Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Jimmy Eat World Brings Bleed American Back to Life in Vancouver
There are some concerts you go to with no idea what you’re going to get. A 25th anniversary tour built around one of the best albums out there is not one of them. You know the songs, the order, exactly when the big moments are coming ; the only real question is whether the band can make those songs feel as alive as they did the first time you heard them. Jimmy Eat World had no trouble answering that question.
On July 19, the Arizona rock band finally returned to the Vancouver area for the first time since 2017, bringing the Bleed American 25th Anniversary Tour to the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. It had been a long wait, and the packed room made it clear that fans had not forgotten what they had been waiting for.
Motion City Soundtrack opened the night, giving the crowd a strong dose of early-2000s nostalgia before Jimmy Eat World took the stage. It was a fitting pairing. Both bands came of age during a period when alternative rock, pop-punk and emo could still find a home on mainstream radio, and both have built careers that outlasted the era that first made them famous.
For me, though, the night carried a more personal weight for a different reason: this was my first time seeing Jimmy Eat World live. After more than three decades as a band, and nearly a decade since their last Vancouver appearance, the fact that it took until 2026 for me to finally see them live made the wait feel even more significant.
Jimmy Eat World began the evening with songs from Clarity, their 1999 breakthrough album, including “Clarity,” “Your New Aesthetic,” “Blister,” and “Lucky Denver Mint.” It was a smart choice. The band could have gone straight into Bleed American and given everyone exactly what they came for, but those opening songs made a point: Jimmy Eat World did not suddenly become a great band in 2001. They had already been doing this for years.
Then they switched to “Bleed American,” and the stage itself transformed. A large wall that had kept the full production hidden from view moved aside, revealing the expanded Bleed American stage setup behind it. The lighting rig opened up across the width of the stage, giving the band a much bigger canvas for the album that had changed their career. It was a smart bit of theatre without feeling overproduced.
The album was performed from beginning to end, and hearing it in sequence made one thing very clear: Bleed American is an unusually complete record. The obvious hits are there, but so are the songs that tend to get pushed aside when a band is working with a limited setlist.
“A Praise Chorus” remains an absolute rush. “The Middle,” one of JEW‘s biggest and most recognizable hits, turned the venue into a massive singalong. “Sweetness” took that energy even further, with thousands of people shouting every “whoa-oh” back at the stage. “Get It Faster” brought the aggression. “Your House” offered one of the night’s more affecting moments. And “Hear You Me” remains one of those songs that can stop you in your tracks, even after you’ve heard it hundreds of times.
The beauty of hearing Bleed American played from start to finish is getting the full picture. The album has explosive highs, quieter emotional moments and everything in between. Songs that don’t always get the spotlight in a regular setlist suddenly have room to breathe.
Jim Adkins remains a compelling frontman, delivering these songs with the same sincerity that made them work in the first place. Tom Linton’s guitar playing was sharp and energetic, while Rick Burch and Zach Lind continued to provide the steady foundation that has held this band together for more than three decades.
There was no sense that the band was simply going through the motions of an anniversary tour. They looked like they were having fun and so did the fans.
That crowd was one of the best parts of the night. Fans who discovered Bleed American when it was released stood beside younger listeners who weren’t even alive when the album came out. Everybody seemed to know the words.
The main set ended with “My Sundown,” bringing the album to its quiet conclusion before the band briefly left the stage.
Jimmy Eat World returned for a five-song encore that moved beyond Bleed American, opening with “Disintegration” and continuing through “Pain,” “For Me This Is Heaven” and “(Splash) Turn Twist” before closing with “23.” It was a fitting reminder that Bleed American may have been the record that changed the band’s career, but it is only one piece of a catalog that has kept giving fans reasons to stick around.
Twenty-five years after Bleed American changed everything for the band, these songs haven’t become museum pieces. They’re very much still capable of making a room full of people lose their voices.
