Concerts Reviews
From Tears to “Barbie Girl”: Aqua Lights Up Vancouver
The Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver looked more like a neon-lit time capsule Friday night as Aqua kicked off the first date of their Canadian tour. A sold-out crowd filled the historic room to see a band that hold so many memories. It was a reunion with the late-’90s dance-pop group that defined an era of glitter, Euro beats, and tongue-in-cheek bubblegum.
Before the strobes, the pulsing bass, and the candy-coated anthems, the show opened quietly with “Aquarius.” Lene Nystrøm walked onstage with her husband, Søren Rasted, seated at the piano. No beats. No giant cartoon visuals. Just her voice. She was visibly emotional as she sang the night’s first notes, her expression wavering between a smile and tears. It was a striking way to begin: the woman who once sang “Life in plastic, it’s fantastic” starting the night bare and vulnerable.
That didn’t last long, though. By the time René Dif bounded onto the stage for “Back to the 80’s,” the vibe flipped from tender to explosive. Dif, part frontman and part hype man, made it his mission to keep the room moving. He sprinted from side to side, threw high-fives, and at one point went in the crowd to take selfies with fans. If Nystrøm brought the heart, Dif brought the chaos. Together, they were unstoppable.
The setlist was a greatest-hits candy bag, balanced with some deep cuts for the diehards. After easing in, the group hit their early stride with “Around the World” and “My Oh My.” By then, people were dancing in the aisles. Ushers didn’t even bother asking them to back to their seats. The Orpheum had turned into a Eurodance club.
“Turn Back Time” was one of the night’s most powerful moments. Stripped back, it showed just how well Aqua could step outside their usual bounce and deliver something soulful. The darker mood carried into “My Mamma Said,” where Nystrøm’s voice soared over minimal instrumentation, drawing one of the loudest ovations of the night.
Of course, Aqua knew their audience came for the big, sugary hits. “Doctor Jones” brought a chorus of thousands shouting along to the “Doctor Jones, wake up now!” hook. “Cartoon Heroes” turned the theatre into a technicolor singalong, with Dif hamming it up like a Saturday morning cartoon villain. And yes, “Barbie Girl” arrived late in the main set, phones going up instantly. Twenty-eight years after its release, it still works.
One unexpected twist came during René’s mid-show DJ set, which acted as a bridge while the rest of the band caught their breath. It wasn’t long, just enough to keep the energy high, but it showed how seamlessly Aqua has adapted their late-’90s sound to the EDM-heavy landscape of today.
The encore sealed the deal. After “Lollipop (Candyman),” the band closed with “Roses Are Red,” their very first single. It was a perfect full-circle moment, showing that Aqua is a band with history and the kind of staying power most ’90s acts could only dream of.
Between songs, both Nystrøm and Dif shared their gratitude. They recalled playing Vancouver just last summer as part of the PNE Summer Night Concerts and spoke warmly about how Canada has always supported them.
Not everything worked perfectly. The AI-generated graphics displayed on the massive screen behind them felt out of place, like filler from a metaverse startup rather than a pop band with their own distinct visual identity.
Aqua’s story is often reduced to “Barbie Girl” and its kitsch factor, but this show made clear that their impact runs deeper. They’ve sold over 38 million albums worldwide, racked up a billion YouTube views, and last year earned Grammy nominations thanks to their collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. They are not a nostalgia act desperately milking one song. They’re still a global force, and their Vancouver return proved it. If this is how Aqua starts their Canadian tour, the rest of the country is in for a wild ride.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
09/09 Edmonton, AB
09/10 Edmonton, AB
09/12 Calgary, AB
09/15 Saskatoon, SK
09/16 Winnipeg, MB
09/19 Toronto, ON
09/20 Ottawa, ON
09/22 Moncton, NB
09/24 Pickering, ON
09/26 Windsor, ON
09/27 Hamilton, ON
09/28 Kitchener, ON
More info on their website.
AQUA
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Bleachers Bring Big Energy to a Long-Awaited Montreal Return
On June 10th, 2026, fans packed into MTELUS for the Montreal stop of Bleachers’ Bleachers Forever tour. This is the second time the band has had in Montreal, the first being at Osheaga Music and Arts Festival back in 2022, which is the perfect place to build a Montreal fanbase.
Momo Boyd, a New York City based vocalist and songwriter, had no problem setting the tone for the night. With songs like “Cold Hands,” “Strong,” and even a cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, her set was filled with enchanting purple lights, beautifully deep lyrics, and captivating vocals. Although her performance was more “low-key” than a typical Bleachers performance, it had its moments of picking up, and was the perfect way to ease the crowd into the night, and left many audience members as a new fan.
As Bleachers took the stage, opening their set with “My Way,” there was no doubt that this would be a night to remember. The band, consisting of lead singer Jack Antonoff, Mikey Freedom Hart, Zem Audu, Mike Riddleberger, Evan Smith and Sean Hutchinson came out to the wonderful sound of saxophone played by band member Zem Audu, and though the first half of the song was slower, the energy built up shortly after through flashing lights, jumps and a roaring crowd.
The audience erupted in cheers and laughter as lead singer, Jack Antonoff spoke out about artists always skipping Montreal during their tours, saying: “They think they can play Osheaga and that’s enough?”, and “What’s with (bands) that think they can play Osheaga, which is like an expensive ticket, and not just come play a normal show.” As me, and many others in that room have traveled to Toronto to see our favourite artists when they skip Montreal on tour, I completely agree with this!
The night continued with back-to-back hits, including “you and forever,” “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call,” and of course, “I Wanna Get Better,” and closing the set with “Stop Making This Hurt.” They even played a cover of Margaret by Lana Del Ray, which they’re featured on!
Bleachers set an incredible standard of engaging a crowd and keeping a consistently high-energy audience. From the first note, to the emotional highs and lows, to the closing goodbyes, fans were cheering, singing and dancing the whole time! They even had a photobooth in the venue where you could take pictures before the show! This is certainly a band that will be in people’s rotation for years to come, so the tour name speaks for itself when it says, Bleachers Forever!
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
BLEACHERS
MOMO BOYD
All Photo Credit: Ashley Bellam
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Alex Warren Finds Family on the Road at Rogers Arena
One year ago, Alex Warren was playing Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre. On Sunday night, he walked onto the stage at Rogers Arena in front of nearly 20,000 people for the Vancouver stop of his Finding Family on the Road Tour.
That kind of jump can expose an artist’s weaknesses. Plenty of performers who thrive in clubs and theatres struggle once the rooms get bigger and the production gets larger. Their personalities get lost somewhere between the video screens and the confetti cannons, yet Warren never came close to that problem.
Before he appeared, opening act Nat & Alex Wolff warmed up the crowd with a short but engaging set. The New York brothers leaned into their easy chemistry, mixing indie-pop hooks with plenty of crowd interaction. Still, the anticipation in the arena was unmistakably for Warren.
The show opened with touching home videos from his childhood projected across the giant screens. It felt like both sentimental and a mission statement. Family, both the one Warren lost and the one he has built around himself, remains at the centre of everything he does.
He wasted little time launching into “Troubled Waters,” immediately sending excitement through the arena. From there, he rolled through early highlights including “Bloodline,” “The Outside,” and “First Time on Earth.”
What stood out wasn’t the production, though there was plenty of it. It was Warren‘s command of the room. For someone whose rise began on social media, Warren understands live performance remarkably well. He knows when to joke, when to tell a story, and when to step aside and let the audience take over. Throughout the night he read signs, spoke directly to fans, and delivered the kind of spontaneous interactions that can’t be programmed into a production schedule.
The audience responded to every moment. Many were young fans who have followed his life for years, and the relationship between artist and crowd felt unusually personal for a venue this size.
Vocally, Warren continues to silence anyone who still sees him primarily as a former content creator. Songs like “The Outside” and “Eternity” showcased the power and clarity in his voice, particularly when he pushed into his upper register. During “Eternity,” a massive sing-along broke out across Rogers Arena, with nearly every section joining in.
The emotional core of the evening arrived during the B-stage portion of the set. To get there, Warren left the main stage and made his way through the crowd, high-fiving fans, stopping for selfies, and turning the walk into an event of its own.
After reaching the smaller stage in the middle of the floor, Warren stripped away much of the arena spectacle and focused on the stories behind the songs. Before performing the unreleased “Same Stars,” he asked fans to put their phones away and experience the moment with him rather than recording it. He then spoke about losing both of his parents and the loneliness that often comes with grief. He reminded the audience that people die twice: once when they pass away and again when their stories stop being told. You could hear a pin drop as phone lights illuminated the arena.
It’s a difficult balance. Warren‘s music often deals with grief, loss, and healing, and there are moments where the emotional weight borders on overwhelming. At times, the show asks a lot from its audience, who ended up in tears several times. Yet those moments never felt manipulative. They felt genuine, even when they were uncomfortable.
“Fine Place To Die” was one of the strongest moments of the night. Sitting alone at the piano, Warren delivered the song acoustically after explaining that everything heard throughout the show was being performed live by him and his musicians. Before starting, he joked, “If I fuck up, post it on TikTok,” earning one of the night’s biggest laughs. Alongside “Heaven Without You,” the stripped-back performance highlighted Warren‘s songwriting and emotional delivery.
The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. During “Getaway Car,” Warren took a moment to introduce each member of his band, giving the musicians their own chance to shine before launching back into the set. “You Can’t Stop This” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.
The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. “Getaway Car,” “You Can’t Stop This,” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.
Warren explained that the confetti button is normally pushed by his wife, Kouvr, but since she wasn’t in Vancouver, the honour went to fellow musician Cameron Whitcomb, who had just finished performing at the FIFA Fan Festival earlier that day. Whitcomb’s excitement was impossible to miss as confetti filled the arena.
With the encore came the moment everyone had been waiting for. As the opening notes of “Ordinary” rang out, Rogers Arena erupted. The Billboard-topping hit has become Warren‘s defining song, and hearing nearly every person in the building scream the lyrics back at him was one of those rare concert moments where the scale of an artist’s rise becomes impossible to ignore.
A year ago, Alex Warren was proving he belonged in theatres. On Sunday night, he proved he belongs in arenas. More impressively, he managed to make Rogers Arena feel a lot smaller than it actually is.
After the final notes faded, Warren returned to the B-stage one last time to take a bow. Beside him was a young girl who had earlier asked to push the confetti button herself. He gave her something even better. It was a small gesture, but it perfectly captured the spirit of the night: a massive arena show that never lost sight of the people in the room.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Wednesday, June 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Friday, June 19 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
Sunday, June 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tuesday, June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Thursday, June 25 – Atlanta GA – State Farm Arena
Friday, June 26 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Saturday, June 27 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Monday, June 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Thursday, July 2 – Minneapolis, MN – Grand Casino Arena
Friday, July 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Sunday, July 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tuesday, July 7 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Wednesday, July 8 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Friday, July 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Saturday, July 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Monday, July 13 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Wednesday, July 15 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Find out more information about the tour here.