BEATS, CHORDS AND BALLADS
Three concert picks run the gamut
There are two big touring seasons in the music industry: Summers feature the festival circuit, and see major acts hitting hotspots all over the planet. Fall is reserved for arena tours in support of new releases, and a push by up-and-coming acts to try to get some of that sweet back-to-school action on college campuses. (It’s not a coincidence so many tours coincide with the time between mid-terms and exams.)
With the changes to the music business, bands only make their money on the road. That translates to a lot more shows than there used to be during the traditional December to March hump slowdown.
That means you need to be thinking about where to put your hardearned cash for advance purchases to avoid sellout disappointment down the road. Here are our picks for this fall:
MAINSTREAM
Coldplay
Sept. 29, 7 p.m. | B.C. Place Tickets and info: From $169.50, at Ticketmaster.ca
The seventh world tour by this ridiculously huge U.K. group is in support of the namesake album A Head Full of Dreams, as well as the Kaleidoscope EP. All told, Chris Martin and the crew are playing 120 dates and all are in massive arenas. This, of course, means that there is going to be a lot of big lights, big pyro, big lasers, and the return of the incredibly popular light-emitting xyloband wristbands which made the Mylo Xyloto tour such a visual feast. Tove Lo and Alina Baraz open.
INDIE
Deadmau5
Oct. 24, 8 p.m. | Pacific Coliseum Tickets and info: From $45.85, at ticketmaster.ca
Joel Thomas Zimmerman could probably walk down the street and not be spotted. When he is under his big-eared custom Deadmau5 headgear, he’s one of the world’s most popular DJs, and he’s a savvy businessman who has been releasing his music on his mau5trap label for over a decade. This production features old and new tunes, with the visual mayhem courtesy of the custom-designed Cube 2.1, an 18-foot (5.4 m) high rig that boasts bells, whistles, screens, decks, and the dude himself. Think arena rave action, and you are on the right path.
WILD CARD
David Duchovny
Oct. 14, 9 p.m. | Imperial, 319 Main Tickets and info: From $25, at ticketweb.ca
The tune is out there. And the man who will be bringing it to listener’s ears is former Vancouver regular and rain hater David Duchovny. Since the X-Files days, he has appeared in a number of hits ranging from Californication, to his turn as Dennis/ Denise Bryson on Twin Peaks. The Yale writing graduate even penned his first novel, Holy Cow, in 2015 and watched it ride the New York Times bestsellers list. So when news arrived that he had completed his debut studio album for Think Say Records, folks wondered if he’d add hit musician to his list of achievements. With his laid-back, California country rock sound, this concert could be well worth a gander. And for superfans, there is a meet-and-greet VIP ticket package, too.