A$AP and Rihanna Take over Rexall

Words: Nathan Marshall

Long Live A$AP Rocky! Traditionally shouted at a king. For A$AP, opening for Rihanna last night at the Rexall in front of 18 thousand screaming 14 year old girls felt more like the royal jester opening for the queen.

The stage was set up with a white throne that A$AP bounced in and out of as he ripped through allot of the material from Long, Live, A$AP. The crowd was primarily loaded with screaming RiRi fans but went wild when he dropped radio hits like “Goldie” “Fashion Killa” and “Fuckin’ Problems” (sans Drake, Kendrick and 2 Chainz). A$AP played his part of opener well.

Cue the DJ filling in between performance sets who wasted no time in spinning the latest meme sensation Harlem Shake and the Youtube generation wasted no time in reminding us that they make up 95 percent of the 40+ million online viewership. In unison they restrained their dancing and body movements all the way up until the bass line hit and instantly Rexall was turned into a massive arena sized night club filled with kids too young to know what the inside of a night club looks like.

Rihanna came out over an hour past her scheduled set time, which didn’t seem to bother her curfew breaking audience and delivered hit after hit after hit after hit. I actually had forgot how many hits she had but every song performed by the Island Def Jam pop princess seemed recognizable.

Shortly into her set she performed a nice little Damian Marley laced rasta breakdown reminding everyone of her Caribbean roots. Reminiscent of the 2013 Grammy Marley tribute she was apart of alongside Bruno Mars & Sting. A perfectly set up segway into the pop infused dancehall anthem “Rude Boy” which set the crowd on fire. I couldn’t help but picture a red, yellow and green clad Chris Brown back stage with his diamond swinging in the sky.

She didn’t perform any direct Bob Marely covers in the rasta portion of her set but did follow it with a Dubstep cover of Genuiene’s 96′ r&b classic, “Pony”. And no Dubstep “Pony” Rihanna cover would be complete without knee high white leather boot wearing RiRi dancing with Michael Jackson blasting pyro explosions in the background. Sadly, I was in the small percentage of concert attendees that could recite the lyrics of that cover so to conceal my age I kept my lip syncing to a minimum.

One thing that kind of shocked me is how many F-bombs RiRi dropped in between songs, “fucking epic” this and “fucking amazing” that. I lost count after Umbrella-ella-ella but I think she was up to about 7 half way through her set. I was taken aback because her songs usually have strong sexual undertones but do not have a ton of profanity. Maybe she was just hitting too much A$AP Rocky on her iPod that week and her inner gangster rapper had taking over.

Rihanna screamed “Put your diamonds up for All of the Lights” over the refreshing blasted horn hooked Kanye + Ri collab radio hit. Kanye sadly was not there to help her deliver the track but she did a good job of performing it on her own.

The night got a little weird when the background graphics turned super morbid. Images flashed of 70′s – 80′s classic slasher flicks spliced with a repeating image of a crazy Rihanna holding up a chainsaw and fake blood splattering everywhere. Not sure about the creative direction for that part of the show but if they were going to attempt hyper-violence they should have called in experts Rodriguez and Tarantino. That all said I get it, she had a really publicized rocky relationship and was probably just working out her “Fuckin’ Problems”.

I should really cut her some slack and mention she did address a bit of the media relationship drama when she introduced her new song “This is off my new album, Unapologetic [What Now]. It’s about being really fucking confused about love”.

My bad, I guess I miscounted. There was an 8th F-bomb.

Tegan and Sara: Heartthrob tour 2013

Photo: Lindsey Byrnes | Words: Nathan Kawulka

If you look back to when I was 21 and hearing the first notes of Tegan and Sara’s second album and then fast forward to today- ten years will have passed. In those years I have had the opportunity to go and see my favourite band of twin lesbians from Calgary like a zillion times, I actually purchased rather than stole all of their releases and yet in those same ten years I have not ever seen these lovely musicians in person. Yesterday that crime was undone. I got a solo ticket for T + S and went. Along the way I saw some fans I knew, some family I knew, some parents, kids, some other twins and I most definitely saw Tegan Quin and Sara Quin. I saw a father of forty singing along with his nine year old daughter and having every bit as much fun as those clapping, shakin’ and just generally smiling throughout the rest of the Shaw Conference centre. It seems like the sisters have found a way to carve their own path with touching, heartwarming, catchy and just general joy at being part of this whole “big music” kind of world. The lights were bright, the show was packed and it seems like Tegan and Sara have grown their way, along with their fans, into a new place, a new success.

