Rebecca Black has spent much of her career trying to outrun a song she released at 13. Fifteen years after “Friday” became an internet punchline, she is doing something far more interesting than trying to distance herself from it. She is building a pop career entirely on her own terms, and judging by the crowd at Vancouver’s Hollywood Theatre on October 31, she’s found an audience more than happy to come along for the ride.

Black brought her Exhibitionism On Tour to a sold-out Hollywood Theatre on Halloween night, supporting her latest album, Age of the Exhibitionist, released September 4. The timing couldn’t have been better. This wasn’t just another tour stop. The evening came with its own Halloween competition, dubbed the One Night Only: Halloween Exxxtravaganza, with awards for Best Red + Black, Best Michael, Best Rebecca Black and Best Costume overall. Fans took the assignment seriously, turning the venue into a packed room of elaborate costumes, familiar references and plenty of questionable fashion decisions. In the best possible way.

The room was so full that moving through the crowd was practically impossible. Finding personal space was out of the question. Fortunately, nobody seemed particularly interested in standing still anyway. For the next hour and 20 minutes, the Hollywood Theatre became one very sweaty dance floor.

Black opened the night wearing a black and red jester hat, setting the tone for a performance that leaned heavily into the theatrical side of her music. The Exhibitionism show is built around choreography, lighting and costume changes, giving the performance a visual identity that goes beyond simply playing songs from the new record. There was always something happening onstage, but it rarely felt like spectacle for spectacle’s sake. The presentation suited the music, which moves between electronic pop, hyperpop and club-focused dance production.

Tracks like “Miss Delicious,” “Speakerphone,” “Corsetry” and “Hot Wet Delirious” brought the album’s more provocative side to life. Black understands that much of her newer material belongs in a club, and she performs accordingly. The beats are built for movement, the hooks are immediate, and the choreography gives the songs an extra kick. “Sugar Water Cyanide” was another standout, bringing plenty of energy from both the stage and the crowd.

The production’s theatrical touches helped keep the performance from becoming repetitive. Changes in lighting gave different sections of the show their own personality, while the choreography and costume changes added to the sense that Black was presenting a complete production rather than simply running through a setlist. Her opening jester hat was a fitting introduction to the night’s playful character, and she saved another memorable look for the finale, returning in a Cat in the Hat outfit.

There is something particularly satisfying about watching Black perform this material. Her career began with a song that became shorthand for everything people thought was wrong with internet pop. She could have spent years trying to prove those critics wrong, but her recent work suggests she’s more interested in having fun than asking for anyone’s approval. Her transformation into a dance-pop artist with a distinctly queer club sensibility feels genuine, helped by the fact that she has spent years developing her sound and working as a DJ.

Age of the Exhibitionist reflects that evolution. It has plenty of attitude, a healthy appreciation for pop excess and an obvious understanding of what makes a dance floor work. Black doesn’t pretend to be reinventing pop music, either. There are clear nods to the artists and sounds that helped shape the current generation of dance-pop, but she brings enough personality and self-awareness to make the material her own.

By the time the final song arrived, the crowd had already spent 80 minutes dancing. Nobody seemed ready to call it a night. Black‘s Cat in the Hat appearance for “Michael” provided one last dose of Halloween absurdity, bringing the evening to a fitting close.

The biggest takeaway from Vancouver wasn’t that Rebecca Black has finally escaped the shadow of “Friday.” It’s that she no longer needs to. She’s found her own lane, she’s having a good time in it, and she’s built a show that knows exactly what it wants to be. Fifteen years after the internet decided who Rebecca Black was, she’s making that decision for herself. And on Halloween night in Vancouver, the crowd was very much on board.

Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

REBECCA BLACK

All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer

Teddy Swims has come a long way from his first performances in Vancouver. After previously playing the Orpheum and returning last year for a show at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, the Georgia-born singer-songwriter stepped up to Rogers Arena on November 6 for his first arena show in the city. Part of his UGLY Tour, the night was a chance to see just how much his audience has grown. Judging by the crowd, he has plenty of people coming along for the ride.

