Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Jackson Wang Brings MAGICMAN II’s Theatrical Spectacle to Vancouver
If you didn’t know Jackson Wang before Sunday night, you definitely left the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre knowing exactly who he is.
Jackson Wang is a Hong Kong-born artist who first gained international recognition as a member of K-pop group GOT7 before launching his solo career in 2017. Since then, he’s built a reputation that extends far beyond music, headlining global tours, performing at Coachella, and founding his own fashion label, Team Wang. He’s also been unusually candid about the pressures of the entertainment industry, and his 2025 album MAGICMAN 2 marked a return after a year-long hiatus, offering a more introspective and emotionally raw body of work than its predecessor.
I’ll admit I wasn’t deeply familiar with Jackson Wang‘s discography going into this show. But I’d heard the hype that his concerts were more theatrical productions than standard arena performances, and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
Walking into the venue last night, you could feel the energy form the fans. This was a sold-out crowd, and the devotion of Wang‘s fanbase was evident before the lights even dimmed. No opener meant all eyes were fixed on that stage from the moment doors opened. Though lightsticks weren’t permitted, fans improvised with small finger lights, creating that signature sea of glowing lights you’d expect at a K-pop show.
When the venue went dark, the screams were immediate ; the fans behind me already losing their voices. A cinematic intro played across the massive screens. The MAGICMAN II tour is structured almost like a film, divided into narrative arcs with video interludes bridging each section. Then Wang appeared, suspended mid-air on wires, a single spotlight cutting through the darkness. “High Alone” kicked off the night with him literally running in place above his dancers before descending to join them.
From there, the production only intensified. “Access” brought flames shooting from the stage, deep red lighting washing over the arena, and dancers in black with matching dark eye makeup mirroring Wang‘s MAGICMAN alter ego. The choreography was sharp, the atmosphere thick with smoke and lasers. It looked like a visual album brought to life in front of us.
The emotional turns came quickly. “Hate to Love” slowed things down as fog rolled across the stage, and by the end of the song, dancers were physically restraining Wang, pulling at his clothing until he reemerged in a mesh tank top under red light. I lived the drama of it all as Wang leaned into the theatricality of vulnerability here.
Then came the fan service. Wang invited audience members onstage (first one, then a group of four) seating them at centre stage while he and his dancers performed around them. The choreography was sensual, almost Magic Mike-esque, complete with body rolls and hip thrusts. The participants looked both shocked and thrilled, and the crowd absolutely lost it. A girl behind told her friends “I would do anything to be on that stage with him.”
Another video interlude shifted the mood again. Onscreen, Wang appeared in crisis, drinking heavily, breaking down emotionally, his dark alter ego looming. When he returned to the stage in a loose, straitjacket-inspired white outfit, it was clear we’d entered the most introspective portion of the night. “Blue” and “Everything” hit hard, with dancers floating around him in slow, fluid movements. For “Dopamine,” he asked the audience to raise their phone (and finger) flashlights. It was genuinely beautiful.
The hip-hop segment that followed brought the high energy back up. Wang and his dancers returned in baggy sweats and baseball caps, launching into “BUCK,” “Let Loose,” “TITANIC,” and “GBAD.” “Get your fucking ass up, Vancouver. You guys worked hard, you deserve to fucking have fun!” he told us before the bass dropped. The crowd obliged right away.
A nearly ten-minute video monologue preceded the final act, featuring behind-the-scenes footage and Wang reflecting on his year away from music, reconnecting with himself, with his parents, with what actually matters. When he returned to perform “Sophie Ricky,” a ballad dedicated to his parents, childhood photos flickered across the screens in a tender and earnest moment.
The encore was less a traditional finale than a full-blown afterparty. Green lasers flooded the venue, and Wang, living up to his party man reputation, went down in the pit and pulled fans onstage. For nearly thirty minutes, the arena became a dance floor. His parting message was simple: be yourself, and cherish the people around you.
Walking out into the night, I understood the devotion. Jackson Wang shared a raw version of himself with us during this show. And that kind of honesty, wrapped in this much spectacle, is rare.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming MAGICMAN II tour dates:
04/08 Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
04/10 Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
04/12 Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum
More information via Ticketmaster.
JACKSON WANG IN VANCOUVER
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: ARTMS Close ‘Art of BLUE BLOOD’ North American Tour With a Bang in Vancouver
Vancouver got the final North American stop of ARTMS’ Art of BLUE BLOOD tour on October 27, and the five-member group made sure to leave a strong impression before heading to Europe in November.
With no opening act, the evening belonged entirely to HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry, who brought a full-scale production and plenty of personality to the Vogue Theatre. HaSeul was absent from the tour as she continues recovering from surgery. Her presence was missed, but the remaining four members made the most of their time onstage, delivering a show that never felt like it was working with a smaller lineup.
