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Concerts Reviews

Still Thunderstruck: AC/DC Rocks Vancouver

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I never thought I’d get to say this: I finally saw AC/DC live. After decades of hearing my father talk about catching them at some dingy ice rink in Paris in the early ’70s for 10 francs: “the sound was terrible, but it was loud,” this show was personal. My father was my gateway to rock: Rolling Stones, Status Quo, all the big dogs. But AC/DC was one unchecked name on the list.

It’s wild to think that in 2025, a band that’s been around longer than most of the crowd has been alive can still pack out a stadium. Not just pack it, shake it. BC Place felt like it was about to crack in half when Angus Young duck-walked onto the stage in a blue velvet schoolboy uniform, Gibson SG in hand, and they tore into “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It).” From there, it was banger after banger: “Back in Black,” “Rock’n Roll Train,” “Hells Bells,” “Thunderstruck,” you name it. A setlist built for fists in the air and busted vocal cords by the end of the night.

Brian Johnson, now 77, looked like he was having a riot. He’s been through the wringer with his hearing, and you could tell he was savouring every second of being back. His voice isn’t what it once was, but he gave it hell. And that’s all you really want from a guy who’s been screaming his lungs out since before most of us were born.

Angus was, well, Angus. Seventy and still running circles around dudes half his age. His guitar solos are their own form of cardio, including a never-ending one during “Let There Be Rock” that might’ve aged me a year just watching it. At one point he was flat on his back, surrounded by confetti, still shredding. Iconic.

Sure, there’s only one original member left in the band. But this lineup, with Stevie Young on rhythm guitar (Malcolm’s nephew), Chris Chaney on bass, and Matt Laug on drums, held it down tight. The whole engine still roars. And nobody in that crowd was complaining. We were all there to yell along to songs we grew up with, passed down like heirlooms from older siblings, from our parents, from radio stations that haven’t changed their playlists since ’89.

They did a couple tracks off 2020’s Power Up, like “Shot in the Dark” and “Demon Fire,” which actually held up pretty well alongside the classics. But let’s be real: the meat of this show was the hits. “Highway to Hell” had everyone in full scream-along mode, and “You Shook Me All Night Long” probably triggered some life-changing flashbacks in more than a few people around me.

The stage setup wasn’t flashy, but it didn’t need to be. Just a wall of Marshall amps, some big screens, and a lighting rig that knew when to blast and when to stay dark. The music was the show. That’s always been AC/DC’s thing. No frills. Just riffs.

Opening act The Pretty Reckless brought some serious fire too. Taylor Momsen stomped across that massive stage like she owned it, channelling vintage rock god energy. Huge vocals, tons of attitude, and a perfect fit to warm us up. Honestly, she could’ve held that stage for an hour longer and no one would’ve complained.

This concert was a full-circle moment, a bucket list checkmark. One of those rare times where something actually lives up to the weight you’ve given it in your head. I don’t care if it’s not the “original” lineup, it’s still AC/DC. Still loud, still proud, still making 50,000 people forget about the outside world for two hours.

So yeah, I finally saw AC/DC. And they still rock.

Concerts Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: LP Brings ‘All Is Not Lost’ Tour to Vancouver

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On September 5, multi platinum singer-songwriter LP brought the All Is Not Lost Tour to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, delivering a performance that moved effortlessly between vulnerability, power, and pure rock-and-roll energy. The night also carried a special significance: the tour celebrates the 10th anniversary of Lost on You, the record that helped transform LP from a respected songwriter into a global phenomenon.

Known professionally as LP, Laura Pergolizzi has spent years carving out a space that is uniquely their own. Before becoming internationally recognized as a recording artist, LP established themselves as a songwriter for major artists including Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Celine Dion. Their own breakthrough came with “Lost on You,” which went to No. 1 in 18 countries and eventually surpassed one billion Spotify streams.

Inside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, LP’s music felt much more immediate. Their unmistakable voice moved from restrained and intimate to explosive within moments, giving songs such as “Muddy Waters,” “The One That You Love,” and “Lost on You” a sense of urgency that is difficult to recreate outside of a live setting.

The evening’s setlist reflected both sides of LP’s career. The first part moved through newer material and familiar favourites, including “Shelly,” “Tokyo Sunrise,” “Love Is All I Have,” and “Chasing & Waiting.” Later, the performance shifted toward the Lost on You celebration, bringing some of LP’s most recognizable songs into the spotlight.

