Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: One Last Wedding – Summer Walker Ends Her Tour in Vancouver
For years, Summer Walker built her career on sounding like someone caught in the middle of heartbreak. Her songs lived in messy relationships, late-night regrets and emotional honesty that made listeners feel like they were reading pages from her diary. On Friday night at Rogers Arena, she brought that chapter to a close.
The Vancouver stop marked the final North American date of the Still Finally Over It Tour, and there was a fitting sense of finality hanging over the evening. Recent comments from Walker about taking a break from touring, and even considering retirement from the road, gave the performance a little more weight. Whether this was the last time Canadian fans will see her headline an arena remains to be seen, but she certainly treated it like the end of an era.
The evening opened with a smooth set from British R&B artist Odeal, whose laid-back blend of Afrobeats, soul and contemporary R&B eased the crowd into the night. His relaxed stage presence provided a fitting contrast to the theatrical production that would follow, and he was warmly received by fans arriving early. After Odeal wrapped up, the arena kept its energy high thanks to a backstage DJ who spun a string of familiar R&B and hip-hop hits. Instead of passively waiting for the headliner, much of Rogers Arena turned into a dance party, with fans singing along and dancing in the aisles well before Summer Walker made her entrance.
Walker opened with “Finally Over It,” emerging in an white wedding gown complete with an oversized train and an elderly groom seated beside her in a wheelchair. It was dramatic, and exactly the kind of theatrical symbolism that has defined the rollout for Finally Over It. The image said everything before she even sang a note: this was both a breakup story and a farewell to one.
It didn’t take long before the dress came off, revealing a sparkling corset bodysuit underneath as the show shifted into a glamorous cabaret. That transformation became the night’s central idea.
The production was easily the most ambitious of her career. Giant velvet curtains, vintage Hollywood visuals, feathered dancers, aerial performers, fire acts and costume changes turned the concert into something closer to musical theatre than a standard R&B show. Walker clearly knew the world she wanted to build.
There were moments where the transitions stretched a little too long. Between dance numbers, wardrobe changes and theatrical interludes, the pacing occasionally lost momentum. The show sometimes seemed almost too invested in its own spectacle. Then Walker would return to the stage for “Body,” “Playing Games” or “No Love,” and the energy instantly snapped back into place.
That speaks to the strength of her catalogue. Few artists in modern R&B have assembled such a consistent run of songs that audiences know word for word. Throughout the night, Rogers Arena became one giant choir, with thousands of fans carrying verses Walker barely needed to sing herself.
That leads to one of the show’s more complicated aspects. Walker leaned on backing tracks more than some concertgoers might expect. If you’re looking for powerhouse live vocals from start to finish, this isn’t that kind of show. The emphasis was always on atmosphere, storytelling and emotion rather than technical vocal performance. It won’t work for everyone, but it felt like a deliberate creative choice rather than a limitation. It seemed to work for the audience.
Ironically, the quieter moments ended up being the strongest. Acoustic performances stripped away the elaborate staging and showed why Walker became one of R&B’s defining voices in the first place. Without dancers or elaborate props competing for attention, songs like “Session 32” landed with great intimacy.
Midway through the concert, Walker left the main stage for a candlelit banquet table positioned among the crowd. Decorated with roses and wedding décor, it transformed part of the arena into an intimate reception hall. Walking through the audience to perform “Girls Need Love,” signing autographs and stopping to connect with fans along the way, she looked remarkably comfortable. That may have been the biggest surprise of the night as Walker has spent years openly discussing her struggles with anxiety and stage fright, often avoiding touring altogether. Watching her confidently navigate the arena, smiling, interacting with fans and commanding an elaborate production felt like a victory. The growth was visible.
The burlesque influences never overwhelmed the music. Instead, they mirrored the emotional journey running through the Over It trilogy. The wedding imagery, glamorous costumes and playful choreography all pointed toward the same conclusion: heartbreak doesn’t get the final word.
Closing with “FMT,” Walker brought the evening full circle. Thousands of phone lights filled Rogers Arena, giving warmth to the final moments.
For an artist who once seemed reluctant to stand in front of an audience at all, ending her biggest tour with a production this bold felt quietly triumphant. Summer Walker may be finally over the heartbreak that inspired her music. More importantly, she seems to have found peace with the stage itself. If this truly was the closing chapter of her time as a touring headliner, Vancouver got a fitting finale.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
SUMMER WALKER
ODEAL
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Weird Al Takes Vancouver on a Wild Ride Through Pop Culture
There’s something pretty remarkable about Weird Al Yankovic: after decades of turning the biggest songs, trends, and pop-culture moments of the day into comedy gold, he somehow remains just as relevant as ever. While plenty of artists from past eras can feel firmly planted in their respective decades, Weird Al has somehow avoided becoming a musical time capsule. Instead, he keeps finding new ways to make each generation laugh, one accordion-fuelled parody at a time. His catalogue has grown alongside pop culture itself, from the hits of the ’80s and ’90s to the internet age and beyond, yet somehow none of it feels particularly dated. If anything, hearing one of his classic parodies today feels like running into an old friend who still knows exactly how to make you laugh. That ability to evolve without losing the wonderfully weird spirit that made him famous in the first place is a pretty impressive feat and a big reason why Weird Al continues to feel less like a nostalgia act and more like a permanent fixture of pop culture.
