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Tegan And Sara To Join Katy Perry’s 2014 Tour

“The Prismatic World Tour is coming to light up some of my favorite North American cities this summer, as well as some new cities that you introduced me to through your video requests,” said Katy. “This colorful show will bring you all the songs you know as well as ones from my new album, PRISM.” Colourful would be an understatement though. Last time I saw Katy Perry, there were inflatable beach balls tossed around and “colourful” barely begins to describe her wardrobe.

Katy Perry’s coming back to Toronto this summer, so you can bet there will be thousands of fans roaring with excitement at the Air Canada Centre in July. Opening acts will include Capital Cities, Kacey Musgraves and Tegan and Sara, although unfortunately my favourite twins (aside from Mary-Kate & Ashley) will not be joining Katy in Toronto. Instead, local Katycats can watch Capital Cities perform hits like Safe and Sound.

When Katy Perry spoke about her upcoming Prismatic World Tour on CTV’s The Social, she hinted at performing in outdoor venues, so I expected her to return to the Molson Amphitheatre again. At least there’s no need to worry about the weather for concerts at the ACC. Katy’s team offered buffer room between her Toronto stop and the next concert date, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she adds a second night to accommodate her huge fan base.

If you can’t make it to the ACC, maybe you can book a quick trip to catch her somewhere nearby in the U.S.

July 3 Miami, FL AmericanAirlines Arena *

July 9 New York, NY Madison Square Garden *

July 11 Newark, NJ Prudential Center *

July 15 Montreal, QC Bell Centre *

July 16 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre *

July 18 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre *

July 24 Brooklyn, NY Barclays Center *

August 1 Boston, MA TD Garden *

August 7 Chicago, IL United Center *

August 26 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre ^

August 28 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre ^

August 29 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome ^

August 31 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place ^

September 9 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena #

September 19 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center #

September 26 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena #

*With Capital Cities
^ With Kasey Musgraves
# With Tegan and Sara

UPDATE: The Prismatic Tour is incredible! Click here to read my review.

January 15, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Drinking Tea With Carly Rae Jepsen

This was my reaction when I found out DAVIDsTEA was hosting a meet and greet with Carly Rae Jepsen.

Today wasn’t any ordinary #MusicMonday. Today was the first time I woke up early to be one of the first people at Yorkdale. Today I met Carly Rae Jepsen, the woman behind the hit single Call Me Maybe!

I arrived ten minutes before the tea shop opened and was the first fan to receive a wristband. Once I talked to the staff about what to expect when Carly arrived, it was time to shop. It’s interesting to walk around a mall on a weekday morning. There’s no crowds, noise or garbage. I picked up my friend’s birthday gift at the newly renovated Hudson’s Bay, did some window shopping and then went to the food court for lunch. I love ordering salads from Chipotle Mexican Grill, even though they’re a bit too spicy.

After a quick visit to Indigo, I joined the line of about 30 fans. I was surprised that DAVIDsTEA didn’t play any of Carly’s music while we waited. In fact, I deliberately didn’t listen to her music before the event because I expected to hear it on repeat during the meet and greet. Nevertheless, fans seemed to be entertained by Microsoft retail employees dancing and playing Xbox. When was the last time you saw employees have a mini dance party during store hours?

I think this was the most laidback celebrity autograph signing I’ve ever attended. Nobody made a big deal when Carly entered the store, except for a few moms who told their daughters to go up to the store window for a closer look. No applause, no ruckus, just smiles all around.

January 13, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Stephen Colbert’s 3 Favourite Things

There is “so much [comedic] talent out there and not enough time to show it all,” Sandra Bullock astutely said during the People’s Choice Awards. The award-winning star of The Heat and Gravity took home four trophies on Wednesday night, while I sat at home wishing I had her brown wavy locks.

Kat Dennings, my other favourite brunette Hollywood star, dazzled in her role as co-host. When she quoted fans’ tweets and introduced which song Beth Behrs would sing next, she quickly made that segment a highlight of the 40th People’s Choice Awards. I promised my Facebook friends that I won’t blog more about the dance move Miley popularized last year, so let’s just say Beth’s rendition of Wrecking Ball was epic. Matt LeBlanc joked about singing a song too, but claimed that he couldn’t due to time constraints. The former Friends star then announced that The Big Bang Theory (the show with a Barenaked Ladies theme song) was named Favourite Network TV Comedy.

Kaley Cuoco AKA television’s sweetest newlywed accepted the award for Favourite Comedic TV Actress. She started the year with a bang by wearing a pink Vera Wang dress to her wedding, which she decorated with an upside-down cake hanging from a chandelier. Watching her in the opening sequence on the set of 2 Broke Girls was amusing. Remember, stars are just like us. They’re busy people who care about loyalty programs at Jamba Juice.

Whereas Justin Timberlake spoke about his team in the context of how they’re obligated to deal with his neuroses, Jennifer Hudson brought her sister into the spotlight to emphasize the importance of teamwork and family. “My mother always taught us that without family, you have nothing,” she said. Cover girl material right there. Sponsorship-related pun intended.