It was the kind of moment that makes a concert feel bigger than the room. The song that introduced LP’s voice to millions became a shared experience between artist and audience, with the theatre singing along to every familiar line. After nearly a decade of the song living its own life around the world, hearing it performed in a packed Vancouver theatre gave it a renewed sense of intimacy.

From behind the camera, there was another layer to the experience. Photographing LP meant constantly watching for the moments between the obvious ones. The dramatic poses and powerful vocals naturally create striking frames, but some of the strongest images came from the quieter details, the concentration before a verse, a hand wrapped around the microphone, a fleeting expression beneath the stage lights.

LP is an artist who gives a photographer plenty to work with. Their movement across the stage feels instinctive rather than choreographed, and their performance style carries the same unpredictability as their voice. One moment can feel completely still; the next can explode into movement.

That contrast became one of the defining visual elements of the Vancouver show. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre also suited the performance. Rather than feeling distant or oversized, the venue allowed the audience to remain close to the emotional centre of the show. LP could command the room without having to overwhelm it.

There was also a sense of celebration throughout the night. Ten years after Lost on You, LP is still performing the songs that changed the trajectory of their career while continuing to introduce audiences to what’s next. The tour combines material from the upcoming album with a special presentation of Lost on You in its entirety, making the show feel like both a look backward and a step forward.

That balance is what made the Vancouver performance so compelling. LP isn’t simply revisiting an old record. They are showing how those songs have evolved with them and how they continue to resonate with an audience that has grown alongside their music.

By the final moments of the night, the feeling in the theatre was less like watching an artist celebrate an anniversary and more like witnessing a career still in motion.

For me, photographing LP in Vancouver was an opportunity to capture that evolution in real time: the voice, the movement, the vulnerability, and the electricity that has made LP such a distinctive live performer.

Ten years after Lost on You, the LP still has something to say and judging by the way Vancouver listened, people are still more than willing to hear it.

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

LP

All Photo Credit: Raphael Arthur

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Concerts Reviews

LIVE REVIEW: Icons Deep Purple & Kansas Bring A Legendary Celebratory Night of Surprises To Abbotsford’s Rogers Forum

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I don’t say this lightly, but both Deep Purple and Kansas absolutely put on a hell of a show. Since 1968, Deep Purple have basically been the godfathers of live rock performance. Don’t believe me? Go look up their Guinness World Record for “loudest concert,” which they snagged back in 1972. That same energy, that same wall of sound, made the trip across five decades and landed right here for the band’s headlining North American tour stop in Abbotsford. Original drummer Ian Paice is still holding it down, now joined by guitarist Simon McBride, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Don Airey, and vocalist Ian Gillan. Sure, only one original member remains, but somehow the whole group still nails the spirit of what made Deep Purple, well, Deep Purple.

They tore through 16 tracks that night. “Smoke on the Water” got the loudest reaction of the evening, no surprise there. “Diablo” and “Perfect Strangers” also landed big, and “Highway Star” kicked the whole thing off on an absolute high. And when I say the crowd was into it, I mean it. Fans who’ve followed this band for almost fifty years were pressed right up against the barrier trying to get as close as possible. That closeness paid off too, with an incredible light show and Simon McBride ripping through solo after solo. Honestly, McBride was the highlight more than once, stepping up so Gillan could catch his breath between songs. Given how much those vocals demand, that rest was more than earned.

Like I said, “Smoke on the Water” was the main event for Abbotsford. It’s one thing to describe it, but actually watching the buildup, seeing the bandmates grinning at each other because they knew exactly what was coming, that was priceless. Then those notes kicked in. You know the ones. Every Guitar Center employee’s nightmare. The whole arena became one voice, singing along to a guitar riff like it was a chorus. It was the moment of the night, the kind of thing every rock fan dreams about experiencing live. That wave of energy carried all the way through to the final song, “Hush.” If you were a millennial who spent way too much time on Guitar Hero 2, hearing this one live gave you full goosebumps. This was the band’s first big hit back in 1968, and in 2026 it still hits just as hard. The crowd treated it like more than an encore. It felt like everyone in that room knew they might not get another chance to see Deep Purple live, and they soaked in every second of it. When the house lights finally came up, Abbotsford just stood there in awe. Deep Purple‘s legendary status was on full display, and nobody in that crowd wanted the night to end.

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

DEEP PURPLE

KANSAS

All Photo Credit: Marquise Monno

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