Concerts Reviews
Everyday’s A Friday When Ice Cube Performs In Vancouver
It’s not every day Vancouver gets a visit from rap royalty, but when Ice Cube rolls through, the city shows up in full force. The Pacific Coliseum was packed with fans of all ages, ready to celebrate Cube’s Four Decades of Attitude Tour. Over the course of the night, Ice Cube delivered a massive 34-track set that spanned his legendary career. If you could name a song, there was a good chance you heard it live. Each moment felt bigger than the last, with surprise after surprise keeping the crowd on its toes. By the final track, it was clear this was one of Vancouver’s standout shows of the year.
From Cripwalking to downing drinks, Ice Cube’s DJ had the crowd fired up, blasting a mix of old and new rap classics that shook the Pacific Coliseum. One glance around the room told you this was going to be a wild night. A line of police officers and firemen stood ready on the floor, prepared for whatever chaos might erupt once Cube hit the stage. As the DJ wrapped up, the crowd’s energy shifted. Fans began chanting “ICE CUBE,” their voices growing louder and more intense with each round. The sound of thousands calling for the legend sent chills through the venue. Then, the lights were cut out. In an instant, chants turned into deafening screams. After months of anticipation, the moment had arrived, Ice Cube was about to take Vancouver by storm.
The show began with a powerful montage projected across the massive video screen, tracing Ice Cube’s journey from his early struggles to his inspirations, culminating in the historic rise of N.W.A. As the final image faded, Cube stormed onto the stage, his presence commanding the room. From his style to his energy, everything about him screamed icon. The crowd erupted, cheering, applauding, and shouting, “That’s my boy, Cube!” like they were welcoming a close friend. Wasting no time, he launched into the explosive opener, “Fuck tha Police.” With a visible line of police officers in the venue, the song carried an extra charge. The audience roared the lyrics, some even directing them straight at the officers, setting the tone for a night fueled by unfiltered energy. Cube kept the N.W.A. vibe rolling with “Dopeman” and “Boyz-N-The-Hood.” During the latter, the energy shifted to a more emotional moment as he paid tribute to the late, great Eazy-E. In a move that stunned the crowd, Cube brought out Lil Eazy-E to perform alongside him. The arena went wild, jaws dropping at the sight. By the end of the song, Cube and Lil E embraced centre stage, a touching tribute that felt like family honouring family.
“Straight Outta Compton” closed out the N.W.A. portion of the night with a bang, wrapping up an opening run so electrifying it’s hard to fully capture without witnessing it yourself. After the track, Cube stepped offstage, and the screens lit up once more, this time taking fans through his journey into the 90s as he launched his solo career. The crowd lit up with smiles and nods, many reliving memories from the era as Cube’s story unfolded before them. When he returned, the arena erupted. Cube unleashed a string of classics, including “Once Upon a Time in the Projects,” “No Vaseline,” and “Check Yo’ Self”. As we reached 1994, Cube talked about how Eazy-E’s loos created sadness, and previous years were too wild. So he decided to write a film, Friday. The introduction led him to the performance of the track which triggered the brains of every audience member to dance. He included a small vignette dedicated to his friend, mentor, the late great John Singleton, who directed the hit film Boyz-N-The-Hood. It was a touching and honourable tribute.
Following, each track sending waves of nostalgia and hype through the crowd. Then came another twist. Cube began talking about his time with a certain “little supergroup” known as Westside Connection. The moment he dropped into “Bow Down,” the energy hit a fever pitch as Dub-C stormed the stage, igniting a frenzy that had the entire venue on its feet. Dub and Ice tore through a relentless run of hits, firing off “Gangsta Nation,” “Natural Born Killaz,” and the hard-hitting “The Gangsta, The Killa and The Dope Dealer,” which famously samples Nine Inch Nails. For 11 straight tracks, Dub held it down alongside Cube, and the crowd matched their energy every step of the way. Whether it was the sheer power of the music or the haze of smoke filling the arena, fans seemed to be on another level entirely. People were dancing like nobody was watching, rapping every lyric to songs they’d grown up with. The high point came with “Ain’t Got No Haters,” after which Cube left the stage, leaving the crowd wondering if the night was over. Vancouver wasn’t having it. Thousands of voices rose in unison, chanting “IT WAS A GOOD DAY!” until the walls practically shook. Moments later, Cube returned with a smile, ready to give the city the encore it had been demanding.
Ice Cube paused to share his love for Vancouver, praising the city, its people, and the electric energy of the crowd. That heartfelt moment led perfectly into the words everyone was waiting for: “It Was A Good Day.” The reaction was instant and explosive. The arena erupted as fans shouted every lyric, turning the track into a full-blown celebration. It was a moment of pure connection, with thousands of voices and memories colliding into one unforgettable experience. To close out the night, Cube shifted gears and performed “It’s My Ego,” a standout from last year’s Man Down album. Even though it was a newer track, the crowd embraced it like a classic, rapping along with the same passion they had for his legendary cuts. It was the perfect high note to end a night that proved Ice Cube’s legacy is as powerful as ever.
As Ice Cube’s night in Vancouver came to a close, thousands of fans poured out of the Pacific Coliseum, many treating the experience like a massive Saturday night family gathering. Conversations buzzed with excitement, and more than a few voices declared it one of the “greatest rap shows ever”. Honestly, it’s hard to disagree. I’ve been to more concerts than I can count, and this one stands near the very top. The energy was unmatched, the setlist packed with career-defining tracks, and the performance so powerful that at times. I wondered if we were witnessing a celebration of Cube’s legacy or a farewell. The production was just as impressive, featuring a rising stage and an upper platform decked out with two green Impala convertibles straight out of the “It Was A Good Day” music video. It was a visual nod to a career that has shaped both music and film, with Cube continuously finding ways to bring people together. For decades, fans have said things like, “We gotta listen to the new Cube,” or “Cube’s got a new movie out,” and that same excitement radiated through this show. If Ice Cube visits your city, all I can say is “You gotta check out Cube live”.
I’d like to thank Ice Cube and his incredible team for allowing us to capture and experience his Four Decades of Attitude Tour. If you’d like to find a future date, or more on the artist, please visit here: Ice Cube Website
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ICE CUBE
All Photo Credit: Marquise Monno
Concerts Reviews
AC/DC Brings the Thunder to Vancouver with their ‘Power Up Tour’
There is a point where a band stops being simply a band and becomes part of the architecture of rock music. AC/DC crossed that line a long time ago.
At BC Place on August 13, the Australian hard-rock institution brought its Power Up Tour to Vancouver for a night built around the things AC/DC has spent more than five decades doing better than almost anyone: giant riffs, simple choruses, loud guitars and absolutely no interest in pretending it needs to be anything else.
The Pretty Reckless had the unenviable job of warming up a stadium full of people who had come primarily to see one band. Taylor Momsen and company handled it well. The band had already played BC Place with AC/DC the previous year, so the venue was familiar territory, and their dark, muscular rock gave the evening a harder modern edge before AC/DC took over.
Momsen remains a compelling frontwoman. She has the kind of voice that can go from a rough growl to something surprisingly controlled without losing its bite. The Pretty Reckless worked through songs including “Death by Rock and Roll,” “Follow Me Down,” “Make Me Wanna Die” and “Going to Hell,” making a solid case for their place on a tour where the headliner could easily swallow an opening act whole.
Then it was time for AC/DC. The opening notes of “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” were enough to make the point. There was no elaborate buildup or some cinematic explanation of what was about to happen. Angus Young walked out in his schoolboy uniform, picked up his Gibson SG and started playing.