On September 3rd in Vancouver, at the Freedom Mobile Amphitheatre, it became pretty obvious that Weird Al’s particular brand of musical chaos has officially transcended generations. Kids were dancing along to “Eat It” right alongside parents who probably remember hearing it for the first time back in the ’80s. And somehow, decades later, “Smells Like Nirvana” and “Amish Paradise” still landed with the same wonderfully ridiculous energy. It’s a strange and delightful thing to watch: songs born from the pop culture of another era now being passed down like family heirlooms, only much funnier, and with significantly more accordion.
And that is the magic of Weird Al. He transforms songs into wonderfully bizarre little time capsules that somehow keep finding new audiences. His performances are every bit as committed as the jokes themselves, with elaborate costumes, choreography, visuals, character changes, and an almost suspicious amount of energy. Nothing feels like it is being phoned in. Even after all these years, there’s a genuine sense that he is having just as much fun with the absurdity as everyone watching him.
That commitment is a huge part of what makes a Weird Al show so much more than a collection of parody songs. It’s part concert, part comedy show, part trip down musical memory lane, and part “what on earth is happening right now?” spectacle. One moment you’re happily singing along to a song you haven’t heard in years, and the next you’re watching Weird Al transform into full “White & Nerdy” mode or go completely DEVO with the iconic red dome. The crowd clearly got the memo too, with a sea of wonderfully tacky Hawaiian shirts filling the amphitheatre. It’s silly, nostalgic, wildly entertaining, and impossible not to get swept up in.
Whether you came for the nostalgia, the comedy, the accordion, or simply to see what on earth Weird Al was going to do next, the answer was pretty much the same: have fun, be weird, and enjoy the spectacle. In a world where pop culture moves faster than ever, there’s something genuinely refreshing about an artist who can look backward, poke fun at the things we loved, and still make them feel brand new. Weird Al has spent decades proving that a good joke, a great song, and an accordion never really go out of style.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
WEIRD AL
PUDDLES PITY PARTY
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: The Red Clay Strays Bring the Grateful Tour to Rogers Arena
The Red Clay Strays brought their Grateful Tour to Vancouver on August 30, supported by Wyatt Flores and Sweet Talk. I’ll admit it: before Sunday night, my familiarity with The Red Clay Strays went about as far as “Wondering Why.”
I knew the Alabama band had become one of the fastest-rising names in country and Southern rock, and I knew Brandon Coleman had a reputation for being the kind of frontman people compared to Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and just about every other cool guy to ever stand behind a microphone. But there is always a risk when walking into a show knowing only the hit. Sometimes you spend the night waiting for the one song you recognize, but that was not the case at Rogers Arena.
Sweet Talk and Wyatt Flores got things going, giving the night a strong foundation before the headliners took over. Flores, in particular, already had plenty of fans in the building, and his set helped get the arena moving early. By the time The Red Clay Strays walked onstage, the room was ready.
The band opened with “Demons in Your Choir,” immediately showing why its sound has connected with so many people. The Red Clay Strays do not sit comfortably inside one genre. There is country in their music, obviously, but there is Southern rock, gospel, blues and plenty of old-school rock and roll mixed in. Trying to neatly categorize them feels a little beside the point.
What stood out most to me was how little the band seemed interested in playing up the scale of the room. 18 months ago, they were playing 2 sold out shows at the Commodore Ballroom, making the jump to Rogers Arena in 2026 pretty striking. Rogers Arena is a massive space, and this is the biggest kind of stage The Red Clay Strays have started playing regularly. But they never felt like they were trying to become a generic arena band overnight.
Of course, Coleman is hard to ignore. The Elvis comparisons make sense on a surface level: the pompadour, the old-school style and the way he moves around the stage all bring those comparisons to mind. But the more I watched him, the less useful those comparisons became. Coleman has his own way of commanding a stage, and his voice is the real deal.
There were several moments throughout the night when he let loose on a note and cut through everything around him. It was not polished in a way that felt overly perfect, either. There was grit in his voice, and sometimes a little roughness, which made the stronger moments hit harder.
The band moved through songs including “Stone’s Throw,” “Walking Away,” “Devil in My Ear,” “Ghosts” and “People Hatin’,” with the musicians remaining impressively tight throughout. They have reportedly been playing together in one form or another for years, and that connection was easy to see.
When it was time for “Wondering Why,” Rogers Arena predictably lost its mind. The opening moments were enough to turn the audience into one enormous singalong, and one of those goosebump moments. Even as someone who came into the show with limited knowledge of the band’s catalog, I could not help but get caught up in it. Thankfully, the show did not lose momentum after its biggest song. In fact, I found some of the strongest material came later.
“Drowning” and “I’m Still Fine” gave Coleman some of his best vocal moments of the night, while “Moments” slowed things down without killing the energy. That is not always easy in an arena show. The quieter songs can sometimes disappear in a room that size, but the audience stayed with them.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came before the band launched back into the set when one of their three touring backing vocalists stepped forward to sing “O Canada.” She told the crowd that she regularly performs national anthems at NHL games and had always hoped to sing Canada’s anthem in Canada. The Rogers crowd loved it.
They ended with “Fool’s Gold,” “Wanna Be Loved,” “Grateful” and “No One Else Like Me,” sending the crowd home after a generous and well-paced set.
The Red Clay Strays are clearly in the middle of a major rise. Their Grateful Tour has taken them into some of the biggest venues of their career, and the rooms will probably keep getting bigger. The good news, at least based on what I saw in Vancouver, is that they have not lost the thing that got them here.
Head here for more information about The Red Clay Strays’ Grateful Tour.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
THE RED CLAY STRAYS
WYATT FLORES
SWEET TALK
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer