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.

Truthfully I came here to see Metric but stayed due to credibility guilt. Everyone I told seemed…read moreupset that I was leaving after Metric, therefore, I stayed for 5 songs just to see what the hype was all about. I appreciate that they know how to get a crowd going and feel good, however, I was struggling to actually connect with the material. I did review their new album as part of "New Shit I Listened To" segment of my web zine. I blessed the album with 3 out of 5 stars. I was hoping to get something out of the new material live but it did little to convince me that I was listening to the best album of the year. I will give them production points. They used a really cool 3D stage configuration but did little of note with it. I knew that after 5 songs that they were just a one trick pony with the stage production. The band themselves, although charismatic, looked lost with the stage layout. Imagine Dragons are another one of those bands whose music works better in a club or small theatre setting. Fortunately they've grown in popularity that Rogers Arena was the logical booking. Maybe next time they should do 2 nights at the QE with the same production? Lady Gaga was successfully able to do this a few years back. There was a magic that seemed lost in translation in such a big venue. I got a better understanding of how they ended up in arenas, though I think the singer could do with more onstage charisma and the drummer could up his game more. The advantage of our seats was that we were able to spot some technical sound tricks otherwise missed by the general concert goer. Most of the drums were click tracked, the guitar notes were too clean that they sounded pre-recorded (even The Edge makes mistakes and we all notice) and the lead singer was only singing live 30% of the time (we were that close that we noticed synch issues). In retrospect it wasn't a bad show, it just wasn't the show for me musically.

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.

The Sheepdogs have been on my bucket list for a while now, however, was never interested in the…read moreprice tag. It was free tonight and since I had a season pass, therefore, it paid for itself. The band lived up to the hype from everyone. They have a very nostalgic 60's rock vibe to them pulling the genre off really well. It was a respectable line between imitation and homage. Amazing musicians and very solid and clean. Not much in the stage banter department. They were more concerned about pulling off a solid perfect show.

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!

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.

I ended up dancing the night away like a slut here on Saturday. I had a really great time, but…read morethere were a few things about this venue that weren't my favourite. First complaint - the bathrooms. This is not a change room, so why the heck is there a CURTAIN instead of a door to the two stalls in the ladies room? I'm sorry but whether you're hovering over the seat to pee, or hugging the porcelain goddess cuz you drank too much, you deserve some privacy while leaking those bodily fluids. At least if there's a door, you can knock, to see if anyone is in there, with a curtain, you're gonna tug on that shit and probably scar yourself for life when you see what's behind it. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." After you use those facilities, you're gonna love the sink even more. Its so tiny in the ladies room that if you are washing your hands, people can't even get in to the bathroom behind you. I know I got a fat ass and all, but this was kind of ridiculous. And lawd knows us ladies like to primp ourselves in the bathroom mirror, so try and bring a pocket mirror (they aren't just for railz bitches) if you plan on doin' any primpin'. Second complaint - the heat. There is zero air conditioning in here. As in none, nada, null and void. The promoters of the night actually brought in their own fans (lawd bless them) and it did help, but it was just recirculating warm air. For a venue this nice (minus the bathrooms) you'd think they could step it up a bit and have some A/C. Which brings me to the things I liked about the venue.... Cheap drinks! $8 for a double highball, call me SOLD! The space was really cool, I liked the different levels and dark corners to hide in, and the visuals looked great. I liked that the location was somewhat off the beaten club path, thus there were no creepers. The people who knew about this space and party were there for exactly that and there were no random granville street douchebags lingering nearby to buy you a drink. "GHB drinks on me!" All in all, I would totes go back to this place, but dress appropriately so I don't sweat my balls off. Oh wait, I don't have balls, I guess I already sweated them off, if anyone finds my balls let me know.

I went to an event here last weekend. I really liked the space but they need to work on a few…read morethings. 1) It was REALLY REALLY hot! Luckily I was not wearing very much - yay summer! I don't know how people who were fully dressed up survived. 2) They could not handle the demand at the bar. They need a beer/water station for big events like the one I attended 3) The bottled water was warm. This was pointed out to me by a friend. I used my cocktail cup and refilled at the sink with nice cold water from the tap. 4) Their beer selection is extremely limited. They should at least have cans of one local craft beer like Red Racer available.

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.