And after waiting nine years to see Jimmy Eat World back in Vancouver, I can say this with complete confidence: it was worth the wait.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming Tour Dates:
July 22 –– Sandy, UT –– Sandy Amphitheater
July 24 –– Concord, CA –– Toyota Pavilion at Concord
July 25-26 –– Long Beach, CA –– Vans Warped Tour
August 14 –– Halifax, UK –– The Piece Hall
August 15 –– Cardiff, UK –– Cardiff Castle
August 16 –– London, UK –– Gunnersbury Park
August 22 –– Montreal, QC –– Vans Warped Tour
August 23 –– Toronto, ON –– RBC Amphitheatre
September 6 –– Phoenix, AZ –– Chase Field, supporting My Chemical Romance
September 9 –– Austin, TX –– Moody Amphitheater
September 10 –– Dallas, TX –– The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
September 12-13 –– Mexico City, MX –– Vans Warped Tour
November 12 –– Nashville, TN –– TBA
November 14 –– Tampa, FL –– MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
November 14-15 –– Orlando, FL –– Vans Warped Tour
More information here.
JIMMY EAT WORLD
MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: aespa Close North American Tour With a Futuristic Spectacle in Vancouver
My K-pop education continued on October 11 as aespa brought their SYNK : COMPLæXITY Tour to Rogers Arena in Vancouver. After seeing TWICE in January and IVE in August, this was my third concert foray into K-pop. I was excited to see how aespa would compare, and the answer was a little different from my first two experiences. Where TWICE brought the fun and IVE delivered its own polished pop spectacle, aespa leaned into futuristic visuals, heavy electronic production and choreography that rarely let up.
With no opening act, the stage belonged entirely to Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning. Vancouver marked the final stop of the North American leg before the group heads to Europe in January, making this the last chance for fans on this side of the Atlantic to see the production for a while.
There had been some concern about Giselle’s participation after she left the stage five songs into the group’s October 9 show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Thankfully, she was back in Vancouver. Both she and Winter mentioned having a cold, but you wouldn’t have known it from their performances. Neither appeared to let it get in the way, and both delivered strong performances throughout the night.
The show opened with “LEMONADE,” immediately filling Rogers Arena with heavy bass, electronic beats and futuristic visuals. The production was massive, but the sound mix occasionally worked against the group. At points, the bass threatened to overpower the vocals, which was frustrating when four singers this capable were onstage.
“Switchblade” and “Whiplash” kept the momentum going before aespa reached back to its 2020 debut single, “Black Mamba.” The choreography remained sharp, and the group’s ability to move between demanding routines and vocal passages without losing its composure was impressive. “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” brought a harder hip-hop edge, with Giselle’s rap standing out against the heavy production.
The concert was divided into five acts, with cinematic video segments building on the group’s fictional universe. The story occasionally felt like a lot to keep up with, particularly for someone who hasn’t followed every chapter of aespa‘s mythology. Still, the visuals gave the show a clear identity. The production had a narrative thread running through it.
The second act offered a welcome change of pace. Karina introduced “Count on Me” on a piano, leading into a softer arrangement that let the members’ voices take centre stage. “Camouflage” and “Angel #48” continued the dreamier stretch. These moments were a reminder that aespa doesn’t need a wall of bass and flashing screens to hold an audience’s attention.
The solo and duet stages were among my favourite parts of the night. Giselle and Ningning brought a relaxed feel to “Lollipop,” while Karina and Winter took a more energetic approach with “Serenade.” Each pairing had its own character, making the performances feel distinct rather than like variations on the same routine.
The four solo performances gave the members even more room to show what they could do. Ningning’s “I Love You But I Gotta Let You Go” built from restrained verses into soaring high notes, while Karina’s “16 Bit” relied on a more understated, moody delivery. Giselle showed a softer side on “BYEB4HELLO,” moving beyond her usual rap role, and Winter’s “Saddle Up” put her choreography and stage confidence front and centre.
These performances made a strong case for the individual personalities within aespa. The group’s sleek, coordinated image is part of its appeal, but seeing the members step outside that format made the concert more interesting.
The heavier material returned with “Armageddon” and “Bite,” followed by a run of choreography-driven performances including “Next Level,” “SHAKIN’” and “Supernova.” The dancers added scale to the show, and the synchronized routines looked particularly effective against the digital scenery. By this point, the production had made its point: aespa knows how to turn its music into a full arena experience.
