four, was given early admission to CAP21, a music school at NYU’s Tisch school of the arts at the age of 17, she’s now one of the biggest acts on the planet. Her discography covers everything from Pop to Jazz to Soft Rock and that’s only what she’s released. She’s appeared on stage with Elton John, U2 and The Rolling Stones, among others, she’s preformed a medley of the music from “The Sound of Music” at the Grammy’s, she’s preformed at the Super Bowl, and she’s a hell of an act. Gaga leaves it all on the stage, always taking time to go back to the hits that made her famous, but also making sure to spend a few minutes to talk to fans, reading the letters they throw on stage and having her team pick up all the stuffed animals and other gifts from her little monsters. Lady Gaga is absolutely worth the price of admission and the ticket it takes to get there.
Florence & The Machine
Florence & the machine are an incredible band who have such a wide array of songs and varying styles. They have so much fun and Florence Welch is always running around on stage and between stages so that fans all over the venue get a chance to see her up close and not just on the big screens. The vocals are always incredible and seeing a live band, often with harps, Violins, Xylophones, Piano as well as more traditional instruments like drums and guitars. They always sing live and play the instruments live as well. They’re a great act and they’re usually part of festivals so you might be able to see them without having to buy an extra ticket.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks isn’t exactly the first name that comes to mind when many people think of acts they would love to see, but that might be because he didn’t tour for over 20 years. When he did start touring again in 2014 with wife Trisha Yearwood all the dates sold out and they had to add more, some places getting multiple shows a day. The actual shows themselves are well done, with plans being made so that no seats are covered, leaving a full house so that more people can see the show, and while you might think that means that means more money, that’s not necessarily true. For the Ottawa show (which I attended on April 2nd, 2016) the price of the ticket with taxes 79.98$ CAD for any ticket at all. Floor seats and seats in the stand we’re all the same price which is almost unheard of. The concert itself was great and I had a great time watching a live performance of the songs I grew up with in a room filled with people who had waited two decades to see this show was a surprisingly powerful event and it’s something I still talk about when people ask about my favourite concerts.
The Rolling Stones
The Stones have been together for over 50 years now, and their shows still sell out for a reason. I got to attend a show for the 50th year tour in 2013 and having listened to The Stones growing up I knew their music, but I wasn’t a massive fan like some of the people there. The concert goes on for hours and Mick Jagger seems to have boundless energy and is able to keep singing and dancing on stage for hours without anything more than a quick water break. The stones also have guests at just about every show during “Gimme Shelter”, typically the guest (or guests if it’s a band) are from the city they’re playing in. The Stones are not currently on tour but considering they we’re on tour back in late 2017 there’s always a chance that you’ll be able to catch them in a city near you.
Adele
Adele is one of those singers that everyone seems to like and would love to see live. Adele in concert is the same funny, warm, charming person you see in interviews. When I saw her in Montreal she noticed that a fan at the stage level was on skype with someone and took the time to talk to the stranger on the phone and joked with the audience throughout the show, recounted stories of how songs were conceived and about her family. Her live vocals are exactly like what you hear from her singles. Her vocals are fantastic, and she is someone you can buy tickets for (if you can get them) and have a great night out with just about anyone.
Panic! At the Disco
For many people my age (early twenties and older) Panic! At the Disco was one of the first bands we listened to that was not necessarily introduced to us by our parents but rather by our friends. While the band has shifted and changed both the members and style over the 14+ years they’ve been around (the only member left while writing this is Lead Vocalist Brendon Urie). Even with the changes in the band over the years, which does not change the talent possessed by Urie, who plays multiple instruments and has been noted as having an incredible vocal range, often sounding better with just a piano or guitar, instead of the full band effect you hear on albums.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran is easily one of the most popular artists in the world as of writing this. His pop, folk and even hip-hop music has captivated audiences, created multiple songs that will be featured at weddings for the next 30 years whether we like it or not, and he puts on a good show. With a guitar in hand he sings (along with his audience) with almost nothing on stage, making the performance seem intimate even when you’re in a room with thousands of other people. While watching Sheeran you can tell he truly loves what he’s doing on stage, feeding from the audience’s energy, having the time of his life preforming the songs that everyone knows the words to, even taking time to do covers from different artist at different shows just for the hell of it.
P!nk
Pink is probably one of the most enthralling shows imaginable. Part concert, part Cirque du Soleil, Pink puts on an aerial show while singing. Pink has been a constant more or less for over 20 years now. She has reinvented herself a few times over that time from a rocker to a pop-punk artist, but always turning out high energy music that crowds identify with and that they sing along to. Because of the setup required Pink mostly does large stadium tours, and her tickets seem to be a little more pricey than others, the least expensive in Montreal being around 100$ for the cheap seats, that being said, I think it’s still worth it if you enjoy her music and would enjoy seeing he fly across the stadium.
Lorde
Lorde is an artist who puts on a great show, she does more festivals than she does stadium tours, at least that’s how it seems to me, she’s only ever been to festivals like Osheaga and Festival d’Ă©tĂ© de QuĂ©bec in my area. All of her performances, though they may seem strange to people not familiar with her work, but her vocals and the positive environment of her fans will soon have you forgetting your inhibitions and joining in and dancing to the music to your own rhythm, pushing aside the self-judgement you might usually feel in this kind of environment, even if its just for a few hours. Watching Lorde on Tv or on stage, it’s very clear she’s having fun on stage and that translates into her fans, both old and new, enjoying themselves more than they would with artists who would just sit down and sing songs, never really interacting with fans, even as briefly as she does to make the most of her limited stage time due to another act that might follow her set.
The Weeknd
While he doesn’t tour often, the shows he put on are a spectacle of lights and incredible vocals. You can tell from the moment the Canadian born rapper walks on stage that he’s in his element, even though he’s known for being incredibly private. You can see by how he interacts with fans while preforming that it brings him joy not only to be preforming, but to see how happy his music makes his fans in the audience, pointing to fans and having them to finish verses of his songs, lifting mic stands in the direction of the crowd, keeping them engaged at every turn, whether its by following him around on stage or by watching the lights show on or above stage and the lights being projected around the room.
Autumn Afar 