[PHOTOS] Billy Talent @ PNE Amphitheatre

Gallery: Billy Talent @ PNE Amphitheatre - Vancouver, BC Date: August 25, 2023 Photographed by: Danielle Costelo

@heather.fabia: Kehlani was absolutely incredible last night at PNE Amphitheatre 🥺🧡🍯

Saw Orville Peck last night at the PNE Amphitheatre for a special Pride show.

Get ready for a joyous celebration of pride and diversity at Happyland Festival in Vancouver! This fully inclusive event, organized by Timbre Concerts and Sunrise Series, promises an unforgettable experience on Sunday, August 2023, at the PNE Amphitheatre. Join us for a day filled with music, performances, and community spirit, headlined by renowned artists like Trixie artel, Pabllo Vittar, Alaska, Slayyyter, and Priyanka. Hosted by Venus, and featuring the cast of endby 6 Ft. Pm, the festival will also offer exclusive access to Playland Amusement Park.

Summer Nights: August 2023

Metro Vancouver Events Calendar:

Now-Aug. 5: Early Music Summer Festival

Now-Aug. 6: Million Dollar Quartet @ Granville Island Stage / Music on the Plaza @ Brentwood Plaza (weekends)

Now-Aug. 19: Tall Tales: The Quest is Up to You! @ The Improv Centre

Now-Aug. 26: Theatre Under the Stars @ Malkin Bowl / Vancouver Pride Festival

Now-Aug. 31: Back to the ‘80s @ VIFF Centre

Now-Sept. 2: Shipyards Live @ The Shipyards (Fridays)

Now-Sept. 15: Shipyards Night Market (Fridays)

Now-Sept. 24: Jeremy Shaw: Phase Shifting Index @ Polygon Gallery

Now-Sept. 30: Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival @ Vanier Park

Now-Oct. 9: Richmond Night Market

Now-Oct. 28: Riley Park Farmers Market / Trout Lake Farmers Market / West End Farmers Market @ 1100 Comox (Saturdays)

Now-Oct. 29: Mount Pleasant Famers Market @ Dude Chilling Park / Kitsilano Farmers Market @ Kitsilano Community Centre (Sundays)

Now-Nov. 29: Downtown Farmers Market @ 750 Hornby (Wednesdays)

Now-Jan. 1: Challenging the Deep @ Science World

Aug. 3-Sept. 4: Film Noir 2023 @ The Cinematheque

Aug. 4-13: Harmony Arts Festival

Aug. 4-14: Vancouver Mural Festival

Aug. 5-6: Powell Street Festival @ Oppenheimer Park

Aug. 6: Vancouver Pride Parade

Aug 8: Father John Misty & The Head and the Heart @ PNE Amphitheatre

Aug. 9-19: Vine Arts Festival

Aug. 10: Dîner en Blanc Vancouver

Aug. 10-20: Vancouver Queer Film Festival

Aug. 12: Farmhouse Fest @ UBC Farm

Aug. 13: Farmhouse Fest: Wine Fair @ UBC Farm

Aug. 13 & 27: Ladner Village Market

Aug. 14-16: Music on Main Summer Pop-up Concerts @ Mount Pleasant Park

Aug. 19-20: Ambleside Music Festival @ Ambleside Park

Aug. 19-Sept. 4: PNE Fair @ Hastings Park

Aug. 22-27: CPCK Women’s Open @ Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club

Aug. 31: Meet Me in Gastown

Watch "Chaka Khan--Tell Me Something Good--Live at PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver 2022-09-05" on YouTube

Boygenius Announce 2023 North American Tour w/ Carly Rae Jepsen, Illuminati Hotties

