Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Lost Americana Finds a Home in Vancouver as MGK Hits With Fire, Heart, and Volume
Machine Gun Kelly has spent the better part of a decade refusing to stay in one musical lane, and his stop at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on June 29 proved that he’s no longer interested in explaining himself. The Lost Americana Tour doesn’t try to convince anyone that rap, pop-punk, alternative rock, country influences, and arena spectacle belong together. It simply throws them all on stage and dares you to keep up.
Before MGK appeared, Emo Nite warmed up the crowd with the kind of party they’re know for. Mod Sun followed with a set full of his usual infectious energy and charisma, bouncing between pop-punk hooks and hip-hop swagger while keeping the arena moving before the night’s main event.
One noticeable absence lingered over the evening. MGK explained more than once that his usual tourmate, Wiz Khalifa, had been unable to cross the border and wouldn’t be performing in Vancouver. He admitted it added pressure to his own set, since Wiz normally joins him during several songs, but hoped the crowd was still ready for a great night. Judging by the roar that followed, Rogers Arena wasn’t about to let him carry that weight alone.
The stage itself immediately set the tone. Dominating the production was an enormous Statue of Liberty head, complete with a cigarette hanging from its mouth beneath the glowing “Lost Americana” sign. It was a striking visual that matched the album’s themes of rebellion and search for identity. It looked fantastic, especially once the pyrotechnics, towering video screens, and relentless lighting package came to life.
MGK emerged from the Kabuki drop to open with “FIX UR FACE” and “Outlaw Overture,” wasting little time before launching into newer material including “Starman.” Those songs carried the early stretch of the show. Lost Americana borrows from every chapter of his career, and that’s exactly how the concert unfolded. Early in the set, he welcomed American singer-songwriter Honestav to the stage for a surprise duet that drew one of the night’s loudest reactions. It was an unexpected moment that fit perfectly with the free-flowing nature of the show.
Between songs, MGK dropped the rockstar persona long enough to share something more personal. Despite performing since he was 16 years old, he admitted he still gets nervous before every show, wondering if people will actually show up. Looking around Rogers Arena, he said it still amazes him that after playing amphitheatres for months on this tour, he now gets to headline arenas like this one.
That honesty has become part of MGK‘s appeal. One minute he’s slinging a guitar across his shoulder and leading an arena-sized singalong. A few songs later he’s back in full rapper mode, firing through verses with the confidence that first made his name. Instead of feeling scattered, the shifts felt natural. At this point, the different versions of MGK have stopped competing with one another. They’ve become part of the same artist.
Visually, the show rarely slowed down. Fire erupted across the front of the stage during the heavier songs, dancers filled nearly every transition, and air cannons arrived exactly when they needed to. It would have been easy for the production to overshadow the music, but MGK remained the focal point throughout. He sprinted from one side of the stage to the other, climbed platforms, leaned into the barricade to greet fans, and constantly challenged the audience to match his energy.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came during “Can’t Stay Here,” when thousands of phone lights illuminated Rogers Arena, transforming the venue into a sea of stars. The massive production suddenly gave way to something quieter, with the audience becoming just as important to the atmosphere as the stage itself
One of the smartest decisions in the set came midway through the show when MGK left the main stage for a smaller platform deeper inside the arena. The production suddenly shrank, replacing explosions with something much quieter. Songs like “Glass House” carried a vulnerability that often gets buried beneath the fireworks. In those moments, Rogers Arena felt surprisingly intimate despite the crowd size.
The emotional swings have become part of MGK‘s identity. He can spend one song encouraging crowdsurfing before turning around to deliver deeply personal lyrics that leave the arena almost silent. It shouldn’t work as well as it does, but somehow it always finds its balance.
There was plenty of humour mixed into the chaos. During “Everything Tatted,” MGK spotted a fan holding a sign announcing she had “FIX UR FACE” tattooed on her backside. The cameras immediately found her, and when she proudly revealed the tattoo, the arena erupted with laughter and applause while MGK could only shake his head in disbelief while smiling.
The covers landed just as well. His version of “Mr. Brightside” instantly became one of the loudest singalongs of the evening, proving that some songs have taken on a life of their own inside concert arenas. It was one of several moments where MGK stepped back and simply let the audience carry the performance.
The celebration continued during “My Bloody Valentine,” when roughly twenty female fans were invited onto the stage to dance alongside him. The standout among them was an energetic six-year-old girl who completely stole the spotlight, confidently dancing across the stage and earning one of the biggest ovations of the night.
Before launching into “My Ex’s Best Friend,” MGK paused to remove his shirt, joking, “I know Canadians can say sorry, but can you please?” as he tried to squeeze a little more noise out of the audience. Judging by the response, they were more than happy to oblige.
What continues to separate MGK from many of his peers isn’t that he blends genres. Plenty of artists do that now. It’s that he fully commits to every version of himself without apologizing for the contradictions. He’s still a rapper. He’s still a rock frontman. He’s still willing to lean into melodic pop songwriting. Rather than smoothing those edges out, the Lost Americana Tour puts them all under the same spotlight.
