For Mom: 2015 Mother’s Day Concert Guide

Concerts are a great way to spend time and make memories with the special people in your life! 2015 is shaping up to be a great year for the music-loving person, with marquee concert tours criss-crossing North America.  The sheer number of acts on tour in the coming months means there’ll be something for everyone’s tastes.

Here are some of the hottest concerts rolling into Vancouver this year:

U2 – iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE TourMay 14 & 15, Rogers Arena

Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga – May 25 & 26, QE Theatre

Barry Manilow – May 26, Rogers Arena

Shania Twain – Rock This Country TourJune 7 & 9, Rogers Arena

Theresa Caputo – June 8, UBC Thunderbird Arena

Ed Sheeran – June 19, Rogers Arena

Taylor SwiftAugust 1, BC Place

Mark Knopfler – September 10, QE Theatre

Ringo Starr – October 9, QE Theatre

You can check out even more Vancouver events on our website, as well as tickets to events worldwide on ShowTimeTickets.com.

U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour Tickets Now on Sale

U2 Innocence and Experience tourBono and the boys are back! Tickets to U2‘s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour are now on sale.
The tour comes hot on the heels of the release of the band’s 13th album Songs of Innocence on September 9, 2014. The new dates begin on May 14 & 15 in Vancouver. Each city along the tour will get at least two shows, which are promised to feature something different from night to night. Bono is quoted as saying:

“We are going to try to have a completely different feeling from night one to night two, and have some fun playing with the idea of innocence and experience. More to be revealed!”

It’s the band’s first tour since their record-breaking 360 Degrees tour back in 2012, which set all-time highs for attendance.
Buy your U2 Tickets today!
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U2 Return to 360° Tour

U2

U2 recently announced a new itinerary for the postponed 360° Tour that was delayed when band frontman, Bono, was forced to undergo emergency back surgery in July.

The tour began back in 2009, and became the highest grossing tour of the year, selling out venues in the U.S., Canada, and Spain.

The revised North American leg of the tour is set to begin in May of 2011, and will feature support from The Fray, Lenny Kravitz, Florence Read More

U2 on 360 Degrees Tour

U2

The concept of U2 and the band itself was formed before the members of the group had much of a grasp on their instruments. In what has become a signature of the band, they realized early on that playing music is more of a platform to convey a message to an audience than it is a display of great talent.

Although they did become exceptional musically, they clung to the idea that they could use their music to spread a message. Over the years, they have donated heavily to an array of charitable groups through benefit concerts and campaigns, using their fame to highlight organizations that try to improve the world. Read More

U2 360° Tour tickets now available, breaking sales records

After having released their twelfth studio album, No Line on the Horizon, in February of this year, U2 will be embarking on a World Tour beginning on June 30, 2009 as they travel Europe for six months on the first leg of the U2 360° Tour, then continue on with the North American leg on September 12th. Tickets for the previously pre-sale only shows have just gone on sale and have already begun to break sales records; as of mid-April the tour has already surpassed 2.5 million tickets sold. Individual venues continued to set records as the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles sold-out at 90,000 tickets, becoming the fastest selling and largest attended concert to play at that location in history!

Tour stops across North America continued the trend of outstanding sales, with the stop at Vancouver’s BC Place reaching a staggering 57,000 tickets sold, on par with the shows in Washington and Boston. Close to half of the shows on this World Tour have already sold out, with the other locations not far behind. The tour will begin on June 30th in Barcelona, where the band will continue to travel Europe for the next two and a half months before crossing the pond and landing in Chicago to kick off the North American portion of the tour on September 12th. From there they will travel west for the next month and a half hitting up all the major cities across the continent. Be sure to check the listings below for the show nearest you!

U2 360° North American Tour Dates

Chicago U2 Tickets: Sep 12, 2009 Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, US
Chicago U2 Tickets: Sep 13, 2009 Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, US
Toronto U2 Tickets: Sep 16, 2009 Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, CA
Toronto U2 Tickets: Sep 17, 2009 Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON, CA
Boston U2 Tickets: Sep 20, 2009 Gilette Stadium, Boston, MA, US
Boston U2 Tickets: Sep 21, 2009 Gilette Stadium, Boston, MA, US
New York U2 Tickets: Sep 24, 2009 Giants Stadium, New York, NY, US
New York U2 Tickets: Sep 25, 2009 Giants Stadium, New York, NY, US
Washington U2 Tickets: Sep 29, 2009 FedEx Field, Washington, DC, US
Charlottesville U2 Tickets: Oct 01, 2009 Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA, US
Raleigh U2 Tickets: Oct 03, 2009 Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
Atlanta U2 Tickets: Oct 06, 2009 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA, US
Tampa U2 Tickets: Oct 09, 2009 Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL, US
Dallas U2 Tickets: Oct 12, 2009 New Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX, US
Houston U2 Tickets: Oct 14, 2009 Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX, US
Norman U2 Tickets: Oct 18, 2009 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK, US
Phoenix U2 Tickets: Oct 20, 2009 Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, AZ, US
Las Vegas U2 Tickets: Oct 23, 2009 Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV, US
Los Angeles U2 Tickets: Oct 25, 2009 Rose Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, US
Vancouver U2 Tickets: Oct 28, 2009 BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC, CA

