Concerts Reviews
Katy Perry Brought Her Dystopian, A.I. & Acrobatics Lifetimes Tour To Ottawa
Last Tuesday, global popstar Katy Perry brought her Lifetimes Tour to the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
The night started with Rebecca Black, in her pop-disrupting, techno-pop DJ era. Black’s performance radiated confidence and flair, flanked by two dancers who didn’t miss a beat. With a bold, electronic pop sound full of synths and style, Rebecca Black is gaining serious traction, landing spots on The Lifetimes Tour and hitting the festival circuit with growing momentum. It is clear that Rebecca Black is back.
That said, part of the crowd was quietly hoping for a surprise performance of “Friday,” the viral hit that first launched her into the spotlight. She didn’t play it, and while that’s totally fair (she’s been working hard to move past that era), there was still a tiny pang of nostalgia left hanging in the air.
Katy Perry’s Lifetimes Tour is less a traditional concert and more a full-blown sensory experience, equal parts pop showcase, sci-fi fantasy, and immersive art installation. Designed like a virtual reality video game with a storyline to match, the show takes the fans on a dazzling, five-act journey through a futuristic digital dreamscape where Perry, playing a chrome-clad android named KP147, battles an evil force known as the Mainframe with the help of her feline sidekick, Kittybot.
The concert opened with Act 1: Artificial, as Perry rose from the centre of a glowing, infinity stage in cybernetic armour. Songs like “Chained to the Rhythm” and “Dark Horse” hit hard from the start, their performance matched by a striking visual overload of digital chaos, robotic dancers, and sci-fi theatrics. The crowd was immediately pulled into her stylized world, mixing satire, social commentary, and pure pop fantasy.
Act 2: Woman’s World brought a shift into upbeat anthems and iconic throwbacks, with fans belting out every lyric as if no time had passed since Perry first topped the charts. Songs like “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream” remained iconic and were a joy to see live. The production pulled no punches with pyrotechnics, shimmering LED bodysuits, and tightly synced choreography lighting up the stage.
In Act 3: Nirvana, the mood deepened. The visuals turned dreamlike, almost hallucinogenic, with darker lighting and surreal stage design complementing a more introspective musical tone. At one point, Perry was suspended from the ceiling, performing aerial stunts that felt straight out of Cirque du Soleil. “Wide Awake” stood out, drawing the crowd into a quieter, more reflective space before transitioning into Act 3.5: Choose Your Own Adventure.
Act 3.5 was a moment that made the arena feel smaller in the best way. A giant QR code popped up, prompting fans to vote on what she’d sing next. This wasn’t just a gimmick, Perry truly handed control over, and the vibe shifted into something looser, funnier, and more personal. She invited a group of kids to join her on stage, handed out shakers, and asked them what they wanted to be when they grew up. It felt genuine, with no teleprompter in sight. Meanwhile, fans in full costume (yes, cupcake bras and “Roar” jungle looks included) screamed out song requests. One bold fan even asked for “Peacock.” She did treat the audience to fan-voted tracks like “Not Like the Movies” and “The One That Got Away,” with her mini “band” of kids playing along. She riffed, joked, and sang snippets of deep cuts as they were shouted at her. It was chaotic in the best way, and easily the most unpredictable, endearing part of the show.
The tempo kicked back up in Act 4: Mainframe, a glitchy, high-energy section filled with distorted visuals, flashing pixel art, and electronic motifs. Perry performed her 2011 hit “E.T.” while battling a swarm of alien creatures on stage, plus one oversized, worm-like HVAC tube, all while wielding a red, double-bladed lightsaber straight out of a Star Wars fever dream. She belted out defiant, high-octane tracks with ease. Her vocals stayed strong, even amid the acrobatics. The entire sequence felt like the climax of a cyberpunk blockbuster.
The final act, End Game, lived up to its name. Perry emerged triumphantly to perform “Roar” while soaring above the crowd on a giant mechanical butterfly. A bold nod to her near mishap in San Francisco that, in Ottawa, flew flawlessly. She closed the night with “Firework,” as confetti explosions lit up the arena and fans sang at full volume, ending the night on a euphoric high.
Ultimately, the Lifetimes Tour was a reminder of Katy Perry’s singular vision and her ongoing evolution as an artist, despite all he noise around her life and career on social media. Equal parts concert, video game, and space opera, it served as a love letter to her fans.
Upcoming Lifetimes Tour dates:
7/30 Montréal, QC Bell Centre
8/1 Québec City, QC Centre Videotron
8/3 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
8/5 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
8/6 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
8/8 Boston, MA TD Garden
8/9 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
8/11 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
8/14 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
8/15 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
8/17 Raleigh, NC Lenovo Center
8/19 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
8/20 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
8/22 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
8/23 Miami, FL Kaseya Center
More info here.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
KATY PERRY
REBECCA BLACK
All Photo Credit: Kieran Delport
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: AC/DC – Hell’s Still Bellin’
AC/DC. Christ. What’s left to say? Everything’s been said, screamed, tattooed on someone’s bicep already. Doesn’t matter. That’s the whole racket, they never changed, never blinked, and more than fifty years later they’re still the loudest gang in the room.