Closing with “Vampire Diaries,” MGK capped off nearly two hours that rarely lost momentum. Loud, theatrical, emotional, and occasionally chaotic, the show never felt interested in perfection. It aimed for something much more entertaining. Rogers Arena got a performance that embraced every corner of MGK‘s career, delivering a night that felt unpredictable from start to finish.
Whether fans came for the rap records, the pop-punk era, or the newest material, there was very little chance of leaving disappointed. MGK has become one of modern arena rock’s most unpredictable performers, and Lost Americana makes a strong case that his refusal to fit neatly into one genre is exactly what keeps his live shows so compelling.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
MGK
MOD SUN
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
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
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Brandi Carlile Brings the Human Touch to Rogers Arena in Vancouver
Brandi Carlile may be playing the biggest rooms of her career, but she has no interest in letting the size of the room dictate the size of the show.
At Rogers Arena in Vancouver on September 17, Carlile turned the last stop of The Human Tour’s Canadian run into something that felt surprisingly personal. The arena was full, the production was appropriately large, and her voice could probably have rattled the rafters without a microphone. Still, the moments that stuck were often the quiet ones.
That has always been one of Carlile’s best tricks. She can sing like someone has opened a trapdoor beneath her, then spend five minutes telling a story about her wife, her kids or something ridiculous that happened backstage. The shift never feels forced and it is part of what makes her concerts work.
The night opened with CMAT, whose sharp mix of country, pop and deadpan humour made for a welcome change of pace before Carlile took the stage. Then came “Returning to Myself,” the title track from her 2025 album, with Carlile immediately putting that famously elastic voice front and centre. “Human” followed, and the combination of the two songs established the emotional centre of the night early: this was a show about vulnerability, but Carlile was never interested in making it precious.
The set moved freely between her newer material and songs that have become career staples. “Mainstream Kid” brought the rock-show energy, “You Without Me” and “The Mother” pulled things back into something tender and deeply personal, and “Right on Time” delivered the kind of vocal performance that makes you wonder how she is going to top it before remembering she still has two hours left.
Her longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth were beside her throughout, and their history with Carlile is a huge part of the show’s warmth. The trio has been playing together for more than two decades, and that familiarity shows. They can make an arena performance feel like three musicians in a room working out a song together.
Carlile leaned into that idea with an audience-request segment, inviting fans to call out songs for her and the Hanseroth twins to attempt on the spot. There is something wonderfully reckless about watching musicians of this calibre debate chords and lyrics in front of thousands of people. It should feel like a gimmick, but instead, it works. “My Song” and “This Time Tomorrow” were the chosen requests and both were a big hit.
Carlile has spoken throughout The Human Tour about the challenge of playing rooms this large. Vancouver was no different. She seemed genuinely determined to shrink Rogers Arena down to something more manageable, and the audience happily played along. The arena crowd became less like an anonymous mass and more like a room full of people who happened to know all the words.
Carlile would then remind everyone just how enormous her voice is. “The Story” remains the obvious example. The 2007 song has spent nearly two decades proving that its emotional punch does not depend on nostalgia, and live, Carlile still takes it from a restrained opening into a full-throated release. “The Joke” landed with similar force, its gospel-inflected arrangement turning Rogers Arena into something closer to a revival than a hockey rink.
The newer “Church & State” provided another major gear shift, bringing a harder edge to the performance and giving Carlile a chance to lean into the rock side of her catalogue. “Sinners, Saints and Fools” followed that same path, building from a reflective song into a full-band crescendo.
That variety is what makes a Carlile set work. She can move from intimate folk storytelling to arena rock without making either side feel like a costume. There is room for the big voice, the jokes (her obsession with Celine Dion landed very well on this Canadian date), the family stories, the politics, the covers and the moments where everything drops away except Carlile and a guitar.
Vancouver also got one of the evening’s most meaningful cover songs when Carlile delivered a stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” Given Mitchell’s deep Canadian roots and enduring status as one of the country’s most beloved songwriters, the choice felt especially fitting for the final Canadian stop of the tour. Carlile has long spoken about Mitchell’s influence on her own songwriting, and rather than treating the song as a reverent tribute piece, she approached it with warmth and conviction, allowing its emotional complexity to shine through. The audience responded accordingly, greeting the opening lines with immediate recognition.
The encore kept that balance intact. She brought CMAT on stage for an incredible rendition of the Bee Gee’s “Islands In The Stream.” Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” gave Carlile a darker, more theatrical showcase, while the final stretch brought the room back together with “Hold Out Your Hand.”
For all the talk about arena tours being a sign of an artist getting bigger, Carlile seems more interested in making the audience feel closer. That is a harder trick than filling a room. Rogers Arena is built to make people feel small. Brandi Carlile spent the night doing the opposite.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
BRANDI CARLILE
CMAT
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer