Alicia Keys Is Evermore Elegant & Mature In Toronto On 'Freedom' Tour Concert Recap

As reported by Jane Stevenson at Canoe / QMI Agency

TORONTO - I know why the Caged Bird sings.

Or in the case of neo-soul star Alicia Keys, who initially appeared inside a silver cage at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night (March 10), singing Caged Bird, why she sings: Because she sounds so good.

Keys brought her biggest production to date for the occasion: a dazzling gigantic video screen that broke into many smaller screens, a large gleaming silver staircase, a nine-piece band, and three dancers.

Touring in support of her fourth album, The Element Of Freedom, the 29-year-old New York singer-songwriter-pianist also made a good glamazon, appearing in silver sequined pants, a black shirt, a blood red blazer, and high heels, with her hair in soft curls.

Her first hit, Fallin', prompted major applause, as she stood at the front of stage playing a tiny white piano - and the song ended with the words, "Rise Up" on the enormous video screen above her.

But she delivered a more dramatic performance with her Bond theme (a collaboration with Jack White), Another Way To Die, losing the blazer and seductively prowling the staircase and her large stage with her dancers.

For her next song, Karma, Keys added some of the lyrics of Talking Heads' Once In A Lifetime, but it was her own, I Need You, that proved to be a stronger follow-up tune.

And when she sat down to play Prayer For Forgiveness, her piano flashed the words: "Play Me," and then, "Thank You," before it began rotating during, Diary, which prompted a crowd singalong and some mighty high notes from her male back up singer.

"We're excited to be here in Toronto," said Keys, who hit a few big notes of her own during Like You'll Never See Me Again. "God bless you."

After a brief band interlude, Keys re-appeared lying on top of the piano, now moving from the back of the stage to the front, for another uplifting number, Wait Til You See My Smile.

But the mid-show highlight proved to be the uber-soulful and funky Go Ahead featuring Keys playing a portable keyboard strapped around her neck, while her guitar player traded licks alongside her.

Finally elegant in a floor length white gown for Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart, the first single from The Element Of Freedom, there simply was no stopping Keys in the last half-hour of her 90-minute show.

Hit after hit followed: the female empowerment anthem, Superwoman; the heart-on-her-sleeve songs, If I Ain't Got You and No One; and the crowd-pleasing encore number, Empire State Of Mind Part II (Broken Down).

Earlier in the show, the bouncy Put It In A Love Song, Keys' collaboration with Beyonce, and the R&B ballad, Un-thinkable (I'm Ready), her duet with Drake, came across too calculated for the more mature Keys, who has always been an amazing songwriter and singer but is only now hitting her stride as a live performer.

Photos:
Toronto Sun Newspaper
Getty Images
Wire Image

Alicia Keys 'Freedom' Tour Toronto Air Canada Centre - Wednesday, March 10th set list:

Caged Bird
Love Is Blind
You Don't Know My Name
Fallin'
Another Way To Die
Karma
Like the Sea
I Need You
Pray for Forgiveness
Diary
Like You'll Never See Me Again

Band interlude

Wait Til You See My Smile
Go Ahead
Put It in a Love Song
Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)
Feeling Good (performed by the band)
Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
Superwoman
If I Ain't Got You
No One

ENCORE

Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down

Alicia Keys 2010 Element of Freedom Tour Dates:

3/11 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone
3/13 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Casino
3/14 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Casino
3/17 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
3/19 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Centre
3/20 - Atlantic City, NJ - Mark Etess Arena
3/22 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
3/24 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
3/25 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
3/27 - Miami, FL - American Airlines Arena
3/28 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times-Forum
3/30 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
4/2 - Dallas, TX - Nokia Theater (Grand Prairie)
4/3 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
4/6 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
4/7 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
4/9 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay
4/10 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Coliseum
4/29 - Lisbon, Portugal - Pavilhao Atlantico
5/1 - Ischgl, Austria - Ski Resort
5/2 - Verona, Italy - Arena
5/4 - Marseille, France - Le Dome
5/8 - Arnhem, Netherlands - Gelredome
5/9 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle - Messe Frankfurt
5/12 - Hamburg, Germany - Color Line Arena
5/13 - Oberhausen, Germany - Konig - Pilsener Arena
5/15 - Merksem, Belgium - Sportpaleis Antwerpen
5/17 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion Zurich
5/19 - Birmingham, UK - The NIA
5/21 - Dublin, Ireland - The O2 Dublin
5/23 - Glasgow, UK - S.E.C.C.
5/25 - London, UK - The O2 - London
5/26 - London, UK - The O2 - London
5/29 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Evening News Arena
5/31 - Paris, France - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
6/2 - Barcelona, Spain - Palau Sant Jordi
6/4 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier

(video courtesy of Canal de Vídeos do oitoronto)

Boi-1da: Music Producer Video Interview With DTP Artist Small World

(video courtesy of Brook Millz)

Timbaland: Shock Value II Tour Live In Toronto Concert Recap

As reported by Jason Macneil at the Toronto Sun

As part of his current Shock Value Tour, producer extraordinaire Timbaland has brought along Justin Timberlake, members of Jet, Katy Perry and Drake among others to bring his collaborative club grooves to the masses.

Unfortunately though, a strong album with so many guest stars can result in a lackluster effort when it’s brought to the stage without them.

And for most of the evening, it was this hit and miss feel that made Timbaland’s gig Friday evening (January 22) at Toronto’s Sound Academy very uneven.

Backed by a full band and with a video screen to his left which would show Drake, Perry, Timberlake and others performing, Timbaland began the night rolling a very high quality wave with Timothy Where Have You Been off the new album Timbaland Presents Shock Value II.

Wearing huge silver headphones and a rather conservative amount of bling for his producing prowess, Timbaland had the audience filling half the venue singing “I love Toronto” back to him during the lengthy, rambling opener.

When not creating beats off the floor, the artist was content to perform most of his new material such as Say Something (featuring Drake) which Timbaland delivered with Auto Tune perfection and the electro-dance feel to The Way I Are which was definitely an early party-starter. This was despite the fact there were occasions when all he could do was bounce and wait for the guest artist’s pre-packaged vocal portions to conclude.

From there, Timbaland perfected that dance club vibe with Morning After Dark as a brief snippet of Twilight – a film which partly inspired the new record – was shown on the video screen before Katy Perry appeared onscreen.

The first 45 minutes of the show was red hot, but a forerunner of what would ensue came during Oh Timbaland. Here Timbaland gave each of his band members their own miniature solo before reining things in again. It was a slight lull but would seem like pure bliss compared to the next half-hour.

Following another strong dance-friendly nugget entitled Can You Feel It (and featuring vocals by Canadian singer Esthero), Timbaland plowed into If We Meet Again with purpose, something that couldn’t be said for Ease Off The Liquor.

Breaking the tune down and then basically filling time, Timbaland started asking fans in the crowd how they were feeling and if they’d like to have drinks with him. He also spent this time telling some 19-year-olds how he couldn’t let them drink and would buy them Kool-Aid, unaware of the legal age north of the 49th.

After this filler, Timbaland then left the stage for another 15 to 20 minutes while a deejay played snippets of various Timbaland-related hits. The rather inane absence had more heading to the exits before he finally reemerged with Carry Off featuring Justin Timberlake.

The show definitely had its moments, both terrific and terribly tedious.

PHOTOS:
Getty Images

Timbaland Shock Value II Tour dates:

1/26 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
1/28 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
1/29 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
2/02 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
2/03 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues

(video courtesy of jDiggz TV & Hailey248ilyjb)

Mos Def & DOOM Team Up For Upcoming Concert Dates

via Exclaim Canada

While live appearances from underground hip-hop icon DOOM are definitely a touchy subject for some fans, the rapper is set to play two shows with Mos Def in early 2010. So far, we know a Toronto show is happening at the Koolhaus on January 27 and a New York show is happening the Nokia Theatre at Times Square on January 30.