So as I kept on hearing about all of those shows that I missed from my friends; as I saw footage of them playing live on the internet; as I saw videos on youtube and as I listened to their pirated live songs I knew I was missing out like crazy! So after 10 years I finally got to hear the spot on song delivery and the crispness in their singing; I got to hear the funny, awesome and generally wonderful banter of the Quin twins. Within yesterday’s show we had all of the above and more. The lighting, vocals, timing of songs, the mix between old and new tracks as well as their encores were all spot-on. Their ability to draw back through a pretty large discography (7 albums and 3 mix tapes) for a couple of 32 year-olds really allows for some great track-list opportunities which were fully flaunted with their final encore- a mashup-esque hit reel that covered the last 10+ years of my fandom. After having seen them live my appreciation for the show they put on, the music they make and the people they are has been forever changed for the better.

At the end of the show Sara asked the crowd to all take a couple of steps back so that the paramedics could attend to someone. Like a syncro-swim team you could see them all comply, politely, to make sure that their fellow injured concert-goer was well taken care of. Maybe that’s not very rock and roll but it is very “Tegan and Sara” of us all: Atypical, but awesome nonetheless.

Paul McCartney Nov 28 Rexall

Words: Nathan Marshall | Photo: ©Dale MacMillan/Northlands

“Good evening Edmonton, I have a feeling we are gonna have a party tonight.” The first words out of Paul McCartney as he began his 3 hour set and party we did. He started the show with “Magical Mystery Tour” which hadn’t come as a surprise because I had creeped on the set lists of the 3 prior “Band on the Run” tour stops and each had started the same. No matter how much I thought I had spoiled it for myself by anticipating nothing had skewed the impact this show had on me. I should have considered the fact that I was about to see a Beatle perform the songs that defined my childhood music experience.

For this particular show there was no warm up band. Once you have reached the music caliber that is attached to Paul Mccartney the standard show proceedings just doesn’t seem logical anymore. When the lights went down and the spotlights lit up, Sir Paul stepped onto the stage to a a sold out 14 thousand + show of screaming fans. An ear piercing rupture from the ecstatic crowd filled the coliseum and show had just begun.

The former Beatle and Wings front man showed no signs of slowing down at his age of 70. He ripped through a ton of beatles classics like “All My Loving” “Paper Back Writer” “Let it Be” and wove it in and out of Wings classics like “Jet” “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Let Me Roll It”. All the while I could not help but think if he is this good now, what was he like in the 60’s? I thought I understood the phenomenon surrounding Beatlemania but until you see McCartney live you really can’t appreciate the fandemonium.

One of the most enjoyable parts of watching Paul McCartney was how personable he got with the crowd. He shared stories about meeting a Russian president before unleashing “Back in the U.S.S.R” on the crowd. Gave back stories on songs like “Blackbird” which was inspired by the 60’s civil rights movement in the States. The night would not have been complete without some special tributes to some of the amazing artists he had the chance to play with. A guitar solo of “Foxy Lady” for the late Jimi Hendrix, a ukulele version of “Something” for George Harrison and the arena went particularly crazy when he performed “Here Today” for John Lennon. A song written in 1982 a couple years after John’s death. It’s written in form of a conversation the two never had, if inclined look up the touching lyrics.

Big surprises were held for the end like when he brought out a kilted Edmonton Police Service Bag Pipes and Drums band to help him perform the Wings Scottish classic “Mull of Kintyre” (which I found out he usually reserves for performances in Canada and Scotland). “Live or Let Die” was accompanied by fireworks and explosions and the 3 hour, 2 encore set was brought to a close with an explosion of red and white confettie that blanketed the room.

I think I am going to find it extremely difficult to find a performance that will top that show.

Setlist

Magical Mystery Tour

Junior’s Farm

All My Loving

Jet

Got to Get You into My Life

Sing the Changes

The Night Before

Let Me Roll It

Paperback Writer

The Long and Winding Road

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

My Valentine

Maybe I’m Amazed

I’ve Just Seen a Face

And I Love Her

Blackbird

Here Today

Dance Tonight

Mrs. Vandebilt

Eleanor Rigby

Something

Band on the Run

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Back in the U.S.S.R.

