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Gordon Lightfoot

Meanwhile, in Toronto… GO ARGOS!

JUST ANNOUNCED
A show we are very much looking forward to here at the Halls is the March 2 Whitehorse concert at Massey Hall. We’re thrilled to announce that Daniel Romano has been added as support. You can read all about the former City & Colour and Attack in Black band member here and listen to a track from his forthcoming solo album, here. (also, watch video embedded above).

PERFORMANCES
Molly Johnson and Friends (Friday): Molly Johnson kicks off this season’s Jazz @ Massey Hall series with her CONTINUE READING >

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JUST ANNOUNCED
Didn’t get tickets to the sold out performance by Dala on Friday (or saw them and need to see them again)? Don’t you fret – we have just the thing for you! Just last week we announced that the lovely Dala will be returning to our stages with a performance at the Winter Garden Theatre. All the details are here and tickets are on sale now.

We also announced a performance from Grizzly Bear at Massey Hall this September on the heels of their forthcoming release (their first in three years). Paste magazine has all the details on the album and the tour, and tickets for this show are also on sale now.

PERFORMANCES
Kristin Chenoweth
(Tuesday): Kristin Chenoweth hits the Massey Hall stage tonight with a set list that promises songs from her latest album, her Broadway career, and her previous recurring guest role on Glee. The National Post boasts that the show is one of the five things to do this week. If you’re biding your time until this evening, get ready by checking out some clips featuring Chenoweth as the feisty Carlene on her new show GCB.

Love Over and Over – The Songs of Kate McGarrigle (Friday): Presented by Luminato, this special concert at Massey Hall will celebrate the life of Kate McGarrigle featuring her friends, family, and admirers. The concert will feature appearances by the likes of fans Emmylou Harris, Bruce Cockburn, her sisters Anna and Jane, and children Rufus and Martha Wainwright. For more on both Kate & Anna McGarrigle, you can check out their site here.

The Good Lovelies (Saturday): The Good Lovelies arrive at Glenn Gould Studio this weekend with a performance that is sure to please. You can check out a substantial playlist on CBC Music featuring songs from a variety of their records including from latest Let the Rain Fall to their holiday album Under the Mistletoe. You can also review a number of delightful videos on their site. CONTINUE READING >

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JUST ANNOUNCED
Video Games Live
is returning to Massey Hall this October. Disclaimer: Video Games Live is not a live Lana Del Ray performance. Instead it’s a symphonic orchestral experience where the music of your favourite video games are brought to life. This year’s presentation is all new and includes tunes from a diverse array of games like Final Fantasy, Pokemon, Warcraft, Earthworm, and of course, Zelda. Tickets to our FriendsFirst members go on sale on Wednesday (tomorrow!) and to the public on Friday.

PERFORMANCES
The Amazing Kreskin
(Tonight – Tuesday): As mentioned in last week’s Buzz post, we are fortunate to have not one, but two, presentations by The Amazing Kreskin with the second happening tonight (Tuesday) at Glenn Gould Studio. If you haven’t yet had a chance to see The Amazing Kreskin, now is your chance! As he is the World’s Foremost Mentalist – the performance promises to showcase some seriously impressive stuff.

Kellylee Evans (Friday): Kellylee Evans is the recipient of the 2011 JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year for her album fittingly entitled Nina (fitting, as it’s a homage to the wonderful Nina Simone) and prior to that a nominee in the same category in 2007. Earlier this year Ms. Evans also announced the exciting news that she signed to Universal Music (which the CBC show All in a Day points out is the same label as Canadian cohorts Diana Krall, Shania Twain, and Justin Bieber.) So suffice it to say that she’s got some fans who know music – come check out what everyone else is talking about on Friday at Glenn Gould Studio.

John Pinette (Postponed): This event, originally scheduled for April 27, has been postponed.

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JUST ANNOUNCED
Gordon Lightfoot will once again return to Massey Hall in November (with shows from November 14 – 17). Gordon Lightfoot recently made an appearance in these parts at the Pavlo concert at Roy Thomson Hall last Friday. Lightfoot, as you well know, is a Massey Hall institution and we’re so proud to have him back once again. This time, on the heels of announcing a new album Massey Hall Moments – All Live. The album, as the title suggests, is made up of live recordings from past Massey Hall concerts. Tickets go on sale to FriendsFirst on Wednesday (tomorrow!) and to the public on Friday, March 2. Added Fun: from February 29 through April 6, you’ll be able to purchase a copy of Mr. Lightfoot’s album Massey Hall Moments – All Live when ordering tickets (details can be found on the event page).

PERFORMANCES
Alejandra Ribera (Friday): The incredibly talented Alejandra Ribera will grace the Glenn Gould Studio stage this Friday evening. We’re delighted that we’ll have a chance to see this serious chanteuse in the intimate space – for a flavour of the kind of performance you’re in for, check out this clip of her performing “Goodnight Persephone”. Ms. Ribera is excited about the night too, check out her recent blogpost here on Soundboard about the forthcoming show. You can also listen to Alejandra Ribera or watch the live stream when she performs 3 songs in the concert lobby tomorrow at Classical963fm.com at 3:20pm.

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JUST ANNOUNCED

Tori Amos will be paying a visit to Massey Hall this year – she performs on December 8. L.A. Times reports that her next album, Night of Hunters, is set for release in September by Deutsche Grammophon. It also reports that the tour announcement describes the album as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.” Tickets for this one go on sale to FriendsFirst members tomorrow (Wednesday) and to the public on Saturday.

