Goo Goo Dolls – Collective Soul

August 25, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Photo Gallery

Goo Goo Dolls with Collective Soul – Photo Gallery – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto – August 9, 2016

Posted by Lithium on August 11, 2016

Photos by Andrew Hartl

Collective Soul at The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto

Goo Goo Dolls at The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto

Sevendust – Crobot

August 25, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Photo Gallery

Sevendust with Crobot and Red Tide Rising – Opera House, Toronto – August 17, 2016

Posted by Lithium on August 20, 2016

All Photos by Andrew Hartl

Crobot at The Opera House

Red Tide Rising at The Opera House

Sevendust at The Opera House

Drake

August 7, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Drake and Future – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – July 31, 2016

Posted by Lithium on August 2, 2016

By Robyn Crosby
Photos by Andrew Hartl

www.drakeofficial.com / www.freebandz.com

This past Sunday, at Drake’s 7^th Annual OVOFest, the crowd was more than amped for Drake and Future as part of the Summer Sixteen Tour. Drake opened the show and proceeded to attack a huge set list of approximately 50 songs, including his smash hits and songs from this year’s release, Views.

Drake promised special guest appearances and he delivered. He brought out, or rather up from the trap door in the stage floor… Rihanna.

She performed “Needed Me” and “Bitch Better Have My Money” before Drake came back and joined her to perform, for the first time ever together, “Too Good”. They also delivered “Work”. Like in other performances the pair wined together; they even shared a cute little moment when Rihanna appeared to mess up a part of a song. “That’s how you know it’s real,” Drake joked. The Barbadian also shared that she was usually in her native home this particular weekend for Carnival, alluding to how special it was that she was in Toronto and not adorning her usual beaded and barely there, Carnival costume.

Firecracker bombs, fireworks and smoke kept the crowd exhilarated during both Drizzy and Future’s sets. Drake had many visual treats as well. During the song “9”, the backdrop featured Toronto’s CN Tower. And at one point, lights from the ceiling came down to create a 6. He also took a tour around the Air Canada Centre on a floating-stage-plexi-glass-gondola.

The decked-out-in-Drake-apparel-crowd (there were regular merch booths as well as Drake’s OVO Store to shop at) was asked if they wanted the short or the long show, and were warned no one should be sitting down or looking tired. Loud shouts and screams ensured the long show was the only show the audience wanted. At about 11:35 Drake joked, “They want me off the stage, but I own the building,” as he teased about his many Raptors and ACC connections.

During Future’s set, Future and his DJ undeniably hyped the crowd. Songs included “Stick Talk” and “Fuck Up Some Commas” and he didn’t hold back when it came to more of the thunderous fireworks. Four dancers also brought heat to the ATL rappers trap music. Later, Drake returned to perform “Big Rings” and “Jumpman” alongside Future. However, absent from the collab was “Where Ya At”. But the autotune rapper did perform “Low Life”, a song recorded with Toronto’s own, The Weeknd.

After, Drake took back the baton to round out the night. Before launching into “Energy”, the Toronto native, took a second to genuinely take it all in. Throughout the night Drizzy had gone on about how much his city meant to him and the pride he felt. “I love you for real,” he said. The show ended with the song “Legend”.

With the exchange of love and appreciation from both the adoring crowd and Drake, he bestowed a message, “Use the hours of the day to protect the ones you love, we don’t want to lose any.” “Get home safe,” he said.

Earlier in the evening, Roy Woods opened the show.

Watch for video documentation to show up somewhere, as there were many cameras throughout the venue, including many shots of the crowd!

Roy Woods at The Air Canada Centre in Toronto

OVO Toronto

Future at The Air Canada Centre

DVSN at The Air Canada Centre in Toronto

Drake at The Air Canada Centre in Toronto

Bryan Adams

August 7, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Bryan Adams: Get Up Tour – July 26, 2016 – Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto

Posted by Lithium on July 27, 2016

By Natalie Paterson
Photos by Andrew Hartl

http://bryanadams.com/tour

The Molson Canadian Amphitheatre was unsurprisingly packed for an iconic Canadian artist on Tuesday night. It’s hard to believe one man can keep an audience on their feet and singing for nearly 3 hours, but Bryan Adams manages to do this consistently, and tonight was no exception. He was the first musical act to perform at the Amphitheatre on May 18, 1995, and just over 21 years later he’s back. Seeing him so comfortable on that stage adds another layer of awesomeness to his entire performance.

Promoting his 13th album, Get Up, the show featured tracks from his new album including “Do What Ya Gotta Do” and “Go Down Rockin’”. But it wouldn’t be a Bryan Adams concert without the classics, including “Run to You”, “Heaven”, and the ever appropriate “Summer of ’69”.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him in concert, so I knew what to expect. But seeing the range of fans that come out to his shows, young and old, for me always cements what a wonderful performer he is. Bryan Adams is a truly iconic Canadian artist, and just going to one of his shows is explanation enough for his popularity.