We hate to be so conspiratorial, but the amount of controversy surrounding DOOM's concerts will likely raise some concerns. The shows are billed as “DOOM with Mos Def,” which is strange, because if Mos Def were to play with DOOM, there's no question he would headline.

Neither rappers have announced the shows on their official websites, so it’s unclear if more shows will be scheduled.

Tickets for the Toronto show go on sale this Saturday (December 5), and you may want to get buying early, because if both Mos Def and the real DOOM actually show up, it will surely be one great evening of hip-hop.

Lady Gaga 'Monster Ball Tour' Steamrolls Through Canada Show Recaps

Opening night of the tour Friday, November 27 at Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada





As reported by T'Cha Dunlevy at the Gazette / Canada.com

Things got off to a slow start; the fashion icon was fashionably late. Cheers erupted when the lights finally dropped just before 10 p.m.

She wasn’t ready to come out just yet. A giant screen lit up with a futuristic, glowing green grid. Gaga finally appeared, striking an awkward pose, blond locks cascading over her shoulders, a shimmering mask around her eyes.

She opened with a new song, Dance In the Dark, off her new album The Fame Monster, before following with a string of hits off last year’s The Fame.



Lo and behold, Kid Cudi finally appeared, dropping an engaging freestyle. A vibe was taking hold. She dedicated the heartfelt ballad Speechless to her dad, who was in the audience.

Lady Gaga Montreal show photos:
WENN Photo

Saturday, November 28 2nd night of the tour at Air Canada Centre in Toronto





As reported by Jane Stevenson at Sun Media / Canoe

Yes, Lady Gaga is a sexually-charged performer with a major nod to Madonna, to whom she is most often compared, and physically resembles in a live setting.

As she got out of her ecto-skeleton outfit, she grabbed her breasts and stripped down to a silver bodysuit for another Fame Monster song, Alejandro, which saw her being carried by her crotch by one of her male dancers and lowered onto another male dancer.

Later in the show, she declared: "Everytime you scream my name, I get a teeny, tiny, mini-orgasm."

And she made a point of spreading her legs while stradling a white dentist chair during Paper Gangsta.



Toronto Lady Gaga Set list:
"Dance In The Dark"
"Just Dance"
"Love Game"
"Alejandro"
"Monster"
"So Happy I Could Die"
"Teeth"
"Speechless"
"Poker Face" (on piano)
"Fashion"
"The Fame"
"Money Honey"
"Beautiful Dirty Rich"
"Boys Boys Boys"
"Paper Gangsta"
"Poker Face" (with band)
"Paparazzi"
"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)"
"Bad Romance"

Sunday, November 29 at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada



As reported by Aedan Helmer at the Ottawa Sun

Lady Gaga oozed sexuality, channelling her obvious hero Madonna as dancers grooved and groped alongside the bleached blonde diva.

“I’m about to be very wicked,” she promised.

Then, lying prone at centre stage, her legs splayed in the air, she cooed, “I’m kinda like Tinkerbell.

“When Tinkerbell died, the only way to bring her back to life was if you come for her,” she said, feigning orgasm. “Scream for me Ottawa!”

The tender ballad Speechless gave way to a teasing, barely recognizable solo piano rendering of her name-making hit Poker Face, featuring an appearance from opening act Kid Cudi, who spliced his own Make Her Say in the mix as Gaga crooned.

Read each shows' full review here:
Gazette - Talented Lady Gaga needs time to grow (Montreal)
Canoe - Lady Gaga puts on a Monster show (Toronto)
Ottawa Sun - Review: Lady Gaga rules (Ottawa)

Montreal video courtesy of kasiekahne & kylemtl
Toronto video courtesy of Cybershotzz & cdngirl09
Ottawa video courtesy of AstroStarzz

K-os ft. Saukrates 'I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman' (Video)

Using the vocal hook from the song 'California' by Phantom Planet.

Off of K-os's "Yes!" on Universal Music Canada available now.

Jay-Z: Canadian Weekend Concert Wrap-Up With Video, Photos & Show Reviews

(photo courtesy by Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette)

Oct. 30 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC

As reported by T'Cha Dunlevy at the Montreal Gazette

When he (Jay-Z) intoned the “na-na-na-na” hook off Death Of Auto-Tune, the Montreal crowd joined in.

