Concerts Reviews
Teddy Swims Balances Jokes And Heartbreak In Vancouver

Teddy Swims turned the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre into his living room on Saturday night. If that living room came with pyrotechnics, a jukebox game, and 5,000 fans singing every word. He even broke the venue record for most tickets sold at a live event! The “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy” tour stop in Vancouver was a mix of powerhouse vocals, goofy antics, and moments so raw they left the singer wiping away tears.
Opener Cian Ducrot warmed up the crowd with an emotional guitar-led set. His Irish charm and conversational style made it feel like he was talking directly to you, even in a packed arena. By the time he closed with “I’ll Be Waiting,” the audience was locked in and ready.
Then came Teddy Swims. With a grin behind his beard, he appeared on stage and jumped straight into “Not Your Man.” The band, Freak Freely, filled the space with thunderous grooves, while the giant ramp behind the band pulsed with colours and shapes. By the second song, “Hammer to the Heart,” the crowd was already screaming.
What makes Swims unique is how he mixes showmanship with total vulnerability. One minute he’s tossing signed toilet paper rolls into the pit while singing “Your Kind of Crazy” from a toilet prop, the next he’s cracking under the weight of “Small Hands,” a tender ballad for his infant son. He confessed he hadn’t figured out how to sing it without breaking down. The arena held its breath, then lifted him up with applause when his voice faltered.

The setlist had range. “Apple Juice” came early, during which Swims ditched his shoes, choosing comfort over formality. “Free Drugs” brought out playful country grit. Covers added unexpected spice: “All That Really Matters” by ILLENIUM; and for the jukebox game, the crowd picked “Sara Smile” by Hall & Oates, and Swims nailed it.
Not everything went according to plan. Twice the show stopped so medical staff could tend to fans who fainted. Swims handled it with care, checking in and reminding everyone of his rule to “keep looking out for each other.” The pauses only reinforced the sense of community he was trying to build.
Highlights piled up: the glittering ballad “Northern Lights,” the soaring “God Went Crazy,” and the cathartic eruption of “Lose Control,” which turned into a massive sing-along and pyrotechnics. By the encore, the audience still had energy to burn. “Bed on Fire” shook the room, “Goodbye’s Been Good to You” tugged at heartstrings, and “The Door” slammed things shut on an emotional high.
Teddy Swims is a performer who doesn’t hide behind theatrics. He uses them to frame the real star of the show: his voice. That voice, raw and raspy, can move from tender whispers to stadium-shaking belts in a heartbeat. But more than that, it’s the way he shares his life, unpolished and unguarded, that connects so deeply. In Vancouver, he gave his all: socks, tears, jokes, and all; and the crowd gave it right back.
Upcoming I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Tour Dates:
08/31 Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater
09/03 Troutdale, OR – Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
09/05 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre
09/06 South Lake Tahoe, NV – Harveys Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
09/09 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
More information here.
Check out our favourite photos of the night or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
TEDDY SWIMS







All Photo Credit: Bailey Morgan
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: LP Brings ‘All Is Not Lost’ Tour to Vancouver
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
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Icons Deep Purple & Kansas Bring A Legendary Celebratory Night of Surprises To Abbotsford’s Rogers Forum
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