The Get Up Tour continues on July 27th in Quebec City at the Videotron Centre and continues across North America, Europe, and the UK through 2017.

Bryan Adams at The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto

Bryan Adams Setlist

Do What Ya Gotta Do

Can’t Stop This Thing We Started

Don’t Even Try

Run to You

Go Down Rockin’

Heaven

Kids Wanna Rock

It’s Only Love

This Time

You Belong to Me

Summer of ’69

When You’re Gone

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You

On a Day Like Today

If Ya Wanna Be Bad Ya Gotta Be Good

Back to You

We Did It All

Somebody
I’ll Always Be Right There

Please Forgive Me

Cuts Like a Knife

18 til I Die

The Only Thing that Looks Good on Me Is You

Encore

Brand New Day

C’mon Everybody (Eddie Cochrane cover)

All Shook Up (Elvis Presley cover)

She Knows Me

Straight From The Heart

All For Love (Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting cover)

Dave Matthews Band

August 7, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Dave Matthews Band – The Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto – July 19, 2016

Posted by Samantha Wu on July 21, 2016

http://davematthewsband.com

Review by Samantha Wu
Photos by Andrew Hartl

Never in all my years of attending concerts at the Molson Ampitheatre in Toronto have I seen it as busy and as crowded as it was when Dave Matthews Band played there earlier this week. Though I showed up at the venue at precisely the right time, the crowd outside the gates was massive as was the line for the box office and will call. As I moved to join the line, I soon realized that it stretched past the Molson Ampitheatre entrance, across the pedestrian bridge and well into the parking lot for the BMO Field across the highway. Needless to say, I knew I would be stuck in this monstrosity of a line for the next foreseeable future and I’d certainly be missing the beginning of the show.

On one hand, it shows the impact Dave Matthews Band has on the rock music industry and on fans proving that the 90s will never truly go away. The people in the crowd ranged all age groups — children, teens, and millennials to baby boomers. From those who remember fondly albums like Crash and Before These Crowded Streets when they were released and had them playing on repeat way back when, to those who are now schooling a younger generation on just how great this music was and still is, everyone was in the audience for this show. If only everyone could just get to their seats on time.

It’s hard to say what caused this amount of chaos and confusion in the first place but from what I heard through the grapevine, it was that this show wasn’t using electronic tickets and all tickets had to be in printed form. The security team was thankfully sympathetic towards the discomfort and concerns of the crowd.

By the time I reached the end of the line and had my ticket in hand, it was already 9:30 pm, an hour had past since Dave Matthews Band had taken the stage and I had officially missed the first half of the show. For that reason, I can’t actually say if the show had started well though a few people in line at the concession stand said Dave Matthews and company played an outstanding set.

Taking a look at their set list, I’m sad that some of my favourite songs including “When the World Ends” and “Break Free” were played at the beginning of the show and therefore I had completely missed them. What I did catch, including “What Would You Say” and “You & Me”, was a lot of fun to watch. The crowd danced and sang along; it was a delight to behold. The joy of a Dave Matthews Band show is how communal the experience is, Dave Matthews himself is a warm and welcoming individual who invites the crowd to relax into the music and put their feet up. Each song performed starts the way everyone remembers on the album and then evolved into an organic jam session where everyone on stage simply let loose and had fun allowing their instruments to speak for themselves.

The crowd loved it and they grooved with it and I wish I could have been able to let go and enjoy myself more. Unfortunately waiting over an hour on my feet standing in the chilly evening air had taken up my reserves and I found myself too cold and enduring much pain and exhaustion to enjoy the rest of the show as much as I could have.

It’s alarming that this kind of situation had to happen that forced hundreds of people to miss a good chunk of the show, despite arriving at the appropriate time.

Dave Matthews Band plays Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto

Set List

One Sweet World
When the World Ends
Seven
The Idea of You
#41
Death on the High Seas
Squirm
You Might Die Trying
Break Free
Lie in Our Graves
So Much to Say
Bob Law
What Would You Say
Samurai Cop
You & Me
Why I Am
Jimi Thing
Sexy M.F. (Prince cover)

Encore

Sister
Pantala Naga Pampa
Rapunzel

Ellie Goulding

August 7, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Ellie Goulding – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – June 19, 2016

Posted by harltonempire on June 20, 2016

By: Kat Harlton

Photos: Andrew Hartl

http://www.elliegoulding.com

Ellie Goulding brought her Delirium Tour to the Air Canada Centre Sunday night in a shroud of mystery and anticipation. Backed by beautiful kaleidoscopic images, a band, backup singers and a group of dancers, Goulding gyrated, danced, and jumped her way through a set that lasted over an hour.