Boygenius are going on a North American tour in support of their new album, complementing their previously announced dates as part of the Re:Set concert series. They’ll be joined by Carly Rae Jepsen, Bartees Strange, Claud, Broken Social Scene, and Illuminati Hotties along the way. Boygenius Tour Dates 04-12 Pomona, CA - Fox Theater 04-15 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 04-22 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 06-02 San Diego, CA - Thrive Park at Snapdragon Stadium ! 06-03 Pasadena, CA - Brookside at the Rose Bowl ! 06-04 Stanford, CA - Frost Amphitheater ! 06-06 Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre * 06-08 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall * 06-09 Grand Prairie, TX - Texas Trust CU Theatre Grounds ! 06-10 New Orleans, LA - Festival Grounds at City Park ! 06-11 Atlanta, GA - Central Park ! 06-13 Asheville, NC - ExploreAsheville.com Arena * 06-14 Wilmington, NC - Live Oak Bank Pavilion * 06-16 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion ! 06-17 Forest Hills, NY - Forest Hills Stadium ! 06-18 Boston, MA - The Stage at Suffolk Downs ! 06-20 Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE + 06-21 Toronto, Ontario - Budweiser Stage ^+ 06-23 Columbus, OH - Kemba Live! Festival Site ! 06-24 Chicago, IL - Riis Park ! 06-25 Nashville, TN - The Great Lawn in Centennial Park ! 07-28 Vancouver, British Columbia - PNE Amphitheater %= 07-29 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre %= 07-30 Bend, OR - Hayden Homes Amphitheater %= 08-01 Bonner, MT - Kettlehouse Amphitheater = 08-02 Boise, ID - Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden = 08-03 Salt Lake City, UT - Library Square = 08-05 Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheatre = 08-11 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival 08-12 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West 08-13 Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Hallen & 08-15 Berlin, Germany - Verti Music Hall & 08-16 Cologne, Germany - Palladium & 08-18 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Festival 08-19 Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - Lowlands Festival 08-20 London, England - Gunnersbury Park &~ 08-22 Halifax, England - Piece Hall ~ 08-23 Halifax, England - Piece Hall ~ 08-24 Kingston upon Thames, England - Banquet Records Outstore at Pryzm Kingston 08-24 Kingston upon Thames, England - Banquet Records Outstore at Pryzm Kingston 08-25 Saint-Cloud, France - Rock en Seine 08-27 Edinburgh, Scotland - Connect Festival ! Re:Set Concert Series with Clairo, Dijon, and Bartees Strange * with Bartees Strange ^ with Broken Social Scene % with Carly Rae Jepsen + with from Claud = with Illuminati Hotties & with Muna ~ with Ethel Cain Check Out “Not Strong Enough” below: Read the full article

Tickets to Father John Misty w/ The Head and the Heart - VANCOUVER

Father John Misty w/ The Head and the Heart Date: 08-Aug-2023 Event: Father John Misty w/ The Head and the Heart Location: PNE Amphitheatre Address: 2901 East Hastings Street Vancouver V5K 5J1 Get tickets for this event on: TicketMaster All tickets sold through this site are 100% safe via Ticketmaster and The Ticketmaster Network.

View On WordPress

@thisislany LANY: Summer Forever Tour at the PNE Amphitheatre in Vancouver, BC last night 🤩🎸🎫 It was such a fun concert and I had a great time watching my favorite band perform live! 😍 @annikabennetttt and @surfacesmusic were special guests and they were both amazing 💕 Let me know if you're a fan of LANY ✨ #LANY #SummerForever #SummerForeverTour #AnnikaBennett #surfacesmusic (at PNE Amphiteatre) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci3Y8-mPmJL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Alberta, Canada - July & August 1993

Today I am going to see the B-52s live at the PNE Amphitheatre tonight. For those who do not know PNE stands for Pacific National Exhibition. It is a park area that holds a trade show building, a hockey arena (formerly the Vancouver Canucks arena till the mid 90s), horse track among other things but most noticeable an amusement park called Playland which is open from the summer till October. Every August they have PNE at The Fair which often involves acts that were once huge in their time but not now play here at the amphitheatre that is wedged between Playland and the race track I think. I have seen quite a lot of acts play through here over the years; ZZ Top, The Beach Boys, Hall & Oates (when they were playing elsewhere at PNE before the renos), Tom Cochrane, Huey Lewis & The News and Joan Jett. There are probably others but those are the ones I remember the most.