U2 360° European Tour Dates

Jun 30, 2009 Camp Nou, Barcelona, ES
Jul 02, 2009 Camp Nou, Barcelona, ES
Jul 07, 2009 San Siro, Milan, IT
Jul 08, 2009 San Siro, Milan, IT
Jul 11, 2009 Stade De France, Paris, FR
Jul 12, 2009 Stade De France, Paris, FR
Jul 15, 2009 Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann, Nice, FR
Jul 18, 2009 Olympic Stadium, Berlin, DE
Jul 20, 2009 ArenA, Amsterdam, NL
Jul 21, 2009 ArenA, Amsterdam, NL
Jul 24, 2009 Croke Park, Dublin, IE
Jul 25, 2009 Croke Park, Dublin, IE
Jul 25, 2009 Croke Park, Dublin, IE
Jul 31, 2009 Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, SE
Aug 01, 2009 Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, SE
Aug 03, 2009 Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, DE
Aug 06, 2009 Slaski Stadium, Chorzow, PL
Aug 09, 2009 Stadium Makimir, Zagreb, HR
Aug 10, 2009 Stadium Makimir, Zagreb, HR
Aug 14, 2009 Wembley Stadium, London, GB 
Aug 15, 2009 Wembley Stadium, London, GB
Aug 18, 2009 Hampden Park, Glasgow, GB 
Aug 20, 2009 Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield, GB
Aug 22, 2009 Millenium Stadium, Cardiff Wal., GB

Elbow – The Seldom Seen Band


One of my favourite bands almost slipped through town without my knowledge.

I’ve been waiting FIVE years to see Elbow play in Vancouver. With only a brief 30-minute opening slot at the Commodore in support of Grandaddy in 2003 (a show I opted out on at the time, assuming they’d hit the road on their own soon after), a headlining gig was long overdue.

But, when an amazing band like Elbow, who hasn’t seen much commercial success, even with vast critical acclaim and endorsements from major artists like REM and U2, comes to town, how is one supposed to even know? If it wasn’t for my quick glimpse to a telephone pole on my way home from work and my utter astonishment and surprise (I actually gasped aloud) when I saw they were playing here – I would have missed the show and likely never even known I had.

Thankfully, I did see the poster, and I am beyond happy to report, I have now seen Elbow live, and let me tell you, it was well worth the wait!

Whoever chose St Andrews Wesley Church as the venue is my new hero. I cannot imagine a better setting for Elbow’s emotive, atmospheric brand of brit-rock. The rich sounds of the 5-piece combo with the addition of two violinists throughout the set, and the soothing vocals of lead-singer Guy Carvey seemed a natural fit for the dimly lit cathedral and was the closest I’ve come to a religious experience.

From the politically-charged lyrics of Leaders of the Free World (“the leaders of the free world are just little boys throwing stones”) to the tales of unrequited love in Great Expectations, (“you were the sun in my Sunday morning”) a song, Carvey explained as when he “got married to the first women he ever loved…on a bus….but she didn’t know about it,” each song ended with such power and fullness that it seemed like a grand finale of sorts.

Between the healthy mix of older songs and new tracks off their latest album, “The Seldom Seen Kid,” released April 22nd, Carvey warmed the crowd up with his story-telling of his childhood days as an altar boy with drummer Richard Jupp (“we wore dresses for Jesus”) and chatted with various members of the audience. And the audience ate it up. When they weren’t bursting into standing ovations or laughing hysterically at Carvey’s rambling stories and witty remarks, the crowd was on the edge of their pews, silent in anticipation between songs.

It was one of those shows that leave you wanting more. My back was sore from the wooden pew and my ears were throbbing from the speaker right beside me, but it didn’t matter this time – I could have stayed another two hours just as happily.

The thing about Elbow, is that they just aren’t your normal rock band. There’s no pretension, ego or attitude, just music. They are just a bunch of blokes from Manchester who love doing what they do. Simple as that.