I’ve Got a Feeling

A Day in the Life /Give Peace a Chance

Let It Be

Live and Let Die

Hey Jude

Encore 1:

Lady Madonna

Day Tripper

Get Back

Encore 2:

Yesterday

Mull of Kintyre

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

Diamond Rings Live Review

AGA’s Baroque Refinery Party

Photos & Words by Lyuba Kirkova

This past Saturday, the AGA transformed into a ballroom where mystical monsters and gods danced with opulent princesses under the beat of DJ Girls Club’s tunes. It was an exquisite night of art, drama, exuberance and grandeur. I have to say this was my favourite Refinery night so far and even though the cost of attendance has gone up in the past couple of years, it is still a great alternative to a cultured night out in town filled with things to do and see. It seems that the further back in time the theme of Refinery moves, the more interesting the merge of past and present becomes. I found it particularly interesting to see the Misled by Nature: Contemporary Art and the Baroque exhibit and the emergence of the “neo-baroque”. It is fascinating how much inspiration we can draw from historical moments and how past trends, patterns and ambiances can be revived and recycled. The entire night, my head turned left and right. There was so much to look at. Some of the dresses and hair pieces were walking, live artworks. Four lucky winners got their costumes rentals from the Garage Theater theatregarage.ca which I am definitely going to keep in my for the next theme party or photoshoot.

For more photos visit our FB album at facebook.com/georgiemagazine

Issue 10 Release Party

Georgie readers, you are invited to our issue 10 release party on Nov 29th at the Common, in collaboration with (BELVEDERE)RED vodka. For more info and to RSVP check out the FB event listing: www.facebook.com/events/446446548737947

Diamond Rings Pawn Shop Nov 21.

photo (diamondringsmusic.com)

Ontario native, Diamond Rings brings his headlining tour to the Pawn Shop on Wed, Nov 21. His live show has evolved since last’s years visit where he played a packed room at Brixx. He now has a 3-piece band with him to help bring his forthcoming album Free Dimensional’s electro-dance tracks to life. The 80′s infused new wave glam pop artist has baritone vocals reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger mixed with music with a Hip Hop/Euro Dance blend with influences of Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys. One thing’s for certain Rings will have everyone dancing the night away like it was a Friday night. Tickets are $15 plus service charges, you are not going to want to miss this one.

Metric live review

Photo and Words: Ashley Champagne

I wouldn’t have claimed to me a Metric fan prior to this show.  I’ve always heard their music and quickly picked up on the lyrics, I could sing a long, but I wasn’t quite sure if I loved what I was hearing.  On November 12 2012 Emily Haines took the stage at Rexal Place and quickly converted me.  I wasn’t expecting to be so blown away by the flawlessness that is her voice.  Beyond her clearly experienced and highly qualified vocal performance, she exudes such energy.  It was clear that the room loved the band and didn’t miss a beat, but there was no way the crowed could match what Emily was laying on the stage that night.  It always baffles me when singers can move the way they do and still hit every note, it was no different with Emily and her pop rock aerobics.  I found that, in the live show, along with the intensity of Emily’s performance, the emotion in the songs was so much more evident.  Needless to say I was impressed and inspired that night.

Wiz Khalifa live review Nov. 4

Photos Ivana Tisler | Words Nathan Marshall

Despite all the references to Wiz Khalifa being rap veteran Snoop Dogg’s nephew (I’m from the old school and refuse to use Lion) they are not blood relation. After attending the live show at the Shaw Conference on Sunday night I can see how you would make that mistake. What the two live shows have in common is a constant cloud of marijuana smoke hanging over the venue for the duration of the show.

It was an all ages event so the attendance was overall pretty young with the majority of fans ranging from junior high to high school. Tons of oversized baggy clothes, gold chains and backwards snapbacks. Despite the tough looks of the young crowd their demeanor was generally pretty chill and genuinely into the music.

Wiz had allot of energy and charisma keeping the crowd cheering all night. The skinny, tattooed rapper ran through the majority of his songs from old to new swaying back and forth with his Steven Tyler scarf wrapped mic stand saving hits like Work Hard Play Hard, Young, Wild & Free and Black & Yellow for the finale. He was accompanied by a pretty strong back up band that had jazz infused moments that were reminiscent of the older Roots albums. Most amusing part of the night was when Wiz was joined by an oversized dancing joint mascot that looked like one of those inflatable flailing tube mascots you see at the car dealerships.

Khalifa played for nearly two hours with several addresses to the audience showing his appreciation for the support which was reciprocated with an equally loving response from the curfew breaking crowd.

Crystal Castles – Edmonton, October 29th

Canadian electro-duo Crystal Castles are hitting Edmonton on October 29th at the Edmonton Event Centre. The punk infused chaotic live show is a loud, insane, rocker dance party. It’s rare we get a set like this roll through town, if you don’t have your tickets yet I would definitely pick yourself up a set.

For event details check:

https://www.facebook.com/events/256845247766502/?fref=ts