Rock

Banjo, Bob Dylan, Canada, Events, Experimental, Festivals, Jazz, Metallica, Music Industry (Trade), Prince, Punk, Rock 'N Roll, Rolling Stones, Toronto November 30, 2024

He helped bring the Ramones, the Police and the B-52’s to Toronto for the first time. Nearly 50 years later, he’s being celebrated in a new book

Nearly 100 key players, including performers, scenesters and other promoters, were interviewed for “He Hijacked My Brain: Gary Topp’s Toronto.”  By Nick Krewen Special to the Star In a career that has lasted nearly five decades and involved thousands of concerts, eminent Toronto promoter Gary Topp has but a few regrets. One of his biggest involved an act he and partner Gary Cormier (known collectively as the Garys) tried to book…

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Alt. Rock, Art Rock, Australia, Bass, Blues, Drums, Events, Festivals, Garage Rock, Grammy, Guitar, Hard Rock/Heavy Metal, Indie, JUNO, New Wave, Piano, Pop, Progressive rock, R&B, Rock, Rock 'N Roll, Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame, Rolling Stones, Rush, Saskatchewan, Synthesizer, Taylor Swift, The Tragically Hip, Toronto, Uncategorized, United Kingdom, United States, Voice November 13, 2024

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…

Concert reviews, Events, New Jersey, Rock, United States November 5, 2024

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band bring rock’s greatest show to Toronto

The Boss brought his E Street Band to Scotiabank Arena after postponing last year because of illness. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star **AUTHOR NOTE: Sometimes articles and reviews are edited for brevity. Usually I don’t have a problem with it, but in this case, quite a lot of important info was omitted. In this case, I’m re-inserting text that was extracted in order to give a more complete…

Arranger, Bass, Composer, Concert reviews, Events, Grammy, Guitar, New Wave, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame, Songwriter, United Kingdom, Voice September 21, 2024

‘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…

Beatles, Bob Dylan, Concert reviews, Events, Pop, Rock, Tom Petty, United Kingdom September 10, 2024

Jeff Lynne’s ELO bring their rousing jukebox to Toronto for their final tour

he band played the hits from their 50-plus-year career at the Scotiabank Arena. by Nick Krewen Special to the Star Jeff Lynne’s ELO 3.5 stars (out of 4) Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 As the co-founder and creative driving force of the Electric Light Orchestra, Jeff Lynne has regaled audiences with a musical evolution over 50-plus years that has been nothing short of astonishing, moving from symphonic and…