Concerts Reviews
Invictus Games 2025 Opening Ceremony – Live Review

The Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 kicked off in spectacular fashion with an unforgettable Opening Ceremony at BC Place on February 8th. With 40,000 fans packing the stadium, we knew this was a moment we couldn’t miss. The energy was electric as athletes, families, and supporters came together to celebrate resilience, strength, and the power of sport.
From the very start, it was clear this would be a day to remember. The Games, featuring over 550 competitors from 23 nations, made history this year by incorporating winter sports like skeleton, skiing, and wheelchair curling alongside classic events like swimming, sitting volleyball, and wheelchair basketball. The presence of the Four Host First Nations—Lil’wat, Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh—set the tone for an event rooted in unity and shared healing.
We were thrilled that Invictus Games organizers kept ticket prices affordable, allowing us to grab floor tickets and be right in the middle of the action with the athletes and their families. There was no separation—just one big community celebrating the competitors who embody the Invictus spirit.
And what an entertainment lineup! The ceremony featured an incredible roster of performers, including Katy Perry, Roxane Bruneau, Noah Kahan, Nelly Furtado, and Coldplay’s Chris Martin. In a press conference ahead of the ceremony, event producer Patrick Roberge described it as the most “headliner stars” the Games had ever seen, and he wasn’t exaggerating. Chris Martin’s performance of his Invictus Games Anthem was a full-circle moment, tying back to the very first Games in London in 2014.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, took the stage to address the crowd, delivering a powerful speech that truly captured the essence of the Invictus Games. “In this moment of difficulty and division in many parts of the world, we gather here in Vancouver in a spirit of unity,” he said. He went on to encourage the athletes: “Show the world the grandeur in your attempt at victory. Show the world why you are Invictus.” His words were met with thunderous applause, setting the stage for the competition ahead.
Dominic Reid, CEO of the Invictus Games Foundation, called it “the most poignant and relevant Opening Ceremony the Invictus Games has ever seen,” and we couldn’t agree more. The visuals were stunning—a breathtaking humpback whale and dolphins soared above the crowd as 28,000 blue mylar pom-poms turned the stadium into a shimmering ocean. Indigenous drummers, British Columbia-based pipers, and larger-than-life puppets brought an artistic and cultural richness that made the ceremony even more special.
And, of course, the action didn’t stop at the performances. The day wrapped up with fast-paced wheelchair basketball matches, featuring Germany vs. Canada and Israel vs. France. It was the perfect way to launch nine days of intense and inspiring competition.
The Invictus Games are more than just a sporting event—they are a testament to perseverance, courage, and camaraderie. We left BC Place feeling inspired, grateful, and ready to cheer on these incredible athletes in the days ahead. Let the Games begin!
Check out our favourite photos of the ceremony below or head to our Facebook Page for the full gallery!











