I made the evening an event and took advantage of the 5 pm door opening. Even though for 4 hours…read morenothing was actually going on prior to the band hitting the stage it was all about soaking in the sun and mingling with other Cure fans. It was a very festival feeling. Deer Lake is a venue that is severely underused which is a shame considering the trees and lake provide a great atmosphere for pre show celebrations. The forestry makes me less jaded about Vancouver. I spent a good hour doing a deep meditation and yoga session with Peter before the show. We were also early enough for sound check and got to hear some rare Cure songs that are never played to a live audience but are in heavy demand by fans. Two of which were sound checked in full. We scored an extra few songs. Robert Smith frequently reads his message boards and purposely plays the rarities for those who come super early. We packed a pic nic containing our childhood Emo favourites including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When I was 6 I used to sit under a tree with my Walkman and listen to The Cure while eating a stack of 3 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I would sing to every spider I saw on that tree, "The spider man is having me for dinner tonight." I did sit under a tree but I was not visited by spiders but rather old high school associates that I hadn't seen in years. While we recited the Cole notes of our lives to each other it was then that I realized that I haven't changed but everyone else around me did but for the brief few hours I felt 15 again. The show started early at 7 pm with ample daylight to see the different generations of Cure fans sing along with me. I loved looking at everyone's hair, most appropriately tributing the 80's. It was also good to see the goths get their annual intake of vitamin D. In the middle of the show I took off my shoes and ran around. I allowed the sensation of the cool damp grass tingle my soles while the music tingled the other soul. The set list was 3 hours of deep cuts, expected singles and fan favourite album tracks. Robert was being very careful with his energy to ensure the 3 hour performance consistency. Most songs were cake walked but fans didn't care as they were living in their own past memories, myself included. All things considering Robert's vocals were in good shape. He is well aware of his limitations. Most songs are sung and performed in the key of D which makes it manageable to perform years down the road with very minimal alterations along the way. The sound mix was good. The outdoors helped the mix a lot. I could tell that the audience was getting a little restless near the end. It's a bit of a marathon challenge to get through 3 hours, especially when most of their songs are more ambient based. The audience was way more into it than at the Rogers Arena show back in 2008. A good portion came up from Seattle as this was the only proper West Coast show. A lot of people I haven't seen before but wish that I had known in my life time. It it wasn't for the travelled crowd than it would've been another evening with a lack luster Vancouver crowd. There are too many memories attached to most Cure songs: Breakups, kissed, fucks, friendships, comfort songs and beautiful boyfriends. Almost every guy I've ever dated was in the field. It was both awkward and comforting when I looked into their eyes during their assigned songs. Some of us are on good terms and most not so much. The good news is that some of the songs performed tonight rewrote certain memories as I made new ones with Peter and Sharon.

Glam Skanks, a collection of 4 young girls from LA, opened for Adam Ant. They looked like Jem and…read morethe Holograms but sounded like The Misfits. The music was very so-cal pop punk. Ali Cat was a very charismatic front women. Even if you weren't into the band the girls were entertaining to watch. The first time I saw Adam Ant was a few years ago. He didn't physically take the tour seriously, however, this time around he committed to a proper diet and exercise regimen. He was also full of energy, a fitting tribute to his former self. This isn't to say that I didn't appreciate the bouncy pirate the first time around (in effort to knock a show off my bucket list) but it's nice to see someone actually care about their own tour by getting in shape. This time around he played his Kings of the Wild Frontier album in full, one of the underrated alternative albums of the 80's. I came into the show with modest expectations. I walked away from the venue with my jaw to the floor. Much better than the first time I saw him. Adam is a very underrated front man. The singles were partially caked walked, however, the album tracks were the highlights. He was more emotionally invested in these songs considering he rarely gets to perform these songs. Even if you weren't familiar with the deep album cuts there was still something musically there for the casual attendees. It always intrigued and annoyed me that Adam in the early days of his career didn't bother to work the North American market yet he's selling out shows lately. Everyone, regardless of fandom level, enjoyed the show. There was an even give it take of energy that filled the room. Most of the audience participated in the pirate chants. The audience was very pumped up considering that most battled a bad snow storm to be at the show. We did after all earn the moment. His band are hired hands, no major players in the industry, however, I really enjoyed this touring band. They actually added something to the show. The double drums have always intrigued me. Each drummer was playing a separate part which was really cool. Added bonus was that the drumming wasn't click tracked which you don't see often. The sound mix was horrible, no different than any other show at The Vogue. The singing was in key. Lyrically unless you knew the songs the sound mix made it hard to decipher lyrics outside the chorus. The sound mix of the venue did noticeably wear down the audience after a while. There was no chemistry between Adam and his band mates. The audience interaction was also very minimal. Expected behaviour from Adam. I didn't pay to see Adam as a person but rather hearing my favourite album tracks played live. It was really fun to hear pirate punk anthems that felt more like a party than a nostalgic moment.

Biologically it's easier for me to appreciate music during reasonable hours of day, therefore, the…read moreafternoon show already won automatic points with me. This show was a series of 5 sold out home town shows. It was an all ages show with an even demographic distribution inside. The majority of those under 18 weren't taking the moment for granted that they got to experience a Commodore show on the last day of Spring break. They were very well behaved and respectful of the venue and those around them. I just wish that every Commodore show audience exercised that behavior. There was a charm watching these kids hug the rail with that spark in their eyes. It was nice to actually see above the audience's head instead of fighting for a view. K. Flay opened the show. Her music reminds me of a mix between Lights, Lorde and Charlie XCX. It was a good mixture of indie, synth and rock. She had a presence and charisma on that was very addicting to watch. She had a healthy performance confidence. After K's set I took advantage of the daylight filtering inside the club and explored some of the structural details that are often missed by the darkness. It also gave me a better view of the children's snack menu at the bar (no alcohol was served). Mother Mother mostly sang to backing tracks, however, the band's stage presence made up for it. It was interesting to see how arena pop rock works in a club. It was too polished and perfect that there were moments that got lost. I felt as though I was listening to the CD and not a live band. In spite of the two dimensional feeling of the show, I did enjoy myself very much. It was nice to escape into another world and not have to think about anything, a complete brain shut off. I appreciate that they're aiming to be that arena rock band, however, they're missing some steps in-between that they need to achieve first before getting to that milestone. The few older singles that were performed felt like the Mother Mother I first fell in love with, however, these moments were very few. More work needs to be done on the stage banter. I could feel the lead singer's awkwardness with the obligatory banter. It was painful to hear. I'm not ready to put these guys on my must see live acts list just yet but there's still some value in it for me to attend future live shows.

The last time the Monkees played Vancouver billed as the Monkees was in 1968, therefore, I was…read moreseeing this show for the first time with everyone else. They were supposed to play the casino years ago when Davy Jones was alive, however, he had a completely different management than the rest of the guys and things went sour and the show never happened. They played a few times in Tacoma but that was a pain in the ass to get to. The show was everyone minus Mike Nessith and Davy Jones. Ratio wise it was still a closer reunion compared to Guns N' Roses. To entertain the audience they showed episodes of The Monkees in high def restoration from the new Blu Ray collection. For the first 3 songs it was cool to have some of the old Monkees clips shown on the screen as the band was playing, however, it got annoying real quick as I would've appreciated watching what was actually happening live. It was more likely implemented to distract the audience from noticing that there was no chemistry between remaining members on stage. Because of the clips on the screen the entire show was click tracked. They did manage to perform all their hits and some current singles in the 90 minutes. The personal highlight for me was The Porpoise song off Head, a song that the majority of early fans would prefer to dismiss all together. It was fun watching the divide by fans after the song based on the applause. It wasn't the best rendition of the song but they did the best with the little they had. Second highlight was dancing with Peter and singing at the top of my lungs the lyrics to I'm Not Your Stepping Stone. Overall even though the majority of the songs were phoned in I actually had a good time.