Larry King will also be hitting the Massey Hall stage this coming November where he’ll be sharing stories of his incredible experiences from his 50-year broadcasting career. The clever (and funny) promo for this tour promises you’ll see “Larry King like you’ve never seen him before. Standing up.” The Tickets for this very special event go on sale to FriendsFirst members today (Tuesday) and to the public on Wednesday. And if you’re simultaneously a Harry Potter fan and a Larry King fan, check out this video – When Harry Met Larry.

PERFORMANCES

Craig Ferguson (Friday): Craigyferg returns to Massey Hall for another hilarious night of his signature comedy this Friday. He’s been a busy fellow with his show taking a trip to Paris (the shows air next week) and the release of Winnie the Pooh, his latest voice-acting gig. In this new imagining of Winnie the Pooh, he voices wise ‘ol Owl– you can read an interview with Ferguson about the film and catch the charming trailer for the movie, here. Ferguson makes time for Toronto this Friday night at 7pm with an all-new show of stand-up comedy.

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Welcome to July! Our 10|11 season is winding down but there’s still lots of reasons to be excited this month. And we can’t wait for what’s to come in our 11|12 season! Stay tuned!

Moving along…

JUST ANNOUNCED

Canada’s Walk of Fame: Seven prominent Canucks will be inducted into (or is it on to?) Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall. Adding a touch of class and fame to Toronto’s downtown sidewalks is an eclectic mix of inductees like Burton Cummings (more on him below), Russell Peters (who recently stole the show hosting Charlie Sheen at Massey), and, my personal favorite, the late Mordecai Richler.

Massey Hall is a BIG part of the celebrations – CONTINUE READING >

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ffEY5qgM_s

PERFORMANCES

Gordon Lightfoot (Wednesday – Saturday): It’s time for our annual visit from Mr. Gordon Lightfoot – he plays four shows this week at Massey Hall. Lightfoot has been performing at the Grand Ol’ Lady of Shuter Street for over 40 years now – very impressive indeed. Fun Fact: Lightfoot first played Massey Hall with his church choir at age 13 – that and more history on the legend is available over at the National Post’s Ampersand.

Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs (Monday): Ray Lamontagne and his band The Pariah Dogs return to Massey Hall to perform this Monday in support of their album God Willing & The Creek Don’t Rise. You probably know that Lamontagne and his band recently did a stint on the Letterman show but did you know he also performed a full 55 minute performance as part of their Live On Letterman web series? You can check out both performances on Consequence of Sound as well as this review of the group’s album.

JUST ANNOUNCED

Last week we announced that Daniel Tosh, comedian and host of Tosh.0 on Comedy Central will be paying a visit to Massey Hall on Saturday, July 30 for his Tour on Ice. New episodes of the show just started last week and Tosh continues to get up to his regular antics including stepping into the ring with world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao (youtube available here but I bet you can guess how well it goes for Mr. Tosh.)

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in the Buzz: Feb 22-28

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk-8E1AkeeU

PERFORMANCES

Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Friday): Founded in 1964, this a cappella group has seen the world change but what hasn’t changed is their ability to perform beautiful music. The Chicago Tribune has an eye-opening article about the history of the group including the challenges they went through in the 1970s in South Africa (and how they often got out of trouble by singing) and their “international break” singing on Paul Simon’s Graceland. Of their ascension to pop stardom, Carol Muller, a University of Pennsylvania music professor, says in the Tribune article, “sometimes they were accused of selling out because they were recorded…. [But] the music has probably saved a lot of people through some very, very emotional times.” Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Friday night concert at Roy Thomson Hall holds the promise of something very special.

David Gray (Friday): Over at Massey Hall on Friday, David Gray returns to perform in support of his latest recording, Foundling. Check out this video to hear Mr. Gray himself speak about the title track from the new album. Last time through Toronto, David Gray brought along one of our faves, Royal Wood, as special guest. This time, Lisa O’Neill will be his guest – you can read about how and why David Gray selected her for this tour on his site and then check out some of her tracks on Myspace.

JUST ANNOUNCED

We just announced that Just for Laughs will be bringing Joe Rogan to Massey Hall on CONTINUE READING >

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Centuries
In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1984 – 1993, the tenth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.

Massey Hall 1984 – 1993
The late 80s and early 90s remain a special place in many of our hearts – a time filled with hair-crimping irons, leg warmers, and Cyndi Lauper. While we don’t see a presence from Ms. Lauper on this decade panel, the delightful neon colours of yesteryear do show themselves, particularly in the form of a backstage pass for The Beach Boys as well as in a flyer for The Peking Acrobats. On the heels of their massive hit single Take On Me, a-ha performed at Massey Hall on October 16, 1986 (the band returns to Toronto for the first time since then on May 10 2010. CONTINUE READING >

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panel1974In the lower level of Massey Hall you’ll find ‘Centuries,’ a fully-stocked bar you can visit pre-show and at intermission of most performances. The room is filled with artefacts illustrating the admirable history of Massey Hall, perhaps most notably the “Decade Panels” that line the entrance corridor to ‘Centuries.’ Starting with 1894-1904, a panel is present for each decade since Massey Hall opened. The panels feature news articles, photographs, programmes and other paraphernalia that aim to give a slice of life at Massey Hall from that period in history. In this column, we look at each decade and highlight some of the items included in these panels. Of course, for a more in-depth look, next time you’re at Massey for a show, head on over to ‘Centuries’ and check them out. This week, we take a look at 1974 – 1983, the nineth in a series of eleven tributes to Massey Hall’s glorious history.

Massey Hall 1974 – 1983
The late 70s and early 80s brought a wide variety of styles to Massey Hall. Torontonians were treated to performances by Nana Mouskouri, Gordon Lightfoot, James Brown, Barry White, and Billy Joel with special guest Ian Thomas, for example. CONTINUE READING >

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