Halifax Concert Thread

[Barrington south]

Sir Paul concert will be the only Canadian date...which is another great achievement. for Hali...man I wish AC?DC was playing hali though.....to me, Kiss has as much rock an roll credit as the partridge family

[hfx_chris]

Originally Posted by Barrington south

Man Moncton has got us beat again!!! sure sir Paul is wicked and I'm gonna love seeing him, but our other big show is Kiss....who suck A**....

That's a rather subjective statement to make as if it were fact...personally I think Halifax has Moncton beat. I would much rather see KISS or Paul McCartney than either AC/DC or Bon Jovi.

[Barrington south]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

I would much rather see KISS than AC/DC .

man, I always knew you and i where from different planets....but apparently we're also from different galaxy's

but after thinking about what Nilan and phrenic said, I have to agree with them....McCartney is Huge....more so than AC/DC...(I still love them though) and Halifax has indeed come out on top this year....especially considering this is his only Canadian date....nice job Hali!!!

[Empire]

I bet Springsteen plays the commons before mag hill.

[q12]

From the Trade Centre Limited LINK newsletter • May 2009

Congratulations to Halifax Metro Centre for placing in the top 100 arena/venues worldwide. Each year, POLLstar magazine ranks the top 100 venue arenas worldwide based on ticket sales. This year, Halifax Metro Centre placed in the 88th spot. A big thank you to the promoters and fans, for helping us place in the Top 100.

View the POLLstar top 100 here. http://www.tradecentrelimited.com/si...0%20Arenas.pdf

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

That's a rather subjective statement to make as if it were fact...personally I think Halifax has Moncton beat. I would much rather see KISS or Paul McCartney than either AC/DC or Bon Jovi.

Personally, I would call it a draw this year. Sir Paul is HUGE but KISS kinda sucks the big one.

For my money (and using my math); AC/DC + Bon Jovi = KISS + Sir Paul

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

That's a rather subjective statement to make as if it were fact...personally I think Halifax has Moncton beat. I would much rather see KISS or Paul McCartney than either AC/DC or Bon Jovi.

The good thing is that all 4 acts have a different type of fan base, but all are great in their own way...personally I feel AC/DC will be the biggest concert in Atlantic Canada this year, as it could go upwards of 80,000 and I'm not sure if the commons can hold that many...but I could be wrong.

In terms of worldwide popularity Sir Paul obviously has AC/DC beat, but in this area I'm not so sure. Plus don't forget Bon Jovi has the highest grossing tour in the would right now.

Worldwide album sales for the main 4 concerts this year:

Paul McCartney - 1 Billion + (The Beatles alone hit this mark...so add to that Wings and his solo career...crazy stuff)
AC/DC - 200 Million +
Bon Jovi - 120 Million
KISS - 85 million

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by mmmatt

The good thing is that all 4 acts have a different type of fan base, but all are great in their own way...personally I feel AC/DC will be the biggest concert in Atlantic Canada this year, as it could go upwards of 80,000 and I'm not sure if the commons can hold that many...but I could be wrong.

In terms of worldwide popularity Sir Paul obviously has AC/DC beat, but in this area I'm not so sure. Plus don't forget Bon Jovi has the highest grossing tour in the would right now.

Worldwide album sales for the main 4 concerts this year:

Paul McCartney - 1 Billion + (The Beatles alone hit this mark...so add to that Wings and his solo career...crazy stuff)
AC/DC - 200 Million +
Bon Jovi - 120 Million
KISS - 85 million

I think ACDC will get a big crowd, but Paul McCartney could be larger just by the fact its the only tour date in all of North America so it may get people coming from all over the continent...but who knows and who cares really both will be huge.

[City_of_Lakes]

haha, i will be working at Paul McCartney selling beer

[hfxfan]

[QUOTE=moncton Trumped us last year by getting the Eagles....while we where left with Keith Urban... [/QUOTE]


The Keith Urban concert wasa great show. Keith is a fantastic entertainer. Too bad so few people went....

[hfxfan]

Originally Posted by mmmatt

The good thing is that all 4 acts have a different type of fan base, but all are great in their own way...personally I feel AC/DC will be the biggest concert in Atlantic Canada this year, as it could go upwards of 80,000 and I'm not sure if the commons can hold that many...but I could be wrong.

In terms of worldwide popularity Sir Paul obviously has AC/DC beat, but in this area I'm not so sure. Plus don't forget Bon Jovi has the highest grossing tour in the would right now.

Worldwide album sales for the main 4 concerts this year:

Paul McCartney - 1 Billion + (The Beatles alone hit this mark...so add to that Wings and his solo career...crazy stuff)
AC/DC - 200 Million +
Bon Jovi - 120 Million
KISS - 85 million

I understand that AC/DC has leveled off at 48,000. Bon Jovi is selling really slowly. Probably explains why it is being pushed on radio all day long in Halifax. Never heard any other concerts in Moncton advertised as much.

Has anyone heard any first days numbers on Sir Paul?

[Dmajackson]

Commons may become more concert-ready

By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Fri. Jul 31 - 4:46 AM
The Halifax Commons — it’s many things to many people.

To residents, it’s a placid, green oasis in the middle of the city.

Carefree children love to play there with their parents, whether it’s Frisbee tossing, kite flying or just a game of catch. Tourists might use the wide open park for a leisurely stroll.

The homeless have slept under its bushes, and the stars.

To music business operators, and government employees trying to lure major artists to the city, the Commons is a terrific concert site. It’s been a popular place these last few years where "special events" have been held in front of thousands of ticket buyers.

Now, there’s a move afoot, between city hall and the province, to consider designating the Halifax Commons a permanent performance venue. The idea doesn’t mean erecting a stage and bleachers, but it could mean hooking up the park to the power grid for a permanent source of electricity, Mayor Peter Kelly said Thursday.

He noted that no decision has been made. In fact, Halifax regional council is still waiting for a post-mortem from municipal staff on the use of the park for successive shows put on by Sir Paul McCartney and Kiss earlier this month.

"There is discussion around the need to power up the Commons," Mr. Kelly told The Chronicle Herald. "In other words, rather than bring in two or three generators (for music events), if it is to remain a focal point for major concerts then the need to power up (the site) is very much in the forefront."

Mr. Kelly said how that might come about has yet to be determined.

Though it’s a large urban space available to citizens for their enjoyment, the Halifax Commons over the decades has been used by private enterprise. A portion of it was even paved over, in the 1990s, for a turn needed for the Moosehead Grand Prix car race.

Local park lovers, such as members of the Friends of the Halifax Common, lament the commercial encroachment. The group’s website pays tribute to the park’s past and voices concern over its future.

The Friends say city hall has essentially "ignored" its own management plan for the Commons, a blueprint devised in 1994 after a public outcry stemming from the now-defunct Moosehead Grand Prix.

And this newspaper, in an editorial published last September, chastised the city for temporarily snatching sections of the park for business reasons.

"If an outdoor venue for entertainment events is important — and it surely is — then the city should find an appropriate place, develop it as necessary, and leave the Commons alone to be enjoyed by everyone, all year long," the editorial said. "For many, many Haligonians, that would be progress."

Scott Ferguson, of Trade Centre Ltd., the provincial Crown corporation charged with attracting economic opportunities to Halifax Regional Municipality and beyond, said the Commons is becoming known in concert circles as a top-drawer venue.

He told News 95.7 Thursday there have been talks between his agency and city hall with respect to looking at the site as a permanent spot for large shows. That would mean getting the Commons hooked up to the power grid in the future, Mr. Ferguson told the radio station.

Mr. Kelly, who’s on the board of directors at Trade Centre Ltd., acknowledged "there have been some discussions in terms of working collectively and collaboratively with (the agency) to continue to look for opportunities to bring high-calibre acts to HRM."

But nothing is etched in stone, the mayor said, regarding having the Commons singled out as a permanent concert site.

( mlightstone@herald.ca )

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by hfxfan

I understand that AC/DC has leveled off at 48,000. Bon Jovi is selling really slowly. Probably explains why it is being pushed on radio all day long in Halifax. Never heard any other concerts in Moncton advertised as much.

Has anyone heard any first days numbers on Sir Paul?

Well, its a little time past now.. but I believe the numbers on Sir Paul were in the 50-60K range (inside the venue) I live on the commons and saved myself $100 by wandering around the perimeter. Along with another 10-20K (including people on Citadel hill. Cogswell Street (which Police ended up closing to traffic), Robie and North Park, plus hanging out of the surrounding buildings.

That's a good and a bad thing for the Halifax venue. In Moncton, you're either in or you're out. So its good for us cheapo's in Halifax and bad for the promoters..maybe. From my personal experience, if I watch it from outside, its a concert I wouldn't have forked the money over for anyways. But at least I get a taste of the spectacle. Because of this, when it is the right artist for me, i'll pay to get inside, so I think the promoters are losing less than it would seem. And the central location and unavoidable non-paying audience is at least good for the promoter's visiblity and marketing.