This was my first time seeing ARTMS live, and I came in as a relatively new fan. I had discovered the group through the ridiculously catchy ‘Virtual Angel’, which quickly made me curious about what else they had to offer. Walking into the Vogue, I was hoping the live show would match what had drawn me to the music in the first place. It did, and then some.
For the newbies like me, ARTMS is made up of five former members of LOONA. Following LOONA’s legal dispute with their former agency, BlockBerry Creative, the members went on to begin a new chapter under MODHAUS, officially launching ARTMS in 2024. The name draws inspiration from NASA‘s Artemis program as well as the Greek goddess Artemis and represents a fresh start for the five artists, who have continued building on the musical identity and creative history they developed with LOONA. Their connection to their former group remains an important part of their story, with LOONA songs still finding a place in their live performances.
The group opened with ‘Hyper Crush’, ‘BURN’ and ‘Blue Blood’, immediately setting the tone with sharp choreography, strong vocals and polished production. The set moved through several different sections, giving the concert a sense of progression rather than feeling like one long string of performances. ‘Candy Crush’, ‘Verified Beauty’ and ‘Sparkle’ kept things moving before the members took turns stepping into the spotlight for individual performances.
The solo section was a welcome change of pace. HeeJin (and her guitar) performed ‘sAvioR’, followed by Kim Lip taking on her former LOONA solo track ‘Twilight’. The two then joined forces for a dance cover of S.E.S.’s ‘Be Natural’. JinSoul brought back another LOONA favourite with ‘Singing in the Rain’, while Choerry performed ‘Eclipse’. JinSoul and Choerry later teamed up for Abir’s ‘Tango’.
For newer listeners like myself, these performances offered a good introduction to the members’ individual personalities and musical backgrounds. For longtime fans, they were a chance to revisit some familiar material. ARTMS has a history that extends beyond its current identity, and the group clearly understands that its audience appreciates both sides.
The nostalgia continued with ‘Starlight’, originally by ODD EYE CIRCLE, and a special version of ‘Not Friends’. The group then returned to its newer material with ‘Icarus Gang’ and ‘Born Stunner’, followed by ‘Obsessed’ and ‘Icarus’. The production throughout was impressive, with the lighting and visuals giving each section its own character.
What stood out to me most was how much ARTMS seemed to bring to a venue like the Vogue. The choreography, staging and overall production felt bigger than the room. There was nothing about the performance that suggested the group was holding back because it wasn’t playing an arena. In fact, I could easily see this exact show scaled up to a much larger stage. ARTMS has the presence and performance ability to handle that kind of production, and I’d be curious to see what they could do with even more space.
The ments (the fan interaction breaks between songs) were another highlight. The members made a point of connecting with fanbase (named “OURII”), and the conversations gave the evening a more personal feel. One particularly fun moment came during the group photo, when they asked Vancouver fans to come up with a special pose for the occasion. The audience suggested raising their arms into a V shape, for “Vancouver”. The members took the idea one step further by adding a little body wiggle. It was silly, spontaneous and immediately became a running joke, with the girls bringing the pose back several times during their conversations.
After the main set, ARTMS returned for an encore featuring ‘Pixel Memory’ and the much-anticipated ‘Virtual Angel’. Hearing the latter live was easily one of my personal highlights. It’s the song that introduced me to the group, and seeing it performed with a room full of fans singing along made the experience even better. The group followed with ‘Air’ before closing with ‘love4eva’, a LOONA song originally performed by LOONA’s subunit yyxy. It was a fitting nod to the members’ shared history and the fans who have supported them through different chapters of their careers.
As the final North American show before the European leg, Vancouver got a memorable send-off. ARTMS delivered a production that felt ready for a much bigger stage without losing the personal connection that made the Vogue Theatre such a good setting for it. I may have come in as a new fan, but I left with a much better understanding of what makes this group worth watching. And if this is what ARTMS can do in a theatre, an arena show should be something special.
For more information about ARTMS, click here.
Check out our favourite photos of the show below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ARTMS IN VANCOUVER
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Phoebe Bridgers has Vancouver Believing in Magic on The Lost Tour
As someone who is chronically online and on their phone 24/7, I expected to feel that missing weight in my pocket all night, but I didn’t. In fact, I was surprised by how little I cared about not having it. Phoebe Bridgers brought The Lost Tour to Vancouver for a sold out show on October 24th, and for once (as someone who works in content marketing), instead of worrying about if I got enough content or if I should be filming, I was able to just watch and be present.
Walking into the arena and seeing the stage setup for the first time was such a surreal experience. Like a lot of the people who are chronically online, I’ve seen all the sketches and animations people have made after going to the show, but seeing it in person still had me in awe.
I’ve loved Phoebe’s music for as long as I could remember, and I still have vivid memories of trying to get the hang of guitar tabs by learning “Funeral.” This was my second time seeing her live, my first time being when she opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour in New Jersey with Gracie Abrams. So finally getting to see her headline her own arena show was a big deal for me to say the least.