Being only generally aware of her work, I was surprised and impressed by how fiercely independent both her and her music came across. Performing tracks from throughout her discography, it was Goodness Gracious from Halcyon that really started to fuel the crowd and provide the energy she sought. However, it was follow-up numbers Something In The Way You Move, and Outside (her collaboration with Calvin Harris) that sent the mostly teen crowd into a frenzy. Bringing the energy back down, Goulding then brought out her guitar and gave an acoustic performance of Devotion.

A highlight of the night for me was her performance of Army. A tribute to her best friend, she sang in front of large video backdrops featuring snapshots of them together, which then switched to display the ACC audience and their friends. I thought it was a really great way of incorporating her fans and giving them a moment to remember.

Goulding ended the night in a Raptors/OVO jacket while performing Anything Could Happen and Love Me Like You Do (from the Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack) in front of video screens displaying rainbow colored hands shaped in the form of a heart, as confetti rained down from the ceiling.

Goulding brought nothing but love for her craft and for her fans this past Sunday night, and it was just what Toronto needed.

Ellie Goulding at The Air Canada Centre

Carrie Underwood at The Air Canada Centre

June 1, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Carrie Underwood – The Storyteller Tour – Air Canada Centre, May 28th, 2016

Posted by Lithium on June 1, 2016

By Natalie Paterson
Photos by Andrew Hartl

http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/

The Air Canada Centre was packed with loud, dancing country fans as Carrie Underwood took over for her Storyteller Tour on Saturday night. And I have to say, it was an incredible show.

Starting the night off with The Swon Brothers, these Oklahoma brothers brought the crowd to their feet with loud, rocking country music. I’ve been watching them since their debut on The Voice and they bring all the excitement to the stage you might expect. They even signed a guitar and gave it away to a young girl in the crowd. Talk about walking away with a souvenir!

Next up was Easton Corbin. His was a more traditional brand of country, featuring fiddles and banjos on stage while he tickled the crowd’s ears. He was able to maintain the same amount of energy that The Swon Brothers started, and kept it going for the main attraction: Carrie Underwood.
Put simply, she is incredible. She knows how to take command of a stage and a crowd, and knows how to keep that crowd on their feet and dancing. When she sang some of her most beloved songs, I got chills. She even did a touching rendition of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”, along with a loving tribute to her son and husband, after telling the crowd she met him in Toronto eight years prior during another of her earlier concerts.

Carrie Underwood’s The Storyteller Tour continues until August 31^st.See her on this tour if you can!

The Swon Brothers at The Air Canada Centre

Easton Corbin at The Air Canada Centre

Carrie Underwood at The Air Canada Centre

Carrie Underwood Setlist

Renegade Runaway
Last Name/Somethin’ Bad
Undo It
Good Girl
Church Bells
Cowboy Casanova
Heartbeat
Jesus, Take the Wheel
Wasted
Blown Away
Two Black Cadillacs
Dirty Laundry
Choctaw County Affair
I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton cover)
What I Never Knew I Always Wanted
Fishin’ in the Dark (The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover)
Clock Don’t Stop
All-American Girl
Little Toy Guns
Before He Cheats

Encore

Smoke Break
Something in the Water

Lights at The Danforth Music Hall

May 6, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Photo Gallery

LIGHTS with DCF – Danforth Music Hall – May 2, 2016

Posted by Lithium on May 3, 2016

Photos by Andrew Hartl

DCF at The Danforth Music Hall

Lights at The Danforth Music Hall

DCF at The Danforth Music Hall

Wild Feathers

April 24, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

The Wild Feathers – Lee’s Palace, Toronto – April 21, 2016

Posted by harltonempire on April 22, 2016

By: Kat Harlton
Photos: Andrew Hartl

http://www.thewildfeathers.com

Nashville-based The Wild Feathers came back to Toronto this past Thursday to headline a packed show at Lee’s Palace. Currently on tour in support of their recently released sophomore album, Lonely Is A Lifetime, the 5-piece brought their gritty and no-holds-barred southern rock to an excited audience and then gave an invigorating performance.

Having only stumbled across The Wild Feathers a couple of years ago, this was my first time catching them live and they were even better than expected. From the minute they took the stage it was clear that this is a band that loves what they do. They are emotive performers and I felt exhausted just watching them continually give everything they had song after song.

Displaying their signature harmonies, they played numerous tracks off their current album, including Sleepers, Into The Sun, the title track Lonely Is A Lifetime (a personal fave) and the eight-minute long Goodbye Song. They also played The Ceiling and then lead the crowd into a rousing sing-a-along of fan favorite Left My Woman from their self-titled debut.

A fun highlight was Taylor Burns showcasing the back of his guitar during the encore as it featured tape that formed the words ‘Fuck Trump’. This was to the delight and applause of fans . Joined by opening act The Shelters, the band closed out the evening with an upbeat cover of With A Little Help From My Friends.

I had such a great time, and can’t wait to catch this band again. The Wild Feathers’ tour goes until the end of July with dates in Europe, the UK, and Australia.

Click on photos to enlarge and scroll through gallery:

Wild Feathers at Lees Palace

The Shelters at Lees Palace

Wild Feathers at Lees Palace

The Shelters at Lees Palace

Dream Theater at The Sony Centre

April 18, 2016 / smileandwave / Leave a comment

Gallery Concert Review

Dream Theater – The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto – April 16, 2016

Posted by Samantha Wu on April 18, 2016

Review by Samantha Wu
Photos by Andrew Hartl

http://www.dreamtheater.net/theastonishing

The members of Dream Theater have truly outdone themselves with their current tour, The Astonishing, that took to the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts stage this weekend. This prog metal band is known across the globe for their highly theatrical and visually stunning stage shows to accompany their impeccably skilled musicianship — the drawn-out solos performed by virtuosos in their field are expected at a Dream Theater show.

To accompany their latest concept album of the same name released earlier this year, the band has literally constructed a full world within their show, The Great Northern Empire of the Americas (GNEA), and has populated said world with a royal family (including Emperor Nefaryus, Empress Arabelle, Princess Faythe, and Prince Daryus). A rebel militia group known as the Ravenskill is determined to take down the ruling and oppressive family with the power of music. There is chaos, strife, and intrigue within this fantastical dystopian world that is both futuristic and medieval at the same time. The project is inspired heavily by science fiction and fantasy stories like Game of Thrones and Star Wars.

Fans can learn more about these rock opera characters in the playbill accompanying the show, with further details in their tour program available for purchase or on their website. The characters in question are featured throughout the projections shown on every flat surface on the stage. The graphics, animation, colours, and visual effects are, simply put, some of the best that I’ve seen in any live stage show. They are stunningly gorgeous and sold me on the show. Often times I found myself more intrigued by the visuals than by watching Dream Theater perform.

Not that they didn’t do a fine job as they usually do. The band was in fine form performing The Astonishing album in its entirety with two acts broken by an intermission (much to the dismay of one fan who called out for the song “6:00” at regular intervals throughout the show). The members of Dream Theater are consistently heralded as within the Top 10 of their field, which makes their music some of the most technically skilled and complex out there. It translates to their live shows and, in particular, to the extended solos that show off what these guys are truly capable of. There are times when it seems like they draw out their songs for far longer than ever necessary but within the context of this performance and the story being told, it just seemed to work.

That said, it was hard to not notice the number of times lead singer James LaBrie reached for his water and thermos on stage and ducked off stage in between songs. During his performance, it seemed evident that he was pushing himself and it may have been that he was coming down with something. I have to hand it to him, doing two-hour-plus performance like this almost nightly is far from easy and can wreak havoc on the body. In fact, at the end of the show, it was LaBrie who drew attention to guitarist John Petrucci who he said was “sick as a dog” and thought would “pass out at any moment”. Now THAT I need to applaud as he held it together incredibly well throughout the show, his illness wasn’t showing in his performance at all.

Hats off to Dream Theater, one of the most talented and hard working bands out there, for pulling off such a mind blowing show despite illness and fatigue. Their North American tour continues in the States with a stop in Boston next. If you have a chance to see them this time around, do so as you won’t be disappointed. I just hope the guys have the chance to catch their breath and rest up soon.

Click on photos to enlarge or scroll through the photo gallery

Dream Theater at The Sony Centre

Rockstar Photography

mississauga photographer available for event , portrait, commercial, and concert photography

Tag Archives: toronto

Goo Goo Dolls – Collective Soul

Goo Goo Dolls with Collective Soul – Photo Gallery – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, Toronto – August 9, 2016

Sevendust – Crobot

Sevendust with Crobot and Red Tide Rising – Opera House, Toronto – August 17, 2016

Drake

Drake and Future – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – July 31, 2016

Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams: Get Up Tour – July 26, 2016 – Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto

Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band – The Molson Ampitheatre, Toronto – July 19, 2016

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding – Air Canada Centre, Toronto – June 19, 2016

Carrie Underwood at The Air Canada Centre

Carrie Underwood – The Storyteller Tour – Air Canada Centre, May 28th, 2016

Lights at The Danforth Music Hall

LIGHTS with DCF – Danforth Music Hall – May 2, 2016

Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers – Lee’s Palace, Toronto – April 21, 2016

Dream Theater at The Sony Centre

Dream Theater – The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto – April 16, 2016

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