Fall arts preview: Five must-see concerts
Packed calendar offers a diverse array of musical talents for fans to take in
Some months into the post-pandemic reopening, reviews of the return to in-person live music events are mixed.
COVID proving to be entirely unco-operative is keeping a significant segment of any audience away from venues, clubs and even outdoor events. Artists, promoters and venue operators have all reported that sold-out shows are often missing up to 20 per cent of paid customers. Turns out, nobody was really serious stating, “I'd die to see so and so on this tour.”
At the same time, anyone who has pushed past personal hesitation and enjoyed a concert lately can attest that it feels so good to be back in the arena singing along. Those virtual gigs that kept performers in people's minds over the past few years really can't hold a candle to the real thing. Masked-up or not, the thrill of the live experience remains one of a kind.
So the concert calendar is packed heading into the fall, and here are five shows offering distinct and — hopefully — delightful results in the next few months.
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE
When: Sept. 16, 9 p.m. Where: Fortune Sound Club, 147 East Pender
Tickets and info: $24, at Livenation.com
Firmly established in its U.K. home and across Europe, this London octet has been banging out the grooves for nearly a decade. With the release of their fourth album, Electricity, the band is ready to shock North American listeners with its distinctive brand of electro Afro-funk. The first album to be produced outside the band, in this case the Grammy and Mercury Prize-nominated synth-pop crew Hot Chip, is loaded with sounds that fans of everyone from Bootsy Collins and Grace Jones to Tackhead and more will connect with. The ace in the mix is lead vocalist Eno Williams, who is a total powerhouse in studio and onstage.
GWENIFER RAYMOND
When: Oct. 1, 8 p.m. Where: BlueShore at CapU, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver
Tickets/info: capilanou.ca The BlueShore at CapU celebrates 25 years of showcasing top-tier international, national and local artists in unique and refreshing ways this year with an all-star gala on Oct. 16 and 17. But before that milestone event, the venue launches its new season with a show by the incomparable Welsh-born, Brighton-based solo acoustic guitar sorcerer Gwenifer Raymond. Describing her style on guitar and banjo as American primitive through a decidedly U.K. folk lens, her compositions on her sophomore release, Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain, are mesmerizing. Experimenting with open tunings, drones, unorthodox picking and rhythms, her pieces often can sound like several instrumentalists at the time it is only one.
STROMAE MULTITUDE TOUR
When: Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m. Where: Pacific Coliseum Tickets/info: stromae.com Multitude is the third album from Belgian singer/ songwriter/fashionista Paul Van Haver, a.k.a. Stromae. His first new music since 2013's Racine carrée saw the singer explode back into the global charts with singles such as L'enfer and Santé. The only exclusively French-singing performer to sell out Madison Square Garden hit the road in support of the fantastic recording which hit No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. World Albums chart and No. 4 in Billboard's Canadian charts. His theatrical production at Coachella this summer was listed as a festival highlight by many reviewers, and Vancouver fans who caught his spectacular 2014 show at the Vogue know that this is a singer who lives up to his single titled Formidable.
LIZZO: THE SPECIAL TOUR
When: Nov. 7, 8 p.m. Where: Rogers Arena Tickets/info: Ticketmaster. com
The comparisons to Aretha Franklin are hyperbolic. But there is no question that the artist known as Lizzo has mad skills as a singer/rapper and don't forget the flute. Gaining global recognition with the smash third 2019 album, Cuz I Love You, Lizzo was the most-nominated act at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards and took home four, including best pop solo performance for Truth Hurts and best traditional R&B performance for Jerome. By the time 2022's Special dropped, she was everywhere. Acting, hosting Amazon Prime's Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, and blowing minds with the Lizzoverse Twitch broadcast, it's no surprise the Special Tour is one of the season's most anticipated shows.
BARTEES STRANGE
When: Dec. 10, 6 p.m. Where: Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main St.
Tickets/info: $30.20 at ticketweb.ca
Since his EP Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy showcasing covers of songs by the National gained attention in 2020, English-born, Oklahoma-raised musician Bartees Strange has been generating a buzz. With the release of Farm to Table, this singer/songwriter's mix of hip hop, indie riffs, jazz fusion flow and folk has been gaining popularity with DJs, critics and fans. The material is often autobiographical, with the album's 10 tunes referencing family, people and places that have moved him emotionally. That the well-executed songwriting also moves listeners comes as no surprise as songs such as the straight-rocking Heavy Heart or tripped-out rap of Cosigns are meticulously rendered.