All Photo Credit: Marquise Monno
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: LP Brings ‘All Is Not Lost’ Tour to Vancouver
On September 5, multi platinum singer-songwriter LP brought the All Is Not Lost Tour to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, delivering a performance that moved effortlessly between vulnerability, power, and pure rock-and-roll energy. The night also carried a special significance: the tour celebrates the 10th anniversary of Lost on You, the record that helped transform LP from a respected songwriter into a global phenomenon.
Known professionally as LP, Laura Pergolizzi has spent years carving out a space that is uniquely their own. Before becoming internationally recognized as a recording artist, LP established themselves as a songwriter for major artists including Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Celine Dion. Their own breakthrough came with “Lost on You,” which went to No. 1 in 18 countries and eventually surpassed one billion Spotify streams.
Inside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, LP’s music felt much more immediate. Their unmistakable voice moved from restrained and intimate to explosive within moments, giving songs such as “Muddy Waters,” “The One That You Love,” and “Lost on You” a sense of urgency that is difficult to recreate outside of a live setting.
The evening’s setlist reflected both sides of LP’s career. The first part moved through newer material and familiar favourites, including “Shelly,” “Tokyo Sunrise,” “Love Is All I Have,” and “Chasing & Waiting.” Later, the performance shifted toward the Lost on You celebration, bringing some of LP’s most recognizable songs into the spotlight.
It was the kind of moment that makes a concert feel bigger than the room. The song that introduced LP’s voice to millions became a shared experience between artist and audience, with the theatre singing along to every familiar line. After nearly a decade of the song living its own life around the world, hearing it performed in a packed Vancouver theatre gave it a renewed sense of intimacy.
From behind the camera, there was another layer to the experience. Photographing LP meant constantly watching for the moments between the obvious ones. The dramatic poses and powerful vocals naturally create striking frames, but some of the strongest images came from the quieter details, the concentration before a verse, a hand wrapped around the microphone, a fleeting expression beneath the stage lights.
LP is an artist who gives a photographer plenty to work with. Their movement across the stage feels instinctive rather than choreographed, and their performance style carries the same unpredictability as their voice. One moment can feel completely still; the next can explode into movement.
That contrast became one of the defining visual elements of the Vancouver show. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre also suited the performance. Rather than feeling distant or oversized, the venue allowed the audience to remain close to the emotional centre of the show. LP could command the room without having to overwhelm it.
There was also a sense of celebration throughout the night. Ten years after Lost on You, LP is still performing the songs that changed the trajectory of their career while continuing to introduce audiences to what’s next. The tour combines material from the upcoming album with a special presentation of Lost on You in its entirety, making the show feel like both a look backward and a step forward.
That balance is what made the Vancouver performance so compelling. LP isn’t simply revisiting an old record. They are showing how those songs have evolved with them and how they continue to resonate with an audience that has grown alongside their music.
By the final moments of the night, the feeling in the theatre was less like watching an artist celebrate an anniversary and more like witnessing a career still in motion.
For me, photographing LP in Vancouver was an opportunity to capture that evolution in real time: the voice, the movement, the vulnerability, and the electricity that has made LP such a distinctive live performer.
Ten years after Lost on You, the LP still has something to say and judging by the way Vancouver listened, people are still more than willing to hear it.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
LP










All Photo Credit: Raphael Arthur
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Icons Deep Purple & Kansas Bring A Legendary Celebratory Night of Surprises To Abbotsford’s Rogers Forum
I don’t say this lightly, but both Deep Purple and Kansas absolutely put on a hell of a show. Since 1968, Deep Purple have basically been the godfathers of live rock performance. Don’t believe me? Go look up their Guinness World Record for “loudest concert,” which they snagged back in 1972. That same energy, that same wall of sound, made the trip across five decades and landed right here for the band’s headlining North American tour stop in Abbotsford. Original drummer Ian Paice is still holding it down, now joined by guitarist Simon McBride, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Don Airey, and vocalist Ian Gillan. Sure, only one original member remains, but somehow the whole group still nails the spirit of what made Deep Purple, well, Deep Purple.
They tore through 16 tracks that night. “Smoke on the Water” got the loudest reaction of the evening, no surprise there. “Diablo” and “Perfect Strangers” also landed big, and “Highway Star” kicked the whole thing off on an absolute high. And when I say the crowd was into it, I mean it. Fans who’ve followed this band for almost fifty years were pressed right up against the barrier trying to get as close as possible. That closeness paid off too, with an incredible light show and Simon McBride ripping through solo after solo. Honestly, McBride was the highlight more than once, stepping up so Gillan could catch his breath between songs. Given how much those vocals demand, that rest was more than earned.
Like I said, “Smoke on the Water” was the main event for Abbotsford. It’s one thing to describe it, but actually watching the buildup, seeing the bandmates grinning at each other because they knew exactly what was coming, that was priceless. Then those notes kicked in. You know the ones. Every Guitar Center employee’s nightmare. The whole arena became one voice, singing along to a guitar riff like it was a chorus. It was the moment of the night, the kind of thing every rock fan dreams about experiencing live. That wave of energy carried all the way through to the final song, “Hush.” If you were a millennial who spent way too much time on Guitar Hero 2, hearing this one live gave you full goosebumps. This was the band’s first big hit back in 1968, and in 2026 it still hits just as hard. The crowd treated it like more than an encore. It felt like everyone in that room knew they might not get another chance to see Deep Purple live, and they soaked in every second of it. When the house lights finally came up, Abbotsford just stood there in awe. Deep Purple‘s legendary status was on full display, and nobody in that crowd wanted the night to end.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
DEEP PURPLE








KANSAS





All Photo Credit: Marquise Monno
