Hiatt and Lovett return to Island 10 years after storied show
10 years after legendary UVic shows, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett are coming back to Island for Nanaimo gig
It has been 10 years since John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett sat beside each other on a Vancouver Island stage, something that is raising expectations for the pair’s concert Wednesday at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre.
For those who saw Hiatt and Lovett together the last time, on a songwriters-in-the-round show with Guy Clark and Joe Ely, momentous doesn’t begin to explain their return. The two Hiatt-Lovett-Clark-Ely performances at the University of Victoria have gone down in local lore as among the best in history — a living, breathing example of songwriters at the top of their craft. Each show was punctuated by a friendly joie de vivre that could only come from friends with several decades of hard-won experience under their belts.
Though it won’t be an exact replica — next week’s show is sans Clark (who died last year) and Ely (who is on tour in Texas) — fans should expect to be amazed when Hiatt and Lovett take the stage.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Sadly, tickets are sold out.
To keep tabs on seats — should they arise — phone the Port Theatre box office (125 Front St.) at 250-754-8550. The poster for Jesse Brown’s upcoming tour features an illustration of rapper Drake amorously caressing a moose — which is fitting, given that the journalist’s 11-date trek is said to feature a satirical take on Canada.
The popular podcaster, who runs the website Canadaland and is credited with breaking news of the sexual-assault charges against former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi, is touring to promote his new book, Canadaland’s Guide
to Canada. The tour stops May 12 in Victoria at the Upstairs Cabaret and will feature everything from “[penis] jokes about prime ministers” to a slideshow through the past, present and future of Canada, according to a statement.
Stories, cartoons, music and videos will also factor into Brown’s performance. The broadcaster will be joined on stage by local historians and comics. A book signing will follow each performance.
Tickets are $15 at Ticketzone.com. Upstairs Cabaret is located at 15 Bastion Sq. Bilal has a resumé rich with starquality appearances, which should make his debut at the Upstairs Cabaret on April 22 one heck of a hot ticket.
The Grammy Award-winning soul singer has made a name for himself over two decades, thanks to collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, The Roots and Dr. Dre, among others. No word at this point on what type of set-up he’s bringing to Bastion Square, but expectations are high that he will be in fine form due to his 2015 album In Another Life, considered one of that year’s best.
Tickets are $25 at Lyle’s Place and Ticketzone.com.
We write a lot about Nanaimo’s
David Gogo, but for good reason: He’s one of the best bluesmen in this or any other area of Canada.
Gogo, who recently earned his fifth Juno Award nomination, has a notable upcoming concert — on his birthday, no less — at the Port Theatre on March 18.
The Nanaimo legend will be joined at the gig by fellow Juno nominees David Vest of Victoria, Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer singer Shawn Hall of Nanaimo and Wide Mouth Mason leader Shaun Verreault of Vancouver.
Tickets are $28-$38 through the Port Theatre box office at 250-754-8550 or tickets.porttheatre.com. One of the top free-jazz performers in history is returning to Victoria in June, to the spot where he made his rapturously received debut two years ago.
Pioneering jazz reedist Peter Brötzmann of Germany will headline at the Copper Owl on June 1. He will be joined in a duo by avant-garde pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh.
Brötzmann, who is proficient on both saxophone and clarinet, got his start in 1959 and is considered one of the key performers of his kind. His previous appearance at the Copper Owl, which sold out, is considered a landmark moment in this city’s jazz timeline.
Tickets to see Brötzmann and Leigh are $20 at Cavity Curiosity Shop and the Copper Owl (1900 Douglas St.) Opening act is the Victoria improvisational jazz trio Insular Dwarfism. Qualicum Beach singersongwriter WiL will perform March 11 in a Victoria House Concerts B presentation at Fort Tectoria (777 Fort St.).
WiL will be joined at the intimate venue with Keith Gallant (drums) and Lena Birtwistle (keys/vocals). Tickets ($20) and information is available through ibreakstrings.com and randrewbriggs@hotmail.com.
If available, tickets will be $25
at the door, with all funds going directly to the artists. Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Music starts at 8. The Sooke Philharmonic is presenting a concert by an esteemed foursome of performers on Friday at the Holy Trinity Church (1962 Murray Rd.) in Sooke.
David Stewart (violin), Paule Préfontaine (violin), Yariv Aloni (viola) and Pamela Highbaugh Aloni (cello) will perform a selection of material by Schubert, Dvorák, Halvorsen, and Mendelssohn.
Stewart and Prèfontaine live in Norway and play with the Bergen Philharmonic, while the Alonis are Victoria-based and known for their work with the Lafayette String Quartet, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra and Galiano Ensemble, among others.
Tickets are $20 at the door. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
For more information, visit Sookephil.ca or phone 250-419-3569.