Festivals
Montréal Jazz Festival 2025 – Ayra Starr
On Tuesday night, Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr delivered a masterclass on how to celebrate Canada Day in Montreal for the 2025 edition of Jazz Fest. The 23-year-old singer showed the people of Montreal that she’s ready for major headliner shows, before heading out to support Coldplay’s big stadium tour later this month.
More than two hours before her set started, people were already flocking to the TD Stage, undeterred by the pouring rain that had fallen an hour earlier. A sea of umbrellas, people of all ages, began to cram together as tightly as possible, just to catch a closer glimpse of the Nigerian star. A couple of minutes before she jumped onstage, the rain stopped. It truly felt like a timely sign from above, as the clouds cleared, the sun went down, and the stars appeared – the most important one of the night being Ayra herself.
“Ladies and gentlemen… I present to you… the great Ayra Starr!” a member of the crew shouted, as a giant pink star was projected onto the backdrop and a pool of blue light flooded the stage. Emerging through smoke, she rocked a black pinstripe suit with a cropped blazer and a statement necklace covered in charms. Her stage presence was undeniable, commanding her dancers around the stage while she hit every note with her R&B-forward vocals.
Throughout the set, she played some of the hits that cemented her stardom across the pond and in America, like “Bloody Samaritan” and “Control.” A highlight of the set was a cover of David Guetta’s “Titanium,” where she flawlessly hit every note originally sung by Sia, with every single one of the 20,000 people attending singing along with her.
It was a night filled with dancing, Afrobeats, and good vibes after a rainy Canada Day. It is no small feat that she is now performing a closing set on the main stage at Jazz Fest, joining a list of legendary artists such as Stevie Wonder, Esperanza Spalding, and Leonard Cohen who have also graced the biggest stages of this legendary festival. Ayra Starr is an artist in total command of her craft. Her star keeps rising and doesn’t seem close to stopping.
Visit the festival’s website for schedule and ticket information.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
AYRA STARR
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya
Festivals
Montréal Jazz Festival 2026 – Patrick Watson
July 3, 2026
If you thought the outdoor main stage at Jazz Fest was packed earlier in the week, it had absolutely nothing on the sea of people that squeezed into the Place des Festivals for Patrick Watson. The site was packed right to the limit. The last time he played the festival back in 2021, it was to a strictly limited, socially distanced crowd, and he actually took a moment to contrast that eerie, quiet landscape with the overwhelming wall of faces looking back at him this time around. The massive turnout made it feel like the city had just been waiting for the perfect moment to properly welcome him back.
The whole night felt like a massive, curated homecoming celebration with his favourite people on earth. By the third song, he already had the crowd cheering when he brought out Montreal’s own Martha Wainwright, who has been heavily involved in the local scene and festival circuit this year, to share the stage. Right after that, he raised the bar even higher by bringing up a string quartet for a stunning performance of “Ode to Vivian.” He took a second to tell the story behind the track, explaining how it was inspired by the street photographer Vivian Maier, who secretly kept her incredible work to herself until she passed, only to posthumously become an inspiration to thousands of photographers worldwide.
The emotional peak of the set came during “To Build a Home.” Watson talked about how deeply the experience of growing up in Montreal shaped him both as a person and a musician, noting that his music could only ever be written in a city with this exact type of creative spirit. As the song played, vintage 1960s video footage of Montreal rolled across the massive backdrops, which gave the whole performance an incredibly nostalgic, cinematic weight. He kept the collaborations rolling through the night, too, pulling the brilliant November Ultra onto the stage for “Silencio,” and later bringing out the rising indie-folk artist Solann.
The years might be passing, but Patrick Watson proves every time he steps on a stage that he remains an absolute force of nature. He doesn’t care about shifting trends; he just cares about his craft. A few people floating around the crowd might have been a little disappointed not to hear some of the older classics like “Lighthouse” or “The Great Escape,” but honestly, what better setting is there to test out your newest material than the Montreal Jazz Festival in front of your home crowd? Besides, when the performance is that stunning from start to finish, you really can’t be mad about it.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PATRICK WATSON
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya
Festivals
FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver – Simple Plan & JJ Wilde
The weather did everything it could to keep people away from the the FIFA Fan Festival™ in Vancouver on July 2, but fans had other ideas. Heavy rain lingered throughout the day, yet by the evening the amphitheatre at the PNE Grounds was packed with concertgoers ready to enjoy live music alongside the excitement of the FIFA World Cup.
The day’s schedule featured Round of 32 matches on the big screen between performances from local and international artists. Vancouver’s own JJ Wilde took the amphitheatre stage in the early evening, bringing her trademark mix of gritty rock vocals and confident stage presence. Her performance gave the crowd plenty of energy before the night’s main attraction, and showed everyone why she became the first woman in 25 years to win Canadian Rock Album Of The Year prize at Junos Awards.
Closing out the night was Montreal pop-punk veterans Simple Plan, who showed exactly why they continue to be one of Canada’s most reliable live bands more than two decades into their career. Rain-soaked fans sang along from the opening notes of “I’d Do Anything” as the band wasted no time getting the audience involved. Their set moved quickly through fan favourites including “Nothing Changes,” “Shut Up!,” “Jump,” “Jet Lag,” and “Welcome to My Life,” with nearly every chorus echoed back by the crowd.
The setlist balanced nostalgia with newer material, featuring songs like “Nothing Changes,” “Loser of the Year,” and “Million Pictures” alongside classics that have become staples of the band’s live shows. “Summer Paradise” brought a welcome reminder of sunnier days, even if the skies over Vancouver refused to cooperate.
One of the night’s most entertaining moments came during “What’s New Scooby-Doo?” Better known by fans simply as the Scooby-Doo song, the band continued its long-running concert tradition by inviting several people dressed as Scooby-Doo onto the stage.
The energy never dipped as the band powered through a party medley before closing with “Where I Belong,” “I’m Just a Kid,” and, fittingly, “Perfect.” Thousands of voices filled the amphitheatre, creating one of the loudest singalongs of the festival so far.
July 2 served as another reminder of what has made the FIFA Fan Festival such a success throughout the tournament. Football may bring people together during the day, but the nightly concerts have become just as much a reason to gather. Even under grey skies and persistent rain, Vancouver fans turned out in force, and Simple Plan rewarded that dedication with a high-energy performance that left the crowd smiling long after the final note.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full galleries of Simple Plan and JJ Wilde!
SIMPLE PLAN
JJ WILDE
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer