Grammy

Taylor Swift may be the hottest ticket in town, but our city has always loved a good gig. Here are Toronto’s 10 biggest concerts of all time

The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and U2 are a few of the artists who drew the largest crowds. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star A rolling stone may gather no moss, but the Rolling Stones certainly gather the masses, especially in or near Toronto. With Taylor Swift and her six-date run at Rogers Centre swiftly approaching, what better time to take a look at Toronto’s all-time biggest concerts. Swift’s…

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She was Taylor Swift’s early secret weapon, who helped write some of the star’s biggest songs. Meet Liz Rose.

Liz Rose played a formative role for the then-teenage Nashville high school student, collaborating with her on 17 songs. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Taylor Swift might not have become the most popular singer-songwriter on the planet today if it weren’t for Liz Rose. This isn’t to say that Swift wouldn’t have sold more than 200 million records, garnered untold billions of streams, had 92 million monthly listeners on…


‘Surprise is the essence of music’: Sting still has a few tricks up his sleeve in five-show Toronto stint

By Nick Krewen Special to the Star One amazing evening down … four to go. Rock superstar Sting returned to the familiar and intimate surroundings of Massey Hall Friday night for the first of five concerts in six nights at Toronto’s Grand Old Lady, which — if not unprecedented for the venue — certainly is rare. With his longtime guitarist Dominic Miller and recently recruited Mumford & Sons touring drummer…


The Polaris Music Prize will soon be awarded. Here’s who Charlotte Cardin is rooting for

The Montreal singer will be competing with nine others, including the Beaches, Elisapie and Jeremy Dutcher, for the $50,000 award. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Charlotte Cardin can’t wait. On Tuesday night at Massey Hall, the 19th edition of the Polaris Music Prize — honouring the best Canadian album of the year — will be presented, and the pop chanteuse’s 99 Nights will be competing with nine others: folk, R&B and…


As ‘90s icon k.d. lang enters the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, she reflects on her extraordinary career

The singer said she doesn’t miss the stage but still feels the creative impulse. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star In 1988, k.d. lang arrived at what she called “an emotional destination:” she recorded an album called Shadowland with the legendary Owen Bradley, who decades earlier had produced country icon Patsy Cline. At the time, the perennially lowercased lang was still something of an unknown quantity in the U.S….