Its safe to say Vancouver is a big enough city to be able to support this sort of festival yearly and they have been able to sustain it long before I even lived here. I didn't realize how common it was till recently for concerts/festivals to work in line with amusement parks and stuff but I should not have been naive but it does bring me back to my first festival experience; The Big Valley Jamboree.

And again no I do not consider it as my first concert experience because I had no interest in listening to country music as my parents did. In fact to tell you the truth I had no interest in going in the first place however I had no real say in it as a 8 year old. However the story I want to tell isn't all about the Big Valley Jamboree that was held in Camrose, Alberta but of Alberta in general as the summer of 1993 I got to explore much of Alberta in a way I didn't before and not since.

As I have mentioned before and will probably mention again Augusts were often the time me and my parents would do our family trips. Mainly because that was the month my mom could get off from work as a school custodian. September to June is school so she is needed there. July to clean up and prepare for the new school year and August is the break.

Looking back at this time it was pretty neat. I am pretty sure in 1992 me and my parents went to Florida and narrowly escapes Hurricane Andrew. In 1994 we went to Hawaii but that was in April I think but those are stories for another day. I imagine this 1993 trip as way for us to still have a vacation but do it more cheaply given the trips we had prior and after. As an adult I totally understand the logic. Our August trips at the beginning involved many places but as I got older it involved Newfoundland for the most part because my mom wanted no part in going to Disneyland or anywhere with rides, plus she often got sick immediately during trips. I do not know if Big Valley Jamboree was her idea or my dad's. I would imagine it was my dad's as he listened to country music a lot back then and I imagine a lot of his coworkers were going to the jamboree. So it was probably a way for my dad to hang out with his friends, get away from Fort Mac and enjoy a week long show.

However again this is not just about the Big Valley Jamboree but it does end with it. The thing is I want to write about this time because I know I am starting to forget more and more about what went on during this time and I do want a record of it. What I am going to talk about is what I think happened around this time or at least I am sure happened around this time.

I mean I may have already lied about the timeline. Looking at the dates the jamboree started at the beginning of August when I assumed it was at the end of it. The reason why I say that is because I know we took a drive all over Alberta right before capping it with the Jamboree and headed home so I imagine my mom was able to move her time off to July I guess but we are getting into the weeds now.

Point is while my parents were going to see the jamboree it is only for a week and we were going to be off for more than that so I assume my dad's plan was to make a trip of it and see more of Alberta than I did before.

Despite being a born and raised Albertan I have vague memories of much of Alberta unless you are talking about Edmonton, Fort McMurray and the route in between them.

If traveling remains insane and expensive my trip around BC and Alberta seems much less unlikely it often is but it only makes me more more appreciative of my dad forcing me into the road trips he would take us.

Looking at the map of Alberta and from memory I believe we drove from Fort McMurray to Drumheller and then from Drumheller we made our way to Camrose.

I am pretty sure the trip to Drumheller was to appease me, I am pretty sure I wanted no part of this trip going to see some country music I had next to no interest in sitting down and listening to. Alberta though very much oil country is also known tourist wise for skiing but also for dinosaur parks or dino dig sites. I am pretty sure my dad thought well Corey is a child and what child does not like dinosaurs? I didn't mind dinosaurs but......that was good enough for my dad I think we are going through Drumheller but we did not go alone.

This trip consisted of me, my dad, mom and my friend at the time named Kyle. Kyle was probably one of the closest friends I had at the time but also the most frustrating. I seem to have at least one friend who is frustrating around me at every point of my life minus now I assume but I have next to no friends around these days.

