December 3rd, 2018 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
The concept of rock and roll is oft forgotten in a city like Ottawa, where work the next morning and the inconvenience of a weeknight keeps folks at home instead of catching a show. This was not the case on Wednesday, November 28th, when The Dirty Nil showed exactly why anyone from the Capital losing […]
November 13th, 2018 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts
Vancouver rockers Default kept the post-Grunge sound alive through the 2000s with several international hits and a string of Canadian chart toppers. Returning from a five-year hiatus, the band was refreshed and energized, delivering a high-energy performance for fans at Ottawa’s Algonquin Commons Theatre. A Radikal Warm up Openers Daysormay started the night off right. […]
November 2nd, 2018 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts
Fans of They Might Be Giants (TMBG) older than I have been waiting more than 30 years for the idiosyncratic rockers to return to Ottawa. That long wait was rewarded with a show as surprising and unconventional as the band’s career. They might be mysterious TMBG enjoyed ubiquitous but understated exposure thanks to their performance […]
September 26th, 2018 | by Aaron Kaiserman | published in Concerts
The big story in Ottawa this week was the wild weather – tornadoes that leveled houses and knocked out hydro for nearly a fifth of Ottawa residents. But that didn’t stop Algonquin Commons Theatre from hosting veteran Scottish folk rockers the Proclaimers, who came in with a whirlwind barrage of uplifting ditties to energize the […]
July 15th, 2018 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts
My first stop on this evening was to catch Ottawa’s own Lucas Haneman Express. For those complaining about the lack of blues artists, this local act kept the early arrivals with a scorching set. The band was thrilled to be opening the City Stage for Dave Matthews! I next caught The Suitcase Junket over on […]
July 14th, 2018 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
Roland Prince hit the Blacksheep Stage at 6 PM on day 4 of the RBC Ottawa Bluesfest. Local hip-hop and R&B artists are seldom spoken of in the Ottawa Music scene, so Spotlight figured we’d check out the Kanata born artist. We were pleasantly surprised. A self-proclaimed “proud weirdo” with a background in stage acting, […]
July 13th, 2018 | by Scott Martin | published in Concerts, Uncategorized
As day 4 rolled in, I was most looking forward to seeing the Strumbellas hit the City Stage. With 3 solid albums under their belts and some strong Ottawa shows over the last few years, they have become one of my favorite bands. Sunday night was no exception as the band delighted the crowd with […]
July 9th, 2018 | by Matthew Perry | published in Concerts
Ottawa Bluesfest Day #3, the day that all screaming teens, parents, and people of all ages were waiting for, AKA “Shawn Mendes day!”. Another packed day with a lineup of musical talents would not let anyone down regardless of your genre preferences. Lauv made a strong impact on the City Stage, packing the largest area […]
July 9th, 2018 | by Mike Milito | published in Concerts
While the awful security line overshadowed the opening day of Bluesfest 2018, the cooler weather seemed to calm the crowd on Day 2, allowing everyone to enjoy what these two weeks are all about, the music. Local artist Kelsey Hayes opened up the new Claridge Home Stage. Bluesfest adopted the “tent-over-the-audience model” many bigger festivals […]
July 6th, 2018 | by Matthew Perry | published in Concerts
It was opening day for Ottawa’s annual RBC Bluesfest, the temperature was pushing over the 40C mark with humidity at a high, however that did not stop the flocks of music fans from heading down to Lebreton Flats! Opening the show was Jupiter & Okwess on the City Stage. Next up on the Black […]