Coldplay took the stage for the second of 4 concert events at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Tuesday night time (July 8), and the present held the excellence of being the third general live performance at the brand new 50,000-capacity Downsview venue within the metropolis’s north finish.
For those who ask Reside Nation Canada’s president of music, Erik Hoffman, Coldplay was additionally one of the major reasons the stadium was constructed. Within the band’s first two reveals, although, Chris Martin hasn’t precisely had flattering issues to say about it. On night time one, he referred to as it a “bizarre stadium in the midst of nowhere,” and on the second night time, he went even additional, calling the venue a “very weird stadium one million miles from Earth.”
“We’re solely testing the premise, ‘For those who construct it, they may come,” Martin stated throughout his piano intro to “The Scientist.”
Martin might have had his tongue a little bit in his cheek, but it surely hasn’t been good PR for the venue, which has contended with fan complaints about shifting seats, lack of water stations and lengthy waits to exit. The stadium has already made enhancements on all of these issues, although getting out of one of many two exits continues to be an ordeal. There are actually extra employees conducting crowd management, flashing pink and inexperienced lights to forestall bottlenecks on the close by Downsview public transit station.
Nevertheless, the considerably secluded location benefited these Coldplay reveals, because the band’s celebrated celestial-themed Music of the Spheres World Tour builds an entire world; touring 45 minutes from downtown to get there solely will increase the sensation of getting into a pocket of connection and positivity. The manufacturing was impeccable, and it made the night time really feel majestic.
This was the 203rd present on Coldplay’s record-breaking tour, which is the best-selling and highest-grossing rock tour ever. At one level, Martin informed the gang the earlier reveals on the tour had been simply “202 rehearsals for you.” On its first night time at Rogers Stadium, the band delayed its set time to repair a lighting tower, however all the things was operating easily by Tuesday.
Many individuals within the crowd introduced flags, and Martin welcomed all of them: from international locations together with Brazil, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Finland and India. He additionally welcomed a fan who introduced an LGBTQ+ flag and later draped himself in a single for a tune expressing assist for all genders and sexual identities.
One night time after a fan introduced a Palestinian flag, on Tuesday one other introduced a flag of Israel. “We welcome all folks,” Martin stated. “It makes me joyful that each teams can come.” Later, he celebrated the gang filled with nationalities and religions and stated it reveals that “all these conflicts that we hold being informed about are actually overcomeable by the facility of affection and togetherness.”
It could be a obscure platitude, but it surely’s a message of one-size-fits-all unity that the band has preached all through its profession. On Tuesday, Martin stated the present marked the primary time all 50,004 folks (together with the band members) would ever be in the identical place, and requested the viewers to really feel the connection.
Coldplay play two extra reveals at Rogers Stadium this weekend, on July 11 and 12.
Discover full highlights from the live performance here. — Richard Trapunski
TikTok Canada Halts Sponsorships of Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant, Juno Awards, ADISQ and Extra
TikTok is pulling the plug on its arts sponsorships throughout Canada.
The social media platform is planning to withdraw as a sponsor of a number of Canadian arts establishments, together with the Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant and Juno Awards, because it prepares to adjust to a federal order to close down operations nationwide.
Steve de Eyre, TikTok Canada’s director of public coverage and authorities affairs, told The Canadian Press the Canadian authorities is now imposing its order from last November to wind down operations of the platform within the nation over nationwide safety considerations. TikTok has vowed to fight the order, however the video-sharing app is now planning to halt its Canadian initiatives.
The incoming halt is affecting a few of Canada’s arts communities, together with the Junos, with which TikTok Canada has been a accomplice since 2020, together with as a title sponsor of the just lately added Juno Fan Selection Award. TikTok Canada has additionally supported CARAS’s music training charity, MusiCounts, with the platform having offered $500,000 thus far in assist of highschool music applications.
Since 2022, TikTok Canada has additionally sponsored TIFF’s Brief Cuts and Particular Shows applications and supported business panels that includes Canadian creators.
The Nationwide Display Institute’s TikTok Accelerator for Indigenous Creators, which has labored with practically 400 contributors since 2021, can even lose funding.
Final yr, the Canadian authorities ordered the wind-up of TikTok’s Canadian operations (together with each of its Canadian workplaces) after “a multi-step nationwide safety course of,” however stated it could not block the app’s use in Canada.
With no concrete timeline, although, De Eyre stated the corporate continues to be difficult the order in court docket and pushing the federal government to discover a higher means ahead.
“It breaks my coronary heart that we’re being pressured to cancel [these programs],” De Eyre informed The Canadian Press, including that as a result of order being enforced, the corporate can’t decide to renewing its partnerships within the nation. “The fact is, you could have native employees to develop these issues and to run these issues. These applications don’t construct themselves.”
Learn extra here. — Heather Taylor-Singh
Arts & Crafts Launches New Nation Label
Celebrated Canadian impartial music label Arts & Crafts goes nation.
After making a significant influence at dwelling and overseas with such artists as Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stars and Dan Mangan, the label has launched a brand new Arts & Crafts Nation imprint and introduced the signing of the Juno-winning, platinum-selling nation group The Washboard Union.
“Arts & Crafts prides itself on a various universe of music constructed on the label’s core pillars of creativity and neighborhood. ‘Impartial music made with care’ — now we have all the time been pushed by inventiveness, with out regard for the bounds of style,” stated Kieran Roy, president of Arts & Crafts, in a press release. “It’s on that notice that we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with The Washboard Union, marking Arts & Crafts’ foray into nation music and first signing to our newly minted A&C Nation imprint.
Collectively for greater than a decade, the B.C.-based trio includes Aaron Grain, Chris Duncombe and David Roberts. The group’s debut album, The Washboard Union, was launched in 2012 and produced by heavyweights Garth Richardson and Bob Ezrin. The group first signed with Slaight Music and Warner Music Canada earlier than partnering with Common Music Canada for its most up-to-date album, Westerly.
Reside favourites on the nation circuit, The Washboard Union have earned 9 CCMA Awards, together with three consecutive wins for group of the yr and roots album of the yr for Everbound (2020). It additionally made historical past as the primary nation band to obtain a Juno Award for breakthrough group of the yr. The group has collected greater than 400,000 radio spins and over 85 million streams, and has scored one platinum and 4 gold-certified singles in Canada.
The Washboard Union is taking part in choose competition dates throughout Canada this summer time and can also be within the studio recording new music, with a brand new single to be launched this fall. The band just lately signed to ABC Music (for Australia and New Zealand) and is headed to Australia in October for its first run of reveals. Its forthcoming launch would be the first beneath the group’s new label partnerships with Arts & Crafts and ABC Music.
“The Arts & Crafts staff are, above all, music followers and innovators,” stated Duncombe in a press release. “From our first conversations, it was clear that they understood who we’re as artists. We’ve all the time believed in making music that’s really genuine, so to accomplice with a label that values artistry and creativity is energizing. We’re excited to be the primary nation act to hitch the brand new Arts & Crafts Nation label, and the three of us can’t anticipate our followers to listen to what we’ve obtained in retailer within the subsequent chapter of The Washboard Union.” — Kerry Doole