By Kayla Harper

 

1. Melanie Martinez – Toronto, Scotiabank Arena

To kick off our list, the first concert I saw this summer was Melanie Martinez’s Trilogy Tour, live in Toronto.  As a long-term fan of Martinez who has never seen her live before, I really enjoyed the Trilogy Tour because she played a set from each musical era.  Each album had it’s own set, going in chronological order.  In addition to detailed set designs for each album, Martinez and her dancers had different outfits to match each era.

See the separate article detailing the experience here: https://offtherecordwithkayla.ca/2024/06/14/676/

 

2. Billy Talent – Calgary Stampede

July is always an exciting time for the live music scene in Calgary, Alberta, largely due to the lineup of artists playing the various stages at the Calgary Stampede.  The line-up this year consisted of big names such as G-Eazy, Nickelback, Miranda Lambert, Jonas Brothers, Mötley Crüe, Billy Talent, Jewel, Melissa Etheridge, Logic, Metric, Noah Cyrus, Peach Pit and Soul Asylum amongst many others.

This year, Billy Talent was one of the various bands headlining the coke stage, I had the pleasure of seeing.  They hit the stage at 9:30 pm on July 12th.

The band played an energetic set, featuring many of their hits from over the years including, “Try Honesty”, “Devil On My Shoulder”, “Rusted From The Rain”, “Red Flag” and “Fallen Leaves”.  Stopping in between songs to talk with the crowd.

With stunning visuals, exceptional sound and outstanding stage presence from the band’s lead singer, Benjamin Kowalewicz, Billy Talent put on quite the show.

 

3. Jewel – Calgary Stampede

I was also lucky to see Jewel’s set at the Big Four Roadhouse -which was actually a birthday present for my mom who has been a fan since she was young.

Despite suffering from laryngitis, Jewel put on a phenomenal vocal performance.  Playing both the acoustic and electric guitar throughout her set.  She performed many of her hits such as, “Who Will Save Your Soul?”, “Intuition”, “Standing Still” and “Foolish Games”.

Additionally, she spent a lot of time talking to the crowd about certain songs, even taking song requests.  At one point she also brought out her son, Kase Murray, to sing a duet together.

4/5. Hardy and Luke Combs – Country Thunder Alberta

The next two shows are somewhat surprising considering I’m not a country music fan, but I attended Country Thunder Alberta with some coworkers of mine this August.  Despite not liking country,  I had a really good time at the event and will admit, both artists I saw, Hardy and Luke Combs put on a great show!

Of the two artists I saw, I preferred Hardy as his style is less country and more a mix of country and hard rock, making it more my style!

6.  In This Moment – Calgary, Grey Eagle Event Centre

The final show of the summer was In This Moment, who I’ve been wanting to see for quite a few years now.   I saw them on their Kiss Of Death Tour with Ice Nine Kills.  Ice Nine Kills played first and put on a theatrical show featuring many on-stage sacrifices.  However, their sound and lead vocalist was entertaining.  Despite not being a fan of most of their music, they put on a good live show.

In This Moment played second, opening with “Purge” from their latest album, Godmode. They went on to play many of their hits such as “The In Between”, “Blood”, “Sex Metal Barbie”, “Big Bad Wolf” and closing with “Whore”.

The band put on a theatrical show incorporating costume and set changes, extended musical outros as well as narration from lead singer Maria Brink (who was even more gorgeous in person)!  My only complaint is that they could have played more songs.