That’s the AC/DC trick. They make the obvious feel good. Young is 71 now, and Brian Johnson is 78. Those numbers are hard to ignore for about five minutes. Then Young starts moving. He still has the strange, almost cartoonish physicality that has made him such an effective performer. The duckwalk remains intact. So does the ability to disappear into a guitar solo and somehow make a stadium watch one small figure instead of the enormous production surrounding him.
Johnson has changed more noticeably. His voice carries more wear than it did decades ago, and some of the higher passages have lost a bit of their old bite. Yet there is something fitting about hearing that weathered voice attack these songs now. “Back in Black” doesn’t need to sound exactly like the 1980 recording. Neither does “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Johnson sings them like someone who has lived with these songs for most of his adult life. The audience knows every word anyway.
“Thunderstruck” turned BC Place into a sea of raised arms. “Hells Bells” brought out the giant bell and all the expected theatrics. “Highway to Hell” needed almost no encouragement from the band; the crowd did most of the work. This is where AC/DC has an advantage over younger stadium acts. There is no learning curve ast hese songs have been sitting in people’s heads for decades.
The Power Up material, including “Demon Fire” and “Shot in the Dark,” fits into the set without disrupting its momentum. Still, the older songs are where the night really catches fire. “Shoot to Thrill,” “Sin City,” “High Voltage,” “Riff Raff” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” are simply too deeply embedded in the band’s history to compete with.
“Let There Be Rock” became Angus Young’s playground. His extended solo was indulgent and ridiculous, but that’s exactly what it needed to be. A shorter version might have been more sensible, but nobody came to AC/DC for sensible.
There is something almost refreshing about how little the band cares about reinvention. AC/DC has no new sound to unveil and no grand statement about where rock music is going next. It knows where it came from, knows what its audience wants and has decided that is enough.
By the time “T.N.T.” arrived, BC Place was already primed for the inevitable finale. Then came “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” with the cannons firing and the stadium turning into one enormous, deafening salute.
AC/DC isn’t trying to prove that it is still the future of rock. The band has become something more stubborn than that: a living reminder that a great riff doesn’t age nearly as quickly as the people playing it. Five decades in, Angus Young still wants you to turn it up. Vancouver was happy to oblige.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming Power Up Tour Dates:
Thu Aug 27 Atlanta, GA Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Mon Aug 31 Houston, TX NRG Stadium
Fri Sep 04 South Bend, IN Notre Dame Stadium
Tue Sep 08 St. Louis, MO The Dome at America’s Center
Sat Sep 12 Montreal, QC Parc Jean-Drapeau
Wed Sep 16 Toronto, ON Rogers Stadium
Fri Sep 25 East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium
Tue Sep 29 Philadelphia, PA Lincoln Financial Field
More information here.
AC/DC
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer | @frogphotography
Concerts Reviews
IVE ‘Show What I Am’ Tour Lives Up to Its Name in Vancouver
A few months ago, I walked into Rogers Arena for my first K-pop concert. That show was TWICE’s This Is For Tour, and it was a bit of a crash course. I knew the group, knew some of the songs, but I was still trying to figure out what made a K-pop concert different from the rock and pop shows I had spent years photographing and reviewing.
Since then, I’ve done my homework. I’ve listened to more groups, learned more about the culture around K-pop, and started to understand why the relationship between a group and its fans is such a big part of the experience. So when IVE ended the North American leg of their Show What I Am Tour to Rogers Arena on August 9, I was much more prepared.
I still wasn’t an expert on IVE. I couldn’t have named every song going in, and I certainly wasn’t going to pretend I could match the DIVE fandom’s encyclopedic knowledge of the group. What I did have was curiosity, and by the end of the night, I had a much better idea of why IVE has become one of K-pop’s biggest fourth-generation girl groups.
IVE — An Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo — has built its identity around confidence since debuting in 2021. The group’s catalogue includes some of K-pop’s biggest recent hits, including “LOVE DIVE,” “After LIKE,” “I AM,” “Kitsch” and “Baddie.” The Show What I Am Tour takes that idea of confidence and stretches it across a concert that deliberately gives each member room to stand on her own.