The evening opened with MarcLo, a singer, songwriter and producer whose songwriting credits include work connected to Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus and Swims himself. Performing largely as a one-man band, he handled his instruments while moving around the stage and trying to get an arena crowd on board. It was an ambitious job for someone on his first tour, but he showed enough personality and potential to make an impression.

Allen Stone followed with a performance that brought a different kind of soul to the evening. His distinctive voice and natural stage presence made him a fitting addition to a lineup built around powerful vocals. By the time Swims took the stage, the audience was ready.

Born Jaten Dimsdale, Swims has built his career around a voice that’s hard to mistake. His mix of soul, R&B, pop and rock gives him plenty of room to move, but it’s that raspy, full-bodied delivery that makes him stand out. There is something slightly unexpected about hearing such a massive voice come from someone with such an easygoing, sometimes goofy personality. That contrast is a big part of his appeal.

The production matched the size of the venue. A multilevel stage inspired by Atlanta, complete with fire escapes, a graffiti-covered pay phone and a vintage hot dog stand, gave the performance a lived-in setting rather than the usual collection of screens and lighting effects. Swims made good use of it, moving between levels and treating the entire structure as part of the show.

His entrance set the tone, but the surprises kept coming. During “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” a hot dog cart appeared onstage. It wasn’t long before Swims was firing actual hot dogs into the audience using a modified cannon. It’s the sort of thing that sounds ridiculous on paper, and it was even funnier in person. Arena shows can sometimes take themselves a little too seriously. Swims clearly has no interest in doing that.

For all the theatrical moments, Swims‘ voice remained the main attraction. “The Door,” “Guilty” and “Bad Dreams” gave him plenty of opportunities to show his range, but the biggest response came with “Lose Control.” The song has become a worldwide hit, and the Vancouver audience made sure he knew it. Thousands of voices joined in, turning one of his biggest songs into a genuine arena-wide singalong.

The quieter moments were just as enjoyable. Midway through the show, Swims stepped away from the larger production for an acoustic section. Fans had been given the opportunity to request songs through a QR code before the performance, and he responded with selections that included “She Loves the Rain” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Stripping things back gave his voice room to breathe and reminded everyone that he doesn’t need an elaborate stage setup to hold an audience’s attention.

There was plenty of crowd interaction throughout the evening, too. Swims regularly collected signs from fans and signed them while continuing to sing. Somehow, he managed to do this without losing his place or missing a beat. It was a small detail, but it said a lot about his comfort onstage. His interactions felt spontaneous rather than like another rehearsed part of the production.

That personality is what makes Swims such an entertaining performer. He can go from delivering a powerful vocal performance to joking around with the crowd in seconds. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in maintaining the distance that can come with playing a venue this size. Even at Rogers Arena, he managed to make the evening feel surprisingly personal.

His performance wasn’t short on big moments, and there were times when the production threatened to compete with the music. But the balance between the spectacle, the humour and the stripped-down performances worked. Swims has the voice to fill an arena, and the personality to make the people in it feel like they’re part of the show.

Going from the Orpheum to Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre and now Rogers Arena is a pretty good indication of how far he’s come in Vancouver. His first arena appearance felt like a natural next step, and he made the most of it.

Between the powerhouse vocals, the crowd singalongs, the unexpected theatrics and the flying hot dogs, Teddy Swims gave Vancouver a thoroughly entertaining night. If this is what his first arena show here looks like, I’d be curious to see what he has planned for the next one.

Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

Upcoming The Ugly Tour Dates:
November 8 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
November 10 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
November 11 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
November 13 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego
November 14 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
November 16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Mortgage Matchup Center
November 18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
More information at teddyswims.com.

TEDDY SWIMS IN VANCOUVER

All Photo Credit: Raphael Arthur