There are probably countless things you can find yourself doing on a Saturday night in downtown Toronto but on November 8th, indie rock lovers decided to see some awesome music from Minnesota at one of the cities most revered venues. Ticket holders were welcomed to Lee’s Palace via easy listening rock with the likes of Dosed by RHCP and Wish You Were Here by Incubus that really set a chill atmosphere like a calm before the storm in the layered space that would be filled to the brim hours later. The tour that kicked off with a hometown Minneapolis show…
Author: Darryll Magboo
For all those superstitious folk, 11/11 was a date that brought a unique range of music to History as The Mars Volta brings their North American Fall tour that features this single Canadian date in Toronto. Starting back on October 25 in Dallas, TX, this lone venture to the true North is just ahead of the halfway mark while the rest of the run works towards finishing back in US soil on November 29 in San Diego, CA. Supported by the mysterious electronic beat machine that is Feliz Y Dada and the battle-tested vocal technique of Kianí Medina, the tour…
Winter was knocking on Toronto’s door as another cold rainy night had people shivering as they lined up to see All Time Low on the North American leg of their Everyone’s Talking! World Tour. Not only is November 5th the only Canadian date on the tour, it also marks the first show in the second half of this leg. Based on that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the show run like a well-oiled machine. Joining forces with Mayday Parade, Four Years Strong, and The Paradox, the evening was jam packed with all the good ol fashioned pop and punk…
A beautiful full moon night was a welcome one on November 4th when Thrice took their Horizons/West Fall Tour to Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall northeast from the downtown core. Promoting their album of the same name, this stop marks about halfway through North America and sees the first of two Canadian stops with the band taking the show to Montreal the next day. A clear counterpart to 2021’s Horizons/East, this also marks the band’s twelfth album in their ongoing 27 year run making this performance one fans could look forward to especially with the size of this prolific band’s discography.…
The evening rain fell upon the city of Toronto on October 19th but this didn’t stop fans of Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist from making the trek to the east end and lining up outside the doors of History – the ideal venue for concert goers that live out in the Beaches neighbourhood of the city. Ticket holders that slowly populated the space were greeted by a stage setup that placed what seems to be a small restaurant front that’s Japanese-inspired – obvious with the sign saying “Alfredo” in large red katakana as well as in the duo’s 2025 collaborative…
A chilly evening in downtown Toronto welcomed Wardruna and Chelsea Wolfe to grace the infamous Massey Hall’s stage on September 22nd. It was the perfect weather for an event that lured a crowd that looked to intersect between fans of folk music, black metal, vikings, occult imagery, and of course Massey Hall frequents that just understand how to appreciate a great sounding venue. And with that said, it felt like Chelsea Wolfe was a perfect opener. The only thing more impressive than her vocal range is her control and this was completely audible with Massey’s incredible acoustics. Joined by Ben…
In downtown Toronto, September 12th ushered in a Friday night rock show that was high-octane from start to finish. The Concert Hall (still affectionally referred to as “The Masonic Temple” by some) housed a classic combo of two openers to set up a killer headliner, all of which hailed from places across the country. It was a show that would make any Canadian rock fan proud of how much talent the true north can export and it was all there for ticket holders to enjoy. Up first, we start in the Maritimes with Brutal Youth – a band who have…
A two day spectacle with two of the biggest bands in metal? What a great way to kick off September in Toronto. Back in early December of 2024, System Of A Down announced that as part of their Toronto stop on in their North American Stadium Tour, they would be sharing the Rogers Stadium stage with fellow nu/alt-metal band Deftones on September 3rd. It only took three days for them to announce a 2nd show on September 5th after the first one sold out in minutes – always a good sign if you’re expecting a good show but always a…
After 4 days of nonstop music ranging from various genres and places, it’s not hard to understand why FME has been happening at the beginning of September since 2003. The annual festival happens in the city of Rouyn-Noranda nestled in the region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue – a quaint feeling place that is as honest as it is transformative to the people that make the trip out there. An area that seems to foster a strong sense of community and a slower pace of living, it adds to the character of the festival, almost like a warmness that makes it feel less…
Nine Inch Nails’ return to Toronto on August 23, 2025 at Scotiabank Arena felt like a satisfying lesson in building tension and knowing what to do with it. The mind behind NIN and band founder Trent Reznor had the place eating out of the palm of his hand by balancing intimacy and pandemonium in equal parts like a pendulum swinging between quiet reflection and total mayhem. With that said, the night began quietly in style on the B-stage, with Reznor alone under a single spotlight for Right Where It Belongs. The stripped-down performance set a somber tone with his voice…
Coheed and Cambria arrived with force in Toronto on August 24 and managed to turn Budweiser Stage into one giant party that even Mother Nature had to join in too. Between massive props, huge singalongs, fans of every kind, and a storm that soaked everyone in sight, this show had everything. I was surprised at how fast Bud Stage explode as fast as it did when the band kicked things off with Goodbye, Sunshine. The second Claudio hit that first line, everyone was up and screaming. Starting off with a bang is the oldest trick in the book, but when…
If My Chemical Romance was a popular expression nowadays, they would be “If you know, you know” and this was obvious at Rogers Centre on August 22, 2025. Now more than halfway through their “Long Live” The Black Parade Stadium Tour, the band just seems to find ways to keep both new and old fans guessing especially with the apparent expansion of the lore around their 2006 full-length album The Black Parade. It was so well received that the single is still celebrated at local Emo Nights and late-night karaoke bars to this day among other favourites from the New…
New Found Glory didn’t waste a second waking up the crowd at Budweiser Stage, opening their SUPERCHARGED: Worldwide tour set with the hype one-two of “Y’all ready for this?” and Kernkraft 400 blaring over the PA. It worked instantly to jumpstart the energy just in time for the band to dive straight into Understatement, a satisfying gut punch of early-2000s nostalgia that had the whole pit bouncing in sync. The pop-punk veterans clearly knew how to make the most of their quick set. All Downhill From Here and Dressed to Kill followed in quick succession, keeping the momentum high while…
On July 15th, the Summer of Loud tour made its only Canadian stop at Budweiser Stage in Toronto with an emotional weight behind its high-volume celebration. More than just a showcase of revered pop-punk, metal, and hard rock talent, this 2025 tour is dedicated to the memories of Dave Shapiro, Emma Huke, and Kendall Fortner – loved figures in the alternative music world who tragically lost their lives in the San Diego Cessna crash this past May. All three were part of Sound Talent Group, a music agency that helped build and support many of the bands on the bill,…