Alex G took the stage first and to be completely honest, I was quite confused when he started going on a tangent about how “life is like a puzzle” and then kept taking a moment between his songs to ask if anyone in the audience was named “The Edge” or had the middle name “The Edge.” Towards the end of his set, he took a moment to thank every person on his team, from his band mates on stage, to his tour manager, to the bus drivers which I thought was super sweet.
Between his set and Phoebe’s, the crowd started the wave and I’ve never seen a wave go on for that long. People were also waving at each other from across the arena with their glow sticks and lighters. It was so cute to notice little things like that, and I ended up chatting with people I probably wouldn’t have talked to if we all had our phones to scroll on.
If I had to try and sum up the entire night in two words, they would be nostalgic and ethereal. Not in a “I feel like a kid again” way, but every aspect of the show felt intentional and familiar, and also kind of like I was at Science World (or the idea of it at least). The top of the show started by drawing everyones attention to the b-stage as “The Outside” played, before the dome (reminiscent of both that one episode of sponge bob with the marching band, and the igloo from club penguin ifykyk) on the main stage lifted to finally reveal her as “Motion Sickness” started to play. The whole thing was very wizard of oz-esque.
For the first bit of the show, I was in awe every time the dome and projections shifted. Some of the visuals looked like they came straight out of the early 2000s Barbie movies, and there were round things projected in the dome, like an eyeball, a rubber band ball and a baseball, that reminded me of the I Spy books from elementary school. When the lights went red for “Garden Song,” with the mountains from Punisher on the backdrop, I thought the screaming couldn’t get any louder. Boy, was I wrong. (I still don’t have my voice back as I’m writing this and I blame “I Know The End.”)
The thing that surprised me most was that literally everyone knew every word. Her songs are so personal, but they’re also so vivid that everyone gets something different out of them. During “Garden Song” and “Moon Song,” I kept thinking about how everyone in that room probably had their own completely different relationship with those songs.
You could also tell right away how close she is with her band, and how much she loves being on tour. She can totally hold the stage by herself, but the band added so much. The bass and all the extra instruments made songs I’ve heard a million times feel new again, and with how unique her music already is, that was really cool to hear.
When she played “Still Standing,” I was taken aback not only by how stunning her production was and how I didn’t even know light could look like glitter and also pixelated, but also by how absolutely silent the arena was, especially considering it was a sold out show.
She might’ve belted out “You don’t have to believe in magic” but it was precisely that exact moment that had me believing in magic. Her production team, set designers, lighting designers, band, everyone involved in this show deserve all the flowers. The lighting for every song was perfectly designed, and never felt repetitive. There was a moment in particular when she first steps out onto the B stage in a white version of the lace dress she wears, and under the black light she is just glowing. Her hair, her glitter tears, her dress, (all the white shirts in the audience too) and her piano, as the stage slowly spun. The transitions between all the songs were immaculate (and devastating in the most beautiful way). I also have to give a nod to her photographers. The photos that she’s put out of this tour perfectly encapsulate the magic of how it felt to be there (shoutout Matt Grubb & Wes Ellis). There was also a moment where everyone sang happy birthday to Connor, one of her band members and they brought out a cake, just to have Phoebe joke about “Steve Aoki-ng” someone in the pit, or better yet, reversing it and letting someone smash the cake in Connor’s face, which was a silly switch up between the most beautiful performances of the most devastating songs ever.
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love “Waiting Room.” It’s sat in my top five most-played songs for years. Back at MetLife, Phoebe introduced a song by saying she’d written it when she was younger, and I was sure that was my moment. It turned out to be “Georgia,” which I was more than happy with, but knowing she isn’t the biggest fan of “Waiting Room,” I’d mostly made peace with never hearing it live. When those first chords rang out at Rogers Arena, I could hardly believe it. The room never let up for a second, all 36 times we sang “know it’s for the better.”
Then came a solo debut of boygenius‘ “Revolution 0.” When she pulled out an iPad with the lyrics on it, I started to get nervous, in the best way. When she told us she’d never played it live on her own before, I knew we were getting something special.
The encore closed the night the only way it could have. As “Scott Street” wound down, the arena lit up and thousands of people swayed together, arms waving, eyes fixed on the stage. I’ve never seen a crowd that excited. I tend to forget the details of concerts after a while, but I’m certain this is one I’ll remember. And not because I have videos to look back on. Getting to hear songs from Lost Weekend live has just reaffirmed my thoughts that she’s a genius. She’s still writing songs that feel new and even more experimental, and somehow, are just as good as the ones I’ve had on repeat for years.
For information and upcoming dates on The Lost Tour 2026, head to phoebebridgers.com.
Author: Jorina Lee