Kyle was a relatively poor kid and a relatively rough childhood that I was not entirely aware of when we were growing up mainly because I was a spoiled brat if there ever was one. Kyle lived with either his mom or his grandmother, it would often be one or the other but he would almost ALWAYS try to sleep over at my place on the weekends. For awhile I was perfectly fine with it as me and him got alone well and he was one of the few people I could play with but after awhile it was getting pretty annoying where almost like clockwork Kyle would call asking to come over as soon as I got home from school. As much as I did enjoy hanging out with him I wanted to hang out or sleep over with others as well on top of that I enjoyed having time to myself above all else too but it seemed like Kyle always tried to sleep over at my place. It came to the point where at the tail end of our childhood I would just simply say no or lie to get him off my back. I would hang out with him one weekend a month or so but that is it. After awhile I think he got the gist but also we grown apart more and more.

The reason I talk about Kyle is because he plays a fairly memorable part of this story. Kyle went with us, I don't know how he found his way on to this trip, it could have been me, could have been my parents doing his mother a solid too. The older I got the more I got to learn that Kyle's mom was willing to pay my parents to take care of Kyle for her as she was unable to most of the time and there was only so much the grandmother could do but my parents said no.

During our trek from Fort Mac to Drumheller to Camrose we stopped off and stayed a lot of campsites. I don't have the time or patience to go through what campsites were around in 1993 and see if they are still around now but I distinctly remember 2 campsites that we spent a couple of days in before getting to Camrose. There was one where I recall an incident where I essentially learned a good lesson.......not all dogs are nice dogs. I think this was not long before I watched Homeward Bound so I immediately assumed all golden retrievers were like Shadow; nice, loyal and kind. While staying at this campsite that felt more like a dirt pit than a campsite my dad wanted me to go grab wood which I did not want to do because I was a spoiled shit but me and Kyle went out to grab some. On our way we noticed this golden retriever who didn't look like it was having a bad day. Me being a 8 year old naive shit thought maybe it just needed attention and to be petted. The dog did not like that at all and immediately started growling at me and it only got louder and louder as I got closer but I thought surely he would be fine with me. I was 8 years old and held no threat to him but right before I put my hand out to pet the dog started to violently bark at me and would have easily jumped me if he wasn't tied on. Suffice to say that scared me to death and as you can tell stayed with me ever since. Looking back I am not so much mad at the dog for being like that to a 8 year old kid but I have to wonder that that dog's owner must have been a really piece of shit dude to make a dog like that that angry and violent even towards children much less bring it with him to a public place but it is what it is. Suffice to say we got the wood and brought it back which seemed at the time the most physically labouring thing I ever did in my life but then I was a lazy spoiled brat who never did a lick of work in his life up to that point but then I was also 8 years old so there is that.

The second camp ground was much nicer and greener but also had an arcade machine; The Art of Fighting which me and Kyle played quite a lot during the few days we stayed there. I remember liking this camp site a while lot more for that sheer fact. However something happened here that I feel shifted me and my family's relationship with Kyle forever.

For some reason or another before Kyle came with us he was given a letter opener, golden letter opener or I just imagine it was coloured gold. I have no idea how he got what the story was surrounding it but I recall while we were camping here Kyle did go out and do stuff on his own while I was in the camper playing with action figures. I was never much of an outdoors kid and I still ain't even though I have a great fondness and appreciation for the outdoors. Anyway while I was in the camper doing something we get a knock on the door and it is another camper but with Kyle. Apparently Kyle threatened to harm their kid with the letter opener. To say this pissed my dad off would be an understatement. Kyle was our guest during this trip and more often than not was usually on his best behaviour but every now and then he did sometimes do something that seemed........off and this was one of those moments. Suffice to say he was reprimanded for the rest of the trip and heavily scolded. Outside of short camping trips he would never come with us ever again or larger road trips. My parents were often good to Kyle and didn't mind him around. Him around meant someone around me as I was someone who didn't really have many friends, had no siblings I was alone most of the time so Kyle around meant company. However Kyle was seemingly becoming more and more a trouble maker and more and more wanted to be around us.

Looking back I totally understand why and I can't blame him. His mother was rarely around and didn't seem to love him enough, grandmother seemed to just be an extension of that. He was relatively poor and no one positive around him. Meanwhile with me he was with a "normal" family, being with me was probably the closest he would ever be at that time to being around a actual family and actually be taken care of. I feel bad for turn him away a lot now knowing that I probably could have made his life much positive if I did but as time went on he was getting worse. Hanging out with rough kids age one group that stole from me and the last straw was when he stole from me as well. Well I think he stole from me. I had a group of these flashy chrome GI Joe knock off toys I absolutely addored but after a weekend with him a few of them were gone. I mean I have misplaced and lost toys before but more often that not I don't lose toys like that and not at that number. I questioned Kyle and Kyle got very defensive and went on using a line that has always stuck with me and I guess in many ways makes me resent him in some ways. Whenever he could not get his way with me whether it be not playing a game, no letting him use a toy, not letting him sleep over.....whatever disagreement we would have he would always say "This is why you have no friends." and that often worked me but by the point where he stole from me that was it for me and at that point in my life I didn't care to really have friends so much.

Well I have really gone off road but I feel like I had to really tell that story before moving forward to the conclusion. After that campsite we did go through Drumheller and saw the dinosaur bones and whatever. I barely remember that trip, I recall enjoying it but again meh. The last stop was Camrose for the Big Valley Jamboree.

We didn't stay in cam rose but in our own camper lot there. Looking at the videos of what it is now it seems like it is more or less the same as it was then. Essentially a large stage overlooking a field where people either stand or sit on lawn chairs to watch/listen to country. Next to the stage is the concessions stand but also a carnival. Thank goodness for this if not me and Kyle would have been bored to absolute tears and I would have to say whatever went on during this multi day even was the first concert I went to.

Suffice to say even with the multitude or rides we still wound up being bored to tears. There were times where I think we were the only kids there. I have no idea where the others were most of the time I mean there were kids there but I think it probably had to do with their parents wanting them close by, some only there for a day and some maybe not being able to afford to give day ride passes to their kids. My dad gave us day passes to ride the rides all day long and for the couple days we were there we rode nearly every ride 4-5 times over except for the salt and pepper shaker. That particular one scared me. While I did enjoy rides of all kinds there were kinds for me as a 8 year old that I did not like. Mainly the salt and pepper shaker but also the zipper which thankfully was not there. I could do the salt and pepper shaker now but even now I would not do the zipper if I could help it.

By day 2 we were already bored of all of these rides but given we knew we needed to occupy our time we tried to figure out any other way we could to have fun so we decided to play ride tag. Essentially tag but you would have to chase the other to the ride and eventually tag them when off the ride. Kyle knew I was afraid of the salt and pepper shaker and when it was his turn to chase me he chased me to the salt and pepper shaker. As soon as I got in and was strapped in I noticed him right outside with a shit eating grin watching me scream all the way through the ride. Those were the days.

We also got to watch The Chipmunks show daily, at first we loved it because we loved The Chipmunks but they were putting on shows every two hours that by the time the whole festival was over we could not care less but went because I mean what else is there to do when you have already rode every ride and done everything 5 times over or more?

How it all ended I cannot recall but apparently there was a bit storm around this time. My parents told me they decided to leave after this and if this is true then that concludes this trip. We drove back to Fort McMurray and went back to live.

Prior to this time the only places me and my parents would drive to was from Fort Mac to Edmonton, Vernon/Kelowna for family or Sylvan Lake for me on a rare occasion. Kelowna has changed drastically since the early 90s when we would go there multiple summers in a row, Sylvan Lake I barely remember to begin with but Edmonton of course I know and of course it has changed quite a bit over the years. I can't help but miss those road trips especially the the Fort Mac to Edmonton part. It is a really boring trip but with that it was one we made so many times over the years that it would always be burned into my head going to and from there. Going to Grassland and having a soup every time and often it was the best soup I would often have over the years. I have no idea if it would still be but if I was to do another road trip again I think I do owe it to myself to drive from Vancouver to Fort Mac and back. 