AC/DC will no doubt be a big concert for Moncton. I doubt they will get the numbers they had for the Rolling Stones.. 60K sounds like the top number to me, maybe more, maybe less A lot will depend on the weather and walk-up business (not to as great an extent as in Halifax, since walk-up business depends largely on local population). The 80K figure Moncton had for the Rolling Stones is unlikely to happen again. It had a lot to do with being the first (and what was thought at the time) possibly a once only. One big concert of a lifetime. They wouldn't have gotten those figures for example if Halifax had known it would host a second Stones concert a year later. A lot of people went just for the experience. Four years later, the public is more complacent. We expect big concerts, several, every summer, and hold out for the right one in the right place.

As for KISS, Bon Jovi, the country concerts, and the various "slam-jam-sault-palooza-fests", 25-30K is probably the best we can collectively muster. On a side note, kudos to Quebec City for dragging out 90K fans to KISS a couple days before Halifax! Those crazy Francophonie!!

It'll take the top A-list acts like U2 or Madonna to pull off numbers in the 60-80K range again. And i'm not convinced they are coming or even on the radar.

[Dmajackson]

Rock Fest rocks crowd
Thousands turn out for Natal Day weekend concert on Citadel Hill
By STEPHEN COOKE Entertainment Reporter
Mon. Aug 3 - 4:46 AM

This summer’s outdoor concert overload didn’t appear to be an issue Sunday at the Canadian Forces Halifax Rock Fest on the Garrison Grounds on Citadel Hill, which were bathed in blazing August sunshine.

Hard rock fans turned out by the thousands for CanRock stars like Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven and Halifax-rooted act Sloan, plus the all-star combo Chickenfoot, featuring singer Sammy Hagar and guitar-slinger Joe Satriani, for a Natal Day weekend show meant to bring together members of the civilian and military communities.

Video greetings from Canadians serving overseas played on giant video screens between bands, and the show itself was recorded for later broadcast to troops in the field, with a video booth available for anyone who wanted to send along messages of support.

A fair-sized crowd had already assembled on the hill by the time Cape Breton trio Pink Thunder kicked off the day with some energetic pop/rock from a teen perspective.

Chosen out of 54 hopefuls in the Next Great Atlantic Rock Band competition, St. Peter’s sisters Barbara and Victoria Cameron (on guitar and bass, respectively) and drummer/keyboardist Olivia Adlakha showed why their reputation for fun, hook-filled songs is growing.

Aside from a strategically chosen cover of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Pink Thunder stuck to original material like the current single Real Loud, with Victoria wailing on vocals for all she’s worth, and the tongue-in-cheek track that first got them attention on MySpace and the local airwaves, the aptly titled Radio Friendly.

Despite a few rough edges in their live set, the Camerons know how to put a pop song together and their obvious desire to be in front of a crowd should tighten up their performances even further in the near future.

Expat rockers Sloan, on the other hand, were enjoyably loose, thanks to singer and bassist Chris Murphy’s broken collar bone and the drafting of keyboardist Greg Macdonald and friend and former Halifax musician Kevin Hillier (Grace Babies, National Anthem) to switch around between bass, drums and the big old Hammond organ at the back of the stage.

Murphy didn’t let having his left arm in a sling interfere with his microphone swinging or tambourine tossing, and it didn’t affect his voice any, with fine lead vocal performances on The Rest of My Life and The Other Man, and intact harmonies with Patrick Pentland on Losing California and Jay Ferguson on The Lines You Amend.

"Let me show you the break, it’s disgusting," teased Murphy, tugging at the neck of his T-shirt. "I got hit by a car while riding my bike, and Jay called 911 and saved my life.

"I don’t want to say I’m a hero, but . . . . " grinned Murphy, as an appropriate intro to Andrew Scott’s Emergency 911, a punk raver from the latest release, Parallel Play. Although nobody got a medal, Sloan was inducted into the Q104 Rock of the Atlantic Wall of Fame, joining East Coast rock pioneers April Wine, the Great Scots and Matt Minglewood.

From Sloan’s bright and hooky pop/rock, Rock Fest’s pendulum swung sharply the other way for a brooding set by Burlington’s Finger Eleven, who for a long stretch seemed to be mandated by law to appear on the bill of a multi-band outdoor show in Halifax every year.

