Shock rock legend Alice Cooper is coming to the Island
Emmylou Harris headlines Port Theatre, Goolden shows that include Richard Thompson
Victoria’s High Tide Entertainment has secured a pair of bookings with a trio of singer-songwriters some consider among the best in the business.
Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell and Richard Thompson are playing two shows on Vancouver Island together — yes, you read that correctly — in early November. Harris and Crowell are performing as a headlining unit, with opening support from Thompson. The dates are Nov. 8 at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo and Nov. 9 at Victoria’s Alix Goolden Performance Hall.
Don’t be surprised if the pair of performances go down as among the best in local lore. Thompson gave a sold-out performance at Alix Goolden Hall last year, while Crowell and Harris released the collaborative album Old Yellow Moon to wide acclaim earlier this year.
Pre-sale tickets for the Port Theatre performance go on sale Wednesday for Port Theatre members only; on Friday for the public. Both tiers of tickets ($90.50-$99.50, plus service charges) are available in person at the Port Theatre, by phone at 250-754-8550 or online at porttheatre.com.
Tickets for the Alix Goolden Performance Hall ($100, plus service charges) are available starting Friday at hightideconcerts.net, Ditch Records and Lyle’s Place.
I often receive feedback from readers about the state of concerts in Victoria. And to be diplomatic, there remains a B-grade element to some of the bands that play our city. But that has more to do with our location and lack of large venues than audience demand.
To summarize, it’s not our fault. That said, there is plenty of opportunity for fans to see bands either on their rise to the top or shortly before their peak. I do not subscribe to the “no one good ever plays Victoria” refrain. And here’s why.
The cover story in Rolling Stone magazine this week branded what are the “50 greatest live acts right now.” No one from Victoria — or even B.C., for that matter — made the list, but there is an interesting angle to it nonetheless.
The list compiled by Rolling Stone voters (and an all-star jury which included Eagles manager Irving Azoff, Metallica manager Cliff Burnstein, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and more) spotlights a good number of massive acts. Among the famous names on the list are Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift, U2 and the Rolling Stones.
But nestled between the hall of famers is a contingent of musicians — including three named to the Top 10 — who have all found themselves in Victoria or the surrounding area in the not-too-distant past.
Here’s the list of performers who have performed locally over the years, and their respective Rolling Stone rankings: Prince (No. 2); Arcade Fire (No. 4); Neil Young (No. 5); Wilco (No. 12); Nine Inch Nails (No. 17); Red Hot Chili Peppers (No. 21); Tom Waits (No. 22); Pearl Jam (No. 23); Dave Matthews Band (No. 24); Queens of the Stone Age (No. 38); Rush (No. 39); Skrillex (No. 42); Janelle Monáe (No. 44); Tool (No. 46); and Green Day (No. 48).
Feel free to use these for ammunition when talk turns to Victoria’s lack of A-grade concert activity.
Montreal act No Joy is heading to back to Victoria as part of its upcoming North American tour, which will see the band of “doomgazers” play Lucky Bar on Oct. 3.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for co-founder and former Times Colonist carrier Laura Lloyd, who lived in Victoria with her family during the late ’90s (her father, Evan Lloyd, was an assistant deputy minister with the B.C. government). The band is soaring on strong reviews for its sophomore recording Wait to Pleasure, which was released in April.
For more information, go to facebook.com/nojoymusic.
Calgary singer-songwriter Samantha Savage Smith is playing twice in Victoria on Tuesday — in two separate bands.
Smith, whose 2011 debut Tough Cookie earned critical kudos, is performing with Lab Coast and under her own name next week at the Copper Owl. The triple-bill will also feature a set by Victoria group Zuzu’s Petals.
The Copper Owl is at 1900 Douglas St. Doors are at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $8.