There a few things that make me Canadian: Tim Horton's, Canadian Tire Money, Curling and some of…read morethe Canadian bands that sit on my CD shelf, Rush being one of them. Being one of the few female Rush fans, not dragged by their husbands and or boyfriends, it was good to share the music with some ladies. It was still primarily a sausage fest but this time there were a lot more tacos to choose from. Compared to other prog bands, Rush have always managed to make progressive music but at the same time, unlike other prog bands, they've made their music accessible to casual fans. They're not too afraid to follow or be influenced by current trends while still remaining signature to their sound. I didn't go to Rush expecting to hear different renditions of my favorite songs, I went expecting to hear exactly what was on record, often hard to emulate without "cheating" from other bands. Rush on the other hand, were crisp, on key and in top performance with what I believe from my ears as no musical fuck ups. It was as tight and professional as a symphony orchestra. Surprisingly they were all in top shape for their age and stage in their career. Geddy's singing style is aging gracefully. The set list was both a mixture of predictability as well as some songs noticeably missed out but nothing that angered fans and or made them feel incomplete by the end of the evening. " The stage lighting was nothing stellar, however, with a band like Rush, you were mesmerized by the music and the songs (they carried the weight). I am not one for drum solos and they've always been a bathroom break for me, however, when Neil Peart did his solo, barely anyone dared to remove themselves from the venue. Not only was he mesmerizing to watch, he confirmed that he is the best drummer out there. When does a drum solo get a standing ovation? Geddy's voice is still in prime shape. He hit the high notes flawlessly. Even though each member was situated in their spot trying to perform in perfection with less interaction amongst members, there was still a clear sense on stage that after 35 years, they still really liked each other as people. This was confirmed earlier in the year with the Rush movie that showed in theatres. I did my fair share of air drumming as well as air keyboards, more likely the cause of my now sore shoulder as I'm typing this but it was totally worth it.

The good thing about walking in 10 minutes before show time is avoiding people I went to high…read moreschool with who made fun of me for listening to White Lies. They're now pretending to be the coolest people in the room. The irony made my eyes roll but it also gave me a few moments to divert my attention and shoot the shit with some music fans. Anything to distract me from acknowledging that I'm seeing a great band in a shithole of a club. Like my high school memories, great music in the most undesirable of circumstances. The minute the band hit the stage opening with Don't Hold Back I felt like the emo kid in my bedroom writing my zine. The way everyone sang the chorus to Lose My Life, "Let's grow old together and die at the same time" felt as though we were making an indirect promise to each other while we turned and sang to the random stranger next to us. I have a small obsession with Joy Division, therefore, I appreciate the band's blue print in sound, music after my own dark heart. There were moments in which I ran my fingers through my hair as a subconscious movement in attempt to absorb more of the addicting sound and vocals of Harry McVeigh. It was a natural high. The band played selected cuts from their new album which flowed seamlessly in quality against the fan favourites (which was the body of the set list). The new material was well received. It's been a while since Gary Numan that an act actually sounded decent in that venue. It was heartwarming that the mix didn't allow the music to go in vein. The band were very energetic and tight in their sound. The songs were delivered as remembered and expected from the studio albums. Vocally Harry was very strong. The 90 minutes went by way too fast for me. I walked out of the show with the euphoric feeling that music is supposed to do.

We hired the Van DJ Co for our company Christmas party in 2018 and again in 2019. The experience…read morefrom beginning to end both times was excellent. Great communication and quick response. DJ Joe was a huge hit! We're looking forward to working with Van DJ Co again and again in the future! Thank you, Joe!

I've known and worked with Joe for over 15 years, first meeting him when I was operating a live…read morevenue and nightclub where he was our main DJ. From the start, he proved to be an incredible DJ--professional, fun, and easy to work with. Throughout my career, I've continued to hire Joe for a variety of events, from corporate parties and exclusive private gatherings to large-scale live events. He has an exceptional ability to read a crowd, create the perfect atmosphere, and bring an event to life. Beyond his talent behind the decks, Joe is reliable, adaptable, and well-equipped to handle any technical challenges that may arise. I've also recommended him to some of my closest friends for their weddings, and they've always been thrilled with his work. If you're looking for a skilled, professional, and experienced DJ who knows how to elevate any event, I highly recommend Vancouver DJ Company.

We hired an airwaves DJ to do our wedding reception in July 2014. The crowd was tough - with a…read morewide range of musical interests and tastes. There were a number of musicians and music industry people in attendance and we received a lot of compliments from our guests and hosts on the professionalism of setup, takedown, and music played by our airwaves DJ. Frankly, we couldn't have been more pleased with the sound, lighting, as well as the ability of the DJ to "read" a difficult and musically astute crowd. Thank you Airwaves!