Growing up, they felt ancient already. I am a 2001 kid. Turns out the joke’s on me: they’re still out there, riffing like it’s ’79, refusing to retire into legend status.
Princess Auto Stadium was packed with about 35000 attendees. Everyone was wearing red twinkling devil’s horns. To warm up the night, The Pretty Reckless started with one of the hits “Death by Rock and Roll.” Some support acts play like they’re grateful for the slot. Taylor Momsen played like she owns the stadium. The hair falling forward, somehow the less you can see of her face the more magnetic she gets. Stage presence isn’t something you learn. She’s just got it.
The band didn’t sound like an opener. Every riff landed with the swagger “Going To Hell” and “Since You’re Gone” kept it burning, and “About You” brought it down to something rawer before the lights cut. By the time The Pretty Reckless walked off, the audience were already screaming AC/DC! AC/DC!
Winnipeggers stood stunned through AC/DC‘s whole set. Angus Young, 71 years old still in that signature blue schoolboy uniform and yellow-and-blue cap, ran wild across the stage, duck-walking like no time had passed at all, genuinely, a dream come true to watch in person.
Meanwhile, the rest of the band, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug stayed largely in the background, keeping the engine running for Angus and Johnson to tear apart.
The production matched the legend, “Hells Bells” arrived with an actual giant bell hanging over the stage. The setlist ran deep: “Thunderstruck,” “Have a Drink on Me,” “Shot in the Dark,” “Stiff Upper Lip,” “Highway to Hell,” “Jailbreak,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Almost every song sounded just as good as the album version. The crowd tore their vocal cords apart singing along to “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “TNT.” “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” closed things out with cannons blasting into the night sky.
The house lights came up and nobody moved right away. Smoke still hanging over the stage, ears ringing, horns still lit up red across the stands. Bands this old aren’t supposed to sound this dangerous. They aren’t supposed to still mean it. But AC/DC never got the memo about slowing down, and honestly, thank God for that. I walked out hoarse, deaf, and completely satisfied.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
AC/DC
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
All Photo Credit: Nischal Karki
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Party On, Vancouver: Dogstar Sells Out the Vogue Theatre
The Vogue Theatre was packed wall to wall on September 16 as Dogstar rolled into Vancouver, and the excitement was impossible to miss. New York rock band The Backfires kicked things off with a lively opening set, warming up the room before Bret Domrose, Robert Mailhouse and Keanu Reeves stepped onto the stage. Naturally, hundreds of phones immediately went up when Reeves appeared, because Vancouver was not about to let this extremely Keanu moment go undocumented.
Reeves held down the bass, Domrose took on guitar and vocals, and Mailhouse powered the night from behind the drums. While one member may come with a little more star power, Dogstar quickly felt like a proper three-piece instead of a celebrity side project. The chemistry between them was relaxed and natural, with plenty of smiles, glances and little interactions that made it clear they were genuinely happy to be playing together. Reeves frequently wandered across the stage to jam alongside his bandmates, occasionally making his way toward the front and sending another wave of phones into the air.
Dogstar’s story stretches back to Los Angeles in 1991, when Reeves and Mailhouse first started making music together. Domrose later joined the band, and the trio released two albums before going their separate ways in 2002. More than two decades later, they reunited, returned to the stage and released Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees in 2023. Now, with their latest album All In Now and another tour underway, Dogstar are giving this chapter of the band far more than a quick nostalgia lap.
The set began with “Siren,” immediately setting an easygoing alt-rock tone for the night. Their cover of The Replacements’ “Can’t Hardly Wait” brought an extra burst of familiarity, while “Punch the Sky” landed with the kind of energy made for a full theatre. Rather than pausing for long speeches, the band kept things moving, letting the music and their chemistry do most of the talking. Domrose’s vocals stayed at the centre of the songs, Mailhouse gave them plenty of drive, and Reeves appeared completely locked into the groove on bass.
Yes, people cheered whenever Reeves moved closer to the edge of the stage. Yes, there was an undeniable thrill in seeing the internet’s favourite human casually rocking out a few feet away. But the attention did not stay on him alone. Domrose and Mailhouse were just as essential to the show, and together the trio delivered a performance that felt tight without becoming overly polished. There was still room for the songs to breathe, for the band to play off one another and for the night to feel a little spontaneous.
A fun surprise arrived during the encore with a roaring cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” The band shared that they had only performed it live once before, making it a particularly unexpected way to close the night. The Vogue responded accordingly, singing, cheering and soaking up every last second before the trio left the stage.
More than 30 years after forming, and over two decades after calling it quits, Dogstar are back on the road and clearly having a great time together. That sense of fun was infectious, turning the sold-out show into something warmer and more memorable than a simple celebrity sighting. Vancouver may have arrived ready to see Keanu Reeves play bass, but by the end of the night, Dogstar had given the crowd plenty of reasons to stay invested in the whole band.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
DOGSTAR
THE BACKFIRES
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle