The Jonas Brothers have been a pop culture phenomenon since 2005 and performed five albums in one night. Looks like boy bands are here to stay!
Browsing Tag
Rogers Centre
I can’t believe how long it’s been since I wrote a concert review. I was impressed by Pink’s Vegas-style show in 2019, so I had to go back! This time, I celebrated my mom’s birthday and we saw the first North American stop on Pink’s Summer Carnival tour. Fans of all ages attended and I feel old thinking about how I’ve been listening to Pink for 20 years.
The last time Coldplay came to Toronto, I said I felt like I was in paradise. I don’t want to exaggerate, but the band came close to recreating that experience this week at the Rogers Centre.
First of all, it really comes down to where you sit. The Rogers Centre is huge, so it’s worth the extra investment in really good seats. This time I sat in the 200 level on the side of the stage and it was great. If it’s a pop concert with lots of detailed set design and costumes, it would be even more important.
My first Coldplay concert was also special because I had never seen an artist use lit up wristbands to connect the audience. Their team deserves a lot of credit for pioneering this. This time, they took their lighting to the next level by syncing their show with the CN Tower’s lighting system! That was truly magical and unique.
The Backstreet Boys are back, making their small screen debut in Old Navy commercials prior to their upcoming reunion tour with Kevin Richardson reuniting with the boy band. An Old Navy staffer has explained that their “target customer grew up in the ’90s, and that time period conjures an emotional connection, so [they’ve] worked with a number of actors and musicians who remind her of that nostalgic decade.” (Source: Bloomberg)
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O1QS4r1JHc’]
In case that doesn’t satisfy your longing to see your favourite stars of the past, Old Navy has followed up with newer commercials featuring Joan Rivers (notably a hilarious woman on Twitter too) and Sex and the City star Mario Cantone. I’d love to meet the Fashion Police co-host, but so far I’ve had to settle for posing with Joan’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds’ Las Vegas location. What’s more, Old Navy has jumped at the opportunity to make interactive YouTube videos, enabling fans to watch different clips of Mario and Joan at faux fashion shows online.
Despite his recent injury, Bon Jovi remains a superb performer and maintained an incredible stage presence throughout both two-and-a-half hour long shows at the Rogers Centre.
Bon Jovi certainly knows how to show the middle aged soccer moms in attendance a good time. Jon is always one to please the ladies in the house by wearing unbuttoned shirts and flashing his gorgeous pearly whites. Loyal fans may have also noted that red is a reoccurring colour in his wardrobe and with good reason – it’s a great look for him!
By projecting silkscreen images of icons like Obama and Martin Luther King during ‘We Weren’t Born To Follow’, Bon Jovi inspired fans to create social change ASAP because after all, you can sleep when you’re dead.
Opener Kid Rock’s return to the stage made for a memorable duet when he joined Bon Jovi to cover Bob Seger’s ‘Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll’, something keyboardist David Bryan “randomly” selected from the jukebox. The song was a fantastic addition to the set list and effectively added to the overall classic rock concert experience that always make Bon Jovi tickets a worthwhile purchase.
At risk of losing the audience’s enthusiasm, Bon Jovi tried offering a more intimate vibe by singing lack lustre acoustic versions of songs like ‘Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night’ in the middle of the audience. Furthermore, the band’s failure to perform ‘Raise Your Hands’ was also a major let down, as the memory of throwing my arms in the air at the ACC during The Lost Highway tour was half the reason I made sure to see him again! Fortunately they regained the crowd’s excitement with my personal favourite off The Circle record, ‘Work for the Working Man’ and then showed some attitude with ‘Have a Nice Day’.
Before closing with ‘Living on a Prayer’, Jon explained that it has been his dream to perform in the Rogers Centre ever since playing at Toronto’s El Mocambo nearly three decades ago, adding that he needed a few moments to take it all in. I’m glad that my fellow Torontonian fans could help you fulfill your dreams, Jon. Please come back soon.