DRIZZY IN THE 6
Drake’s OVO Fest is just one of this week’s Top Tickets,
Farewell Sheezer Watch this if: You like Weezer (obviously) and bittersweet vibes.
Six years ago, Robin Hatch, Alysha Haugen, Laura Barrett and Dana Snell decided as a joke to form an all-female Weezer cover band and Toronto was never the same. Sheezer (praiseworthy for the name alone) became one of the city’s hottest tickets and sparked a cover band revolution. But the girls have decided to call it quits, since their individual music careers are taking off, so this week’s shows at Lee’s Palace mark their last as a band. Expect “Say It Ain’t So” to have a particularly bittersweet taste.
Aug. 6 (with guest Bart) and 7 (with guest Army Girls), Lee’s Palace, 529 Bloor St. W. OVO Fest Watch this if: You want to keep your Toronto citizenship.
It’s appropriate that Drake named his latest (surprise) album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, because if you haven’t heard of OVO Fest by now then it’s probably too late to redeem your T.O. cred. The biggest rap festival in the 6 returns for the sixth time with headliners such as Kevin Hart, J. Cole and Big Sean and, of course, Drizzy himself, not to mention the superstar special guests the fest is known to wrangle. Yep, we know how that should go. Aug. 1-3, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, 909 Lake Shore Blvd. W. SummerWorks Performance Festival Watch this if: You love the performing arts but hate labels.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the SummerWorks festival is bigger than ever.
Which means there’s even more choice between the theatre, music, dance and live art series — not that those silos are very strict.
SummerWorks is at its best when putting them all into an artistic blender, like pairing indie bands with theatre directors, or programming dances that incorporate film, improv, radio or even essays.
A solid bet for this year’s festival is Counting Sheep, a folk opera created and performed by the Lemon Bucket Orkestra.
Or check out The Stranger, where you’re your own audience as you fulfil a mission in the streets of Toronto.
Aug. 6-16, various locations, summerworks.ca