I still haven't even truly been to Calgary either....well actually that is a lie if there ever was one I have been to Calgary at least three times but each and every time it was almost always passing through to somewhere else. I do feel like I need to see Calgary at least once and I eventually will.

The plan for 2023 is regardless of my financial situation I want to travel and if I can't go to Australia/Japan/Europe in 2023 I will at least travel Canada more or find cheap ways to do so and then in 2024 before I hit 40 I will do another large ass trip. But that is hearsay till I do it and when I actually do it you will know of it here. Till then I want to use this blog to talk about old adventures for now. With all this talk of Calgary it sort of falls in line with my 17th anniversary of being in Vancouver. So I guess stay tuned for next week's episode which I will talk about the 2 times I been to Calaway Park and the 17th anniversary of when I left Fort McMurray to live in Vancouver where I have been ever since.

Shazbot nanu nanu

*TOUR ALERT* Kehlani | Blue Water Road Tour

See dates below:

Jul 30 –Raleigh, N.C. – Red Hat Amphitheater Aug 1 –Miami, FL – FPL Solar Amphitheater Aug 3 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy Aug 5 – Charlotte, NC – Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre Aug 7 – Washington, DC – The Anthem Aug 9 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall Aug 12 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion Aug 13 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater Aug 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage @ The Mann Center Aug 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center Aug 17 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center Aug 19 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory Aug 22 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre Aug 24 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage (Citi presale not available) Aug 26 – Chicago, IL – Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Aug 28 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park Aug 30 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center Sep 01 – Austin, TX – Moody Amphitheater Sep 03 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom Sep 06 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium Sep 09 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Sep 10 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater Sep 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre Sep 15 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre Sep 17 – Portland, OR – Theater of the Clouds @ Moda Center Sep 18 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater Sep 21 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum (Citi presale not available) Sep 30 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena Oct 21 – Honolulu, HI – Waikiki Shell (Citi presale not available)

CONCERT REVIEW: BOYGENIUS W/ CARLY RAE JEPSEN AND ILLUMINATI HOTTIES AT PNE AMPHITHEATRE - JULY 28, 2023

In 1964, The Beatles played at the PNE fairgrounds to a screaming, euphoric crowd. Nearly 60 years later, it’s time for Paul and John to move over. Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker – collectively known as boygenius – brought a show to the PNE Amphitheatre for the new generation. The crowd, artists, and overall atmosphere had an energy that The Beatles could only wish for in the modern age. Enthusiasm, creative outfits, and cheers aplenty filled the air all evening long. This night truly demonstrated “boygeniusmania.”

Opening the evening were illuminati hotties. The LA-based quartet is fronted by audio engineer and producer Sarah Tudzin, who worked on boygenius’ debut album The Record. Their set was short and sweet, bringing a lot of punk energy to warm the crowd up. “It’s good to be up here, Vancouver. I love it,” Sarah told us halfway through. “Tim Horton, watch out, wherever you are. This is a brand new song, it’s called Truck.” With that, they launched into their latest single with rather biting, sarcastic lyrics, released just last week. 

The group has a captivating stage presence. They give the feeling of a close-up set in an intimate DIY venue, while playing to a crowd of thousands. I appreciate their music type – a mix of indie folk and straight punk. It’s rapid with a stripped-down feel, but also loud and hard enough to grab your attention (they self-describe it as “tenderpunk”). The set was full of soft and smooth licks with bitter lyrics and expressive, diverse vocals. More than one member took turns on the mic, the singing ranging from sad and sympathetic to angry and fierce. They really hyped us up early on, and were a perfect complement to the musical style of boygenius.

“I could use your help on this next one,” Sarah asked. “But I’ll teach it to you in case you don’t know it.” She launched into a rendition of “freequent letdown” with a pessimistic (and punk) vibe. (“I’m always letting everyone down, I’m always letting everyone know I’m down.”) The crowd was into it, and we all sang along to the chorus. By the end of their set, illuminati hotties had gotten the crowd cheering and moving, pumped for what was to come. 

This was a special night for Mission’s own Carly Rae Jepsen. In addition to being a hometown show, it was an album release party. Carly’s latest, The Loveliest Time, had just been released that day. As a longtime Carly fan, I was curious as to what the setlist would look like. How many brand new songs? How much old material? In the end she played four tracks from the new record, including the lead single “Shy Boy.” I was happy to hear “All That” – a slightly deep cut from 2015’s E•MO•TION.

Carly is best known for her dance pop style. However, many of the songs she played were on the slower, mellow side. Her soft, smooth voice introduced “Western Wind” as “a song I wrote in California about missing home in Canada,” naturally leading to applause. Then the tempo switched – “Time to turn it up!” Carly exclaimed, launching into “Psychedelic Switch.” This was my personal favourite of the new album songs. It was even named Best New Track by Pitchfork this week. I’m glad it made its way into the set.

About halfway through came Carly’s signature song. One of the most successful singles of all time, the entire crowd was jumping and singing along to that 2012 classic, “Call Me Maybe.” She went into the audience near the front for this one. Many phones were out to capture the moment. The energy was palpable, and kept going for the catchy and repetitive “I Really Like You.” This was a double punch (“just to send the message home”) paired with “Want You in My Room.” We were near the end now and the high energy songs had taken over. The big finale was “Cut to the Feeling” – a summer single released between albums that ended up being the most danced to of her whole set. There’s something special and extra fun about that one, particularly on a sunny Friday evening.

Carly was joined by backup dancers and a full band, her dancers really enhancing the choreography. As a trio they synced, they waved, and they really made a flash on stage. I’ve seen Carly in the past and was a little disappointed she didn’t have more banter with the audience—I’m not even sure she mentioned her new album. There were no outfit changes or flag waving or anything like that, though I understand time was a factor. Similarly, I was surprised she didn’t do an encore. 

As boygenius took the stage (to the classic anthem “The Boys Are Back In Town”), the crowd could probably be heard from the next town over. We got to see them perform “Without You Without Them” on camera backstage before making their way to our viewpoint—a cool gimmick that only built hype further.

“What universe is this?” Phoebe asked us. “It doesn’t make sense we saw Carly Rae Jepsen and then played after her. And Sarah from illuminati hotties helped make the record!” It was clear the headliners were just as thrilled about the talented lineup as the audience was. In addition to great music, the trio brought a lot of passion and genuineness to their set. They have a lot of fun performing and a special bond as friends and coworkers captured in their music and live set. You can’t fake that kind of synergy and talent. It translates to a great show and a feeling of beauty beyond words. 

The group only has one album and an EP so far, and the setlist consisted of almost all their material. It was a mixture of slow and fast throughout. Each of the three ladies have their own unique style, whether playing soothing violin or shredding a guitar hard. And they come together to create something even better than the sum of their parts. It was a unique, amazing experience seeing all this camaraderie live. Their music and live show goes beyond words, better in person than studio. 

I was curious as to if we’d hear any solo tracks from the artists. Indeed, Lucy, Julien, and Phoebe each performed one of their own songs in succession towards the end. “Who likes boyfriends? We do… How many boyfriends here are feeling scared right now?” Phoebe quipped before the group launched into a song about boyfriends with the same name. 

We were politely instructed to put our phones away close to the end “just for this one song,” and the whole crowd obliged. It was simply vibing and a present, tech-free existence for the somber “Letter to an Old Poet.” The final track of the set was “Not Strong Enough,” one of their most popular songs that everyone sung along to. I’ve rarely seen a crowd so engrossed in a chorus, singing of being always an angel and never a god.

“This is the best crowd in the world,” Phoebe told us to finish. “This doesn’t feel real. Thank you for being here.” It’s funny, as I and most of the audience could have said the same thing to Phoebe and her cohorts. It was surreal. 

These ladies are leading the scene, packing a house and just killing it on stage. Although their gender and identity is closely associated with their image, the members of boygenius have resented being individually labeled “women in rock.” Female is not a genre, and the band’s formation came from the three being personal friends with each other rather than competition. This was demonstrated in abundance Friday night and boygenius is a band that I’d bet against any touring group today. This night proved that rock is back, bigger and better than ever.

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk

@theprpress: blue water road trip 🫀 @Kehlani at PNE Amphitheatre in #Vancouver thepermanentrainpress.com/post/696243325110484992/kehlani-sep-21-pne-amphitheatre

Photographed by: @baileymorganphotography

2018 PNE Summer Night Concerts

2018 PNE Summer Night Concerts

Once again, each night at 8:30pm the Pacific National Exhibition will come alive with the sounds of music, and this morning is your chance to get tickets to the summer’s best entertainment value, the 2018 PNE Summer Night Concerts series.

Pop, rock, country, disco, soul and R&B all come to the PNE Amphitheatre stage throughout the 15 Summer Night Concerts.  You can take it way back with the likes…

View On WordPress

Summer Daze: July 2023

Metro Vancouver Events Calendar:

Now-July 2: Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Now-July 23: Frida Kahlo: The Immersive Experience @ PNE Agrodome

Now-Aug. 6: Million Dollar Quartet @ Granville Island Stage

Now-Aug. 19: Tall Tales: The Quest is Up to You! @ The Improv Centre

Now-Aug. 31: Back to the ‘80s @ VIFF Centre

Now-Sept. 15: Shipyards Night Market (Fridays)

Now-Sept. 24: Jeremy Shaw: Phase Shifting Index @ Polygon Gallery

Now-Sept. 30: Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival @ Vanier Park

Now-Oct. 9: Richmond Night Market

Now-Oct. 28: Riley Park Farmers Market / Trout Lake Farmers Market / West End Farmers Market @ 1100 Comox (Saturdays)

Now-Oct. 29: Mount Pleasant Famers Market @ Dude Chilling Park / Kitsilano Farmers Market @ Kitsilano Community Centre (Sundays)

Now-Nov. 29: Downtown Farmers Market @ 750 Hornby (Wednesdays)

July 1: Steveston Salmon Festival / Seven Samurai (Open House) @ The Cinematheque

July 3-4: Le Tigre @ Commodore Ballroom

July 6-15: Dancing on the Edge Festival

July 6-16: Indian Summer Festival

July 6-Aug. 26: Theatre Under the Stars @ Malkin Bowl

July 8: Khatsahlano Street Party / Luxury & Supercar Weekend @ Richmond Olympic Oval

July 8-9: Carnival del Sol @ David Lam Park

July 9: Brewery and the Beast @ Concord Pacific Place

July 9 & 23: Ladner Village Market

July 9-Aug. 6: Music on the Plaza @ Brentwood Plaza (weekends)

July 12: Gastown Grand Prix

July 13: Tropic Thunder @ Odd Society Spirits

July 14-16: Vancouver Folk Music Festival @ Jericho Beach Park

July 15-16: Vancouver Chinatown Festival

July 16: Nuba 20th Anniversary Block Party @ Mount Pleasant

July 22: The Cup @ Hastings Racecourse

July 22-23: Create! Arts Festival @ Strathcona Park

July 25-30: Broadway Across Canada: Disney’s Aladdin @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

July 27-Aug. 5: Early Music Summer Festival

July 28: Boygenius @ PNE Amphitheatre

July 28-30: East by Northwest (EXNW) Global Summit @ JW Marriott Parq

July 28-Aug. 6: Vancouver Pride Festival