By the third song of the night, U Don’t Know, it felt like the encore. Everyone was on their feet, arms up, the beat was booming, horns were blazing.

“I like that,” Jay-Z said.

He was, it should be noted, backed by a rockin’ 12-piece band, including hype-man Memphis Bleek.

“I’ve never heard a rap show sound so clean,” said veteran hip-hop promoter Rickey D, seated next to me – and he would know.

The hits kept coming: 99 Problems, Show Me What You Got, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), the Jackson 5-sampling Izzo (H.O.V.A.), Heart Of the City (Ain’t No Love) – all with full-on singalong – and we were just half-way through the show.







Oct. 31 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON

As reported by Jane Stevenson / Sun Media / Canoe

TORONTO - Jay-Z donned a white plastic hockey mask for the opening of his Halloween show on Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.

How appropriate.

The King of Rap pays homage to the king of horror movie characters - Jason - on All Hallows’ Eve.

Face mask aside, Jay-Z brought plenty of slick-looking and sounding tricks and treats with him.

A snippet of Paul McCartney and Wings’ Live And Let Die heralded his arrival while a massive video screen, broken up into rectangular pillars, and a 10-piece band including a three-man horn section, supplied all the sights and sounds of a big production rap show.





Nov. 1 – Scotiabank Place – Ottawa, ON

As reported by Denis Armstrong / Sun Media / Canoe

OTTAWA - He’s sold more records than Elvis and holds the record for No. 1 albums in the Billboard 200. He co-owns the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and swank nightclubs. He’s the former CEO of Def Jam Records and he’s married to Beyonce.

Yeah, life’s sweet for Jay-Z, and the King of Hip-Hop has paved the way for younger producer-musicians such as Timbaland, Ruff Ryders, The Neptunes and Kanye West, and at last night’s big jam at Scotiabank Place, it’s obvious Jay-Z isn’t done with music yet.

Not by a long shot.





Read each show's recap here:
The Montreal Gazette - Concert review: Jay-Z, Oct. 30 at the Bell Centre

Canoe - Jay-Z tricks and treats ACC crowd / Oct. 31 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON

Canoe - Scotiabank Place, Ottawa - November 1, 2009 Hip-Hop King shakes The Bank

Photos:
The Montreal Gazette - Friday, October 30
Getty Images - Toronto Saturday, October 31
WENN Photo - Toronto Saturday, October 31

(Oct. 30 video courtesy of KamiePhresh & couchsurfer)
(Oct. 31 video courtesy of Peace Magazine & Cybershotzz)
(Nov. 01 video courtesy of FREDDY81FUNES & jirkovsky)

Jay-Z 'The Blueprint 3' World Tour dates:
Nov. 4 - Alexandra Palace - London, UK
Nov. 7 - Save Mart Center - Fresno, CA
Nov. 8 - Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 12 – University of Illinois – Assembly Hall – Champaign, IL
Nov. 13 - Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN
Nov. 17 - United Spirit Arena - Lubbock, TX
Nov. 19 – Tingley Coliseum – Albuquerque, N.M.
Nov. 20 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX
Nov. 22 – Frank Erwin Center Arena – Austin, TX

De La Soul Performs In Toronto Video And Photos Posted

De La Soul performed at the Phoenix Theatre in Toronto, Canada
Sunday August 23.

Check out the photos here:
Star Traks Photo

(video courtesy of blackwood79)

Drake signs with Lil Wayne label Young Money thru Universal Republic

It has been speculated for months as to who would sign the hotly touted emerging rap phenom known as Drake. Now all bets are off as Young Money, the boutique label of rap superstar Lil Wayne, has sealed the deal. In an arrangement with Cash Money/Universal Republic, Drake will now be able to conquer the world.

Read more about the signing announcement HERE

(article courtesy of billboard.biz)

Drake at sound check & concert footage in Toronto (video)

Drake performed to a packed house in his hometown of Toronto at the Sound Academy May 13.



Sound Check & Interview.