The pre-encore dance challenge was a fun change of pace, with cameras scanning the crowd and giving fans a chance to show off their moves on the big screens. The segment ended with an (shy) audience singalong to “Roll” before aespa returned for “Yeppi Yeppi” and “’Til We Die.”
As someone still getting to know K-pop, I appreciated the range. The spectacle was impressive, but the quieter songs and individual stages stopped the night from becoming one long sensory overload. The sound mix could have been better, and some of the storyline went over my head, but those were minor complaints in a show packed with strong performances.
TWICE got me curious about K-pop, and IVE gave me another reason to keep exploring it. aespa made a convincing case for sticking around. Their Vancouver show was loud, visually striking and full of personality, with four performers who could hold Rogers Arena’s attention even when the production threatened to steal it. That’s a solid way to close out a North American tour.
Upcoming Aespa – SYNK : COMPLæXITY’ World Tour Dates:
01/14 – Manchester, United Kingdom @ AO Arena
01/16 – London, United Kingdom @ The O2
01/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
01/22 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
01/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
01/26 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena
01/29 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Dome
01/31 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
02/02 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
More information here.
Concerts Reviews
LØLØ Brings her ‘God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour’ to the Pearl in Vancouver
LØLØ brought her second headlining tour – aptly named “God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour” – to Vancouver this week, a first for the Canada-born artist. We’ve been a fan since we first heard “Death Wish” back in 2021, which seems like it was yesterday, and we aren’t going to overthink that right now. That being said, we’ve been waiting a long time for this night, and what a show!
We’ve been frequenting The Pearl more and more lately, and like so many others this show was sold out and packed wall-to-wall. There was a small mob for the first opener of the night, Dawson Gamble, and the floor was packed by the time Con the Artist took the stage. When LØLØ appeared, it was all plaid miniskirts and devil horns from the stage to the merch booth.
When the lights went down, LØLØ’s voice boomed over the speakers, narrating excerpts from a journal. LØLØ is not a choreographed, over-polished pop princess. Like so many artists that grew their audience from nothing, she does her best to connect with individuals in the audience. She takes her time, holds their hands, and during one memorable song, brings them on stage to dance.
“I think that people don’t want perfection,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “They just want to see a live show and a special moment.”
LØLØ was very upfront about her adventures online, finding her voice, and time spent during COVID, and from the vibe you have to assume the audience had been there with her the entire time. From “The Floor is Lava” to “Faceplant,” all the hits were covered and sung along to. Speaking of which…
Must Hear Songs by LØLØ (In Our Humble Opinion):
• “death wish” (Single, 2021)
• “Hot Girls in Hell” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “u turn me on (but you give me depression)” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “Let It Go” (A Whole New Sound (Disney), 2024)
Fun fact: LØLØ was featured on a 2024 Disney punk album alongside Simple Plan, Magnolia Park, and Yellow Card, to name a few iconic bands. Check out her version of “Let It Go” from “Frozen.” It’s unexpected and a lot of fun.
LØLØ ‘s first moment of viral fame was her cover of “Hey There Delilah,” updated and sung from Delilah’s perspective. Pulling Con the Artist back on stage for a duet gave the crowd a wonderful, heartfelt moment that was honestly quite touching. Not everyone’s favorite song, but a lovely moment for everyone in the audience.
LØLØ, with several incredible songs in her library and with a stack of “Warped Tour” appearances already in the books, seems poised to breakthrough to the next level. She’s electric on stage, and animated, and we can only dream of the day she is given more space to play. Until then, another highlight concert of 2026, and something to think about until her next visit!
LØLØ Setlist:
• the devil wears converse
• pretty little wreck
• god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!
• THE FLOOR IS LAVA!
• debbie downer
• me with no shirt on
• the punisher
• 2 of us
• u turn me on (but u give me depression)
• faceplant
• Hey There Delilah
• death wish
• delusional darling
• junkie
• DON’T!
• dumbest girl in the world
• wish i was a robot
• hot girls in hell
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery. Thanks for attending the show with us and for checking out our review!
LØLØ
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin