On Thursday May 3, Canadian icon Bryan Adams performed for 2 1/2 hours, likely making it one of the longest performances I’ve ever attended – not that I nor any of his other twenty thousand or so fans minded. His stop at the Air Canada Centre last night was ultimately a fantastic way to kick-off my summer break.
Bryan Adams is one of those musicians whose work makes a great addition to a driving playlist, so as I watched and listened in awe, I thought back to trips to such places as London, Montreal, Sudbury and Buffalo. Download and then play “Open Road” on your next road trip and you’ll understand.
Since attending his acoustic performance at Massey Hall in August 2009, the middle aged demographic in the audience didn’t surprise me, but the Twitter stream projected onto a screen leading up to his set sure did. I don’t know whether it was the copious amounts of beer I spotted many ticketholders consuming, or if it’s just his fans’ regular diction, but the live Twitter stream illuminated how publicly featuring live tweets can be problematic because some fans’ tweets shown onscreen included profanity. In any case, given the size of touring musicians’ entourages, it couldn’t hurt to have a moderator if tour producers wish to incorporate social media like that.
Prior to the Queen of Pop’s Super Bowl halftime show, I noticed she received lots of criticism, yet couldn’t fathom why. I’ve been a Madonna fan for as long as I can remember. Some of my early childhood memories include watching documentaries about how her career escalated before I was born and lip syncing singing along to her duet song, “Me Against the Music” with Britney Spears over the phone with a close friend. A few years ago, I even painted a ceramic plate with an iPod in the center and the tagline, “Get into the Groove.”
At 53, not only does she hold records for her chart-topping tracks, but she also looks incredible and shows no signs of slowing down. After dazzling us at the Air Canada Centre on her Sticky and Sweet Tour, where I regrettably didn’t buy an “Express Yourself” concert tee, it was difficult to see the superstar in a negative light.
Since “Give Me All Your Luvin’”, the first single from her 12th album, MDNA, debuted, reasons to dislike Madonna started becoming more apparent, but I find it hard to turn my back on one of my favourite performers.
Today Madonna made news because Malawi’s government officials are fed up with her donations that they feel are motivated too much by corporate interests in her global brand image than concern for children. When I first read the Toronto Star’s article, I mistook “state of the art girls school” and thought she’d arranged to build an arts school for girls because that sure would be thoughtful of her!
To be “fed up” with Madonna for wanting to improve Malawi’s education system is like being fed up with Angelina Jolie’s mass adoption spree or even Oprah’s generosity overseas for that matter. All of the above women have significant personal brands to protect, but along with their high status careers comes gigantic salaries and I hardly think we should criticize Madonna’s generosity to this extent. I hardly recall criticism from urban planners when Madge opened her first fitness centers in North America, so why so much outrage when she tries to do good in the world?
The blatantly excessive product placement in the “Give Me All Your Luvin’” music video was far from impressive, but it’s sure a catchy tune. That said, I confidently predict that it will not rank high on media professors’ list of video clips to show in future celebrity classes, the way that “Material Girl” was shown and then discussed at length last Friday at Western. They might as well just show separate commercials for Smirnoff, Adidas and whatever other brands were featured because aside from the ladies resembling Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls, the brands were the standout visuals in the video, and I certainly don’t mean that in a good way.
Madonna’s professional contributions to music, not to mention my iTunes library, combined with her ongoing philanthropic projects make her an icon to watch. I’m curious about what critics will say once MDNA’s full length tracks are released, but until then, let’s remember the positive memories Madonna offers fans and focus on that.
Joined by the sensational Swedish music guest Robyn, Katy Perry hosted Saturday Night Live last night. It was a great episode that proved Katy’s capable of performing more than musical numbers in the comedy series and deserves lots of screen time.
I lost track of how many outfit and wig changes Katy went through, but I sure noticed how quickly she transformed to play Christina Aguilera (one of supposed “thousands” of celebrities in New Year’s Eve), followed by Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine and then Pippa Middleton. In her latter role, she stole the spotlight from Kate and sung a few lines in a British accent.
Katy’s digital short with Andy Samberg initially reminded me of an Old Navy commercial, until surprise guests Matt Damon and Val Kilmer took to the screen to sing along with them, that is. When Community’s Star-burns joined the short and reunited with his ol’ SNL cast, he offered hope that fans have reason to be optimistic about the show’s future, which is currently unknown.
An SNL review of any length couldn’t exclude Weekend Update. Seth Meyers was wonderful as per usual, but the appearances by Stefano and the ‘flirting expert’ were fabulous comedic material. Relationship experts typically wear a mix of conservative and girly outfits for TV appearances, yet the blonde character wore a slinky, sparkly black dress better suited for a holiday party than an interview with an anchorman.
Robyn’s playful solo choreography during her second number, the classic ‘Dancing On My Own’, reinforced why I adamantly tuned in to SNL – she’s brilliant, I love her and I can’t think of a comparable domestic musical talent. Rocking leggings as pants, in addition to beige platform sneakers didn’t defer attention from Robyn’s singing either – she truly exceeded expectations overall.
Canadian export Michael Buble and Jimmy Fallon are scheduled for next Saturday. Count me in! Live tweeting about #SNL is anticipated once again.
Stepping inside Call The Office can feel like taking a gigantic step outside the Western bubble, but it’s one worth taking, especially when you walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for Canadian talent.
The disco ball hanging from the ceiling near the stage was hardly indicative of the alternative and electronic sounds heard Tuesday night from Toronto’s Freedom or Death and Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out.
When Freedom or Death’s lead singer Sway took to the microphone, he teased the crowd that it was a sound check, during which he wanted to gauge reactions from everyone in the “party town.” Before long though, people left their barstools to hear the as-of-yet unsigned band perform tracks from their album, Ego. Within their 40-minute set, their engaging stage presence quickly transformed young patrons into fans who yearned for an encore, some of whom found a spot near the stage to dance with friends.
While the headliners set up their gear, Sway chatted outside with some audience members who compared his guitar skills to Prince and overall style to Mars Volta. Suddenly Freedom or Death had acquired fan girls, who barely looked of legal age, anxiously wanting to dance with the singer during Shout Out Out Out Out’s performance.
As soon as Shout Out Out Out Out took to the stage, they attracted more people to the dance floor, including Sway. Their music sounds similar to recordings by Hot Chip, a band with whom they could definitely produce a great collaboration. The Edmonton rockers shared little commentary, except to introduce some new tunes, including a track called “Total Loss.”
The lack of lyrics in their songs drew focus to the band members’ onstage nuances and attire, particularly the keyboardist’s patent leather red brogue shoes.
Regardless of how you access music, be sure to add these Canadians to your playlists—your friends will be glad you did.