Surprisingly, last night marked the first time Britney Spears won her a People’s Choice Award. Britney celebrated her prize and comeback in a dress that screamed Las Vegas style and reminded me how much I want to return to the west coast.

I’m not afraid to admit I watch daytime talk shows when I’m home. Ellen DeGeneres graciously accepted her 14th People’s Choice Award before Queen Latifah won the title of Favourite New Talk Show Host.

Viewers enjoyed a few more laughs when Adam Sandler read a fan letter containing more grammatical errors than those found in papers on most elementary school teachers’ desks. It was supposedly written by his glowing former co-star Drew Barrymore and his wife seemed to get a kick out of it.

Other entertaining moments included Shemar Moore flirting with Malin Åkerman, The Good Wife‘s big wins and Chris Colfer’s remarks about fans following him online and offline. The Olay commercials that aired during the People’s Choice Awards are also worth mentioning because I love a cheery TV spot that references Instagram.

Photo: The Comic's Comic — Photo: The Comic’s Comic

Let’s not forget about Stephen Colbert! He spoke about democracy’s role in the award show, noting that the PCAs feature his 3 favourite things: people, choices and awards. J. Lo knows how to stand out at award shows (we’ll be talking about her green Versace gown for years), so naturally Stephen’s speech ended once he was distracted by her impromptu off-camera appearance.

Unfortunately Zooey Deschanel didn’t win in her category, but her sister Emily represented the family onstage when she presented an award to Sarah Michelle Gellar. I couldn’t write this post without mentioning Freddie Prinze Jr.’s wife, let alone an actress who stars in a sitcom about agency life. Mad Men is one of my favourite shows and it’s cool to watch the success of a funny and contemporary version inspired by Leo Burnett. For the next few months, we’ll have to keep calm and wait patiently for the final season of Mad Men. I’ll be ready with my remote and iPad the night of its season premiere.

Robert Downey Jr.’s theatrical acceptance speech confirmed that Mark Burnett can produce a sensational show and I hope he advocates for Kat and Beth to become award show hosts again. Thumbs up, ladies.

January 9, 2014 by Sarah Prince

Concert Review: KT Tunstall

TIFF might be over, but Toronto remains a star-studded destination. On Friday night, Avicii, Sarah Silverman and Serena Ryder all had events I would’ve loved to attend, but thanks to Nokia & Live Nation, I saw KT Tunstall. Twitter for the win, once again!

Tunstall kicked off her North American tour at the Danforth Music Hall and it was obvious that she was a little bit rusty. The apologetic singer repeatedly said “sorry” so many times that it became a running joke and the audience started counting. The Danforth Music Hall is a small enough venue that each time a fan shouted something at her, everyone could hear. This lighthearted banter created a laidback vibe that made the evening more enjoyable.

It was fun to hear Suddenly I See, Funnyman and Black Horse and the Cherry Tree live, but I wish she played more of her early hits. Instead, Tunstall focused on playing newer material. At some point between performing songs from her latest record Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon, Tunstall said she liked writing tracks in Arizona because “it’s the perfect place to meditate.” This album marks a transition in her career because after making upbeat pop-rock songs, she became interested in darker subject matter, including death.

Overall, I thought the sound quality was good, but the concert was short and there wasn’t anything too memorable. Though I’m grateful for having amazing seats in Row F, KT Tunstall’s performance didn’t top my first experience at the Danforth Music Hall when Sam Roberts rocked the house in 2008.

September 22, 2013 by Sarah Prince

Behind the Band: June and the Bee

After meeting June and the Bee at Aspetta Cafe in Kensington Market, I was delighted when the band’s lead singer Emma agreed to do a Behind the Band interview.

What makes June and the Bee’s music unique?

We write our music using our lives as a malleable creative substance from which to draw upon. We play from a place of infectious joie de vivre and are utterly unconcerned with being anything other than what we are.

What can you tell readers about your songwriting process?

As a trio we all bring an ingredient. My brother, Eli, is the melody guy. While he plays, words are usually jumping down from the shelves of my mind and arranging themselves into lyrics. Lyric writing happens all the time. My way of processing an experience is turning it into a song. Zoe, our third member writes the wonderful harmonies. Her technical background in classical music grounds the band in an awareness of dynamics and all those elements that may seem miniscule but are responsible for the song being something we love to sing. As we have continued to grow as a band, we have started to share the different roles in the songwriting process.

Professional role model: Carrie Ferguson

When we first entered the folk scene, Carrie took us under her wing, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the essence of pure joy when playing regardless of the stresses and pressures the road ahead could present. We pride ourselves in being able to tend to that creative joy and let it radiate through our music. This joy is detached from the ego and is more about collectively sharing than about individual self-worth.

What is your approach to promoting the band?

I manage the band’s social media, regardless of the fact that I have historically been ‘living under a rock,’ so to speak. We love to keep things as personal as possible. Being from a small town, you know everyone. We want to invite all of our fans to be a part of our musical family. We usually just send out our mailing list via carrier pigeon. so if one morning you hear a tap on your window…you’ll know we are in town. If you are a part of the Facebook world, Like us because we adore you!

August 10, 2013 by Sarah Prince

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