The show opens with a cinematic video sequence before the six members appear in black leather outfits, surrounded by dancers, lasers and sparks. “GOTCHA (Baddest Eros)” gets things moving before “XOXZ” and “Baddie” keep the momentum going. There is very little patience for a slow start here.
“ICE QUEEN” brings a more elegant edge, followed by “BLACKHOLE,” where the live band gives the song considerably more weight than its studio version. The band is one of the smartest choices in the production. The arrangements aren’t simply backing tracks played louder ; songs get extended instrumental sections, heavier percussion and moments where the musicians can actually breathe. It makes the show feel like a concert rather than a two-hour music video with a very large budget.
“TKO” brings the members down the runway for the first time, putting them much closer to the audience. “Holy Moly” follows, before “My Satisfaction” shifts the mood again with darker lighting, dancers and tight camera shots projected onto the arena screens (K-pop bands’ camera work really excels during live performance).
Then IVE breaks apart. The solo section is probably the strongest part of the show. Each member gets a chance to show a different side of herself, and the performances are different enough that the sequence never feels like six variations of the same idea. Wonyoung’s “8” is confident and controlled. Rei turns “In Your Heart” into a cute, playful Y2K-style performance. Liz’s “Unreal” strips things back and puts her vocals front and centre. Gaeul’s “Odd” is dreamy and understated before Leeseo completely changes the temperature with the hyperactive “Super ICY.” Yujin closes the sequence with “Force,” combining live vocals with demanding choreography before handing the stage over to the dancers.
For someone coming into the show without a deep knowledge of IVE, this was the section that made the group click for me. They are six distinct performers, not six interchangeable pieces of a larger machine.
The group eventually reunites for “♥beats,” changing into white outfits with angel wings and moving into a lighter part of the show. “WOW,” “Off The Record” and “FLU” lean heavily into fan interaction. There are waves, heart gestures, posing for cameras and plenty of moments where the members seem just as entertained by the audience as the audience is by them.
That connection is hard to miss. K-pop fans don’t just know the songs, they know the choreography, the members, the inside jokes and the tiny details. Watching thousands of people respond to the same cue at exactly the same time can feel slightly surreal when you’re still learning the language of the genre.
And then IVE brings out the big guns. “ATTITUDE,” “LOVE DIVE,” “REBEL HEART” and “I AM” arrive in quick succession, turning Rogers Arena into one enormous singalong. “I AM,” in particular, gets the kind of response you expect from a band playing its signature song.
“BANG BANG” follows, with the group teasing the crowd that it is the final song before an extended outro sends the members racing back across the stage.
Of course, it isn’t the final song. The first encore brings “Wild Bird” and a more relaxed version of IVE, with the members wearing tour merchandise and spending more time talking to the audience. Then comes another surprise: Wonyoung takes over a DJ booth for “Supernova Love,” the group’s collaboration with David Guetta. “Kitsch” follows, and then “After LIKE” closes the night with thousands of fans singing along.
I came into Rogers Arena knowing far less about IVE than the people sitting around me. I left with a much better understanding of the group, and more importantly, a better understanding of why K-pop concerts have become such a force.
The spectacle is impressive, but that isn’t what stuck with me. It was the personalities. Show What I Am works best when IVE stops trying to prove how big the production can be and simply lets the six members show what makes each of them different. The choreography is sharp, the live band adds real punch, and the production rarely sits still for long. But the biggest success is that the show gives fans plenty of reasons to feel like they are part of it.
A few months after my first K-pop concert, I’m still learning the names and catching up on the catalogue. I’m starting to get it, though. And IVE made a pretty convincing case for keeping up.
Upcoming IVE Show What I Am Tour dates:
Sept. 4 – Hong Kong – Asia World Arena
Sept. 5 – Hong Kong – Asia World Arena
Sept. 11 – Taipei, Taiwan – Taipei Arena
Sept. 12 – Taipei, Taiwan – Taipei Arena