The group has gone on to greater success since the days of Edgefest and Snow Jam, with its 2007 release Them vs. You vs. Me picking up a Juno Award for rock album of the year and going gold in the United States, warranting a return visit.

"Every time we play Halifax, we go out drinking the night before and start talking about how we should move here," said singer Scott Anderson.

Besides Anderson’s mournful growl, delivered with a stance reminiscent of Joe Cocker, highlights included James Black’s staccato guitar bursts adding extra sparks to Falling On and sharp-dressed drummer Rich Beddoe thrashing about behind his kit at pretty much any time during the set.

An even bigger exodus from the hillside toward the stage took place when Our Lady Peace struck its first few chords, with singer Raine Maida leading his quartet through rearranged fan favourites like Superman’s Dead and Is Anybody Home? as well as a handful of tracks from the new release Burn Burn.

After an acknowledgement of Canada’s people in uniform by Admiral Paul Madison and Defence Minister Peter MacKay, headliners Chickenfoot came out with the thunderous Avenida Revolucion. The song’s chorus of "crossing the borderline, into the fire" refers to illegal Mexican immigrants but it could just as well be referring to the dangers faced by troops in Afghanistan. Chad Smith’s rapid-fire drumming and Satriani’s eerie guitar fills only enhanced the imagery.

Soap on a Rope and Sexy Little Thing were more typical Hagar party anthems, but lit up by Satch’s fretboard fireworks, from elaborate hammer-ons to straight up bluesy solos, with some amiable interplay with Hagar’s former Van Halen band mate Michael Anthony on bass.

Promising to play "until they force us to stop" Hagar worked the crowd like a crazed motivational speaker, shaking his blond locks and emitting lung-shredding screams. If he wanted a second career as a drill sergeant, I’m sure there were some people backstage who would be only to happy to oblige him.

( scooke@herald.ca)

[Dmajackson]

Snoop Dogg to play Halifax Sept. 13

By OUR STAFF
Thu. Aug 13 - 12:20 PM

Snoop Dogg is coming to Halifax. Fo' shizzle.

The legendary rapper, producer and raconteur will play Halifax's Metro Centre on Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $54.50 and $44.50 and go on sale Friday morning at 9.

Snoop will be promoting his 2008 release Ego Trippin' and will be bringing his band the Snoopadelics to town.

The Dogg's new album Malice in Wonderland will be released in November.

Tickets are available at the Metro Centre box office, select Atlantic Superstore outlets, ticketatlantic.com or at sonicconcerts.com.

( newsroom@herald.ca )

[haligonia]

It was announced today that The Black Eyed Peas will play the common this summer! They're probably one of the biggest ( if not the biggest) pop group of the decade, and have made a massive comeback in 09/10. They may not get as big of crowds that have been seen on the common, mainly because this is a different demographic, but they're still an iconic group. On the downside, $100 is a bit pricey.

[kph06]

They still have the Friday night rock show to announce, hopefully they will be able to draw the big crowd. I'm concered The Black Eyed Peas won't get the crowd the commons are ideal for and therefore rekindle the debate over concerts on the commons yet again. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Black Eyed Peas would be more suited for Citadel Hill.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by kph06

They still have the Friday night rock show to announce, hopefully they will be able to draw the big crowd. I'm concered The Black Eyed Peas won't get the crowd the commons are ideal for and therefore rekindle the debate over concerts on the commons yet again. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Black Eyed Peas would be more suited for Citadel Hill.

My fears exactly.

[cormiermax]

Id say even the Metro Center would be more appropriate.

[planarchy]

Originally Posted by kph06

I'm concered The Black Eyed Peas won't get the crowd the commons are ideal for and therefore rekindle the debate over concerts on the commons yet again. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Black Eyed Peas would be more suited for Citadel Hill.

Exactly. To think that Halifax can pull of regular outdoor concerts of 50,000 plus is naive. In general, there are not a lot of acts that can pull a crowd like this in, especially given the cost of tickets, and from the rather small population we draw from. But to have a venue to comfortably and efficiently accomodate crowds half that size would be a much smarter approach for Halifax - and this is somewhere where they really could create a reputation for this type of outdoor show in the middle of the city. Outdoor shows of 50,000 or more are more the sort of summer festival circuit and better handled by a location outside of the city, but making use of a good public transit system in the nearby city to bring people to and from the event site.