Atlantic Canada Concert Scene

[kirjtc2]

Sean Kingston's going to be at Harbour Station on Sept. 15.

Crank up the AutoTune...

[mmmatt]

70,000 saw AC/DC in Moncton...2nd largest concert in Atlantic Canadian history!

(all pics from phil_5/ on flickr)

[q12]

Looks like Crosby one up'd Moncton the next day with 75,000 fans!

http://thechronicleherald.ca/News/1136463.html

[MonctonRad]

Yes, but it was free to see Crosby........It cost $130 to see AC/DC.

[q12]

I'm only teasing you. I'd pay $130 dollars to hoist the cup!

[MonctonRad]

AC/DC shines light on Moncton
Published Tuesday August 11th, 2009

New and future facilities help city build reputation as the place to be for big shows
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Last week's show by legendary rock group AC/DC has enhanced Moncton's reputation as a world-class concert site and will help the city attract more big events in the future.

"What ends up making an event or a venue successful is that if you can keep it going year after year after year you become an event, a destination and more artists want to play it. They know the Rolling Stones did 80,000 here and now AC/DC has been here, and they want to be part of it," says Debra Rathwell, executive vice-president of AEG Live, a New York-based entertainment company that deals with the biggest concert stadiums and outdoor venues around North America.

Thursday night's show in Moncton drew a crowd of 70,000 people from all over Canada, parts of the U.S. and Europe. The people started streaming in when the gates opened at 3 p.m. and were still trying to get in when AC/DC went on stage shortly after 9 p.m. The official AC/DC website described the Moncton show as "massive."

And even though Saturday night's show at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal was sold out, the reported attendance was 53,000. All the other AC/DC shows in Canada, including yesterday's concert in Ottawa, are in football and baseball stadiums with a capacity of about 50,000 and have sold out.

The Moncton crowd spanned all demographics from teenagers and young adults to parents with their young children to aging baby boomers. AC/DC has been one of the world's best-known touring groups for many years and is travelling the world with the Black Ice Tour, but Moncton was the only "green field" outdoor concert in North America and will likely be the biggest crowd the band plays to on this continent.

"They left here with a big smile on their face and they were very happy about their decision to come here," said André Hudon, president of Donald K. Donald Events.

He said the successful show adds another notch to the reputation of Moncton's concert site as a destination for world-class touring acts.

"The band was overwhelmed by the public here. They were thrilled by the outcome of the show and overwhelmed by the audience and the sheer size of the audience."

The Montreal-based promoters say they put a lot of effort into convincing AC/DC to come to Moncton.

The band didn't want to come here because they were leery of playing in an outdoor field as opposed to a football or baseball stadium. But they eventually changed their minds and were reportedly very happy with the decision when they finally arrived to a roaring crowd of 70,000 people, most of whom were wearing blinking red devil horns that created a surreal blinking glow throughout the packed-in concert field.

"When you are in a stadium you are in a confined area, but here you could see a sea of people, so certainly they were overwhelmed. The band's manager said they were thrilled with the show and it was one of the better shows they've had on the tour. Everything went flawlessly," Hudon said.

"If the band had an enjoyable experience, the word's going to get around in those circles and other bands are going to want to come. A crowd attracts a crowd and the more we continue to do these large-scale events, the more are going to want to come here."

Most of the staging at the Magnetic Hill site was taken down immediately after the concert. The production elements of the show were torn down, packed off and on trucks headed for Montreal within a few ours after the show.

Pascal Dubé of Stage Crew Inc. in Shediac said about 200 people were working on setting up and tearing down the stage and towers. For Dube and many others, big concerts have been good for business.

"When I started this company in 2001, I didn't think it would get this big. I was in the right place at the right time. I never thought I'd be setting up for AC/DC."

He said the Magnetic Hill site has developed an international reputation to the point where many big bands want to come to a market they've never visited before.

"It's very different here because it's not just another concert, it's a happening, it's an event," Hudon said. He said fans and the media in bigger markets like Montreal and Ottawa don't have the enthusiasm shown here.

"In Moncton it is a major event."

Premier Shawn Graham has said he wants to make Moncton the entertainment capital of Atlantic Canada and has helped the city secure funding to make improvements to the Magnetic Hill Concert Site.

Those improvements include permanent washrooms, ground work, a new drainage system, electrical system, water works and even a permanent first-aid building.

Ian Fowler, Moncton's manager of recreation, parks, tourism and culture, said it is gratifying to hear positive comments about the site from the fans, promoters, bands and even the truck drivers who are bringing everything to the site.

"The infrastructure that has been done on the site as the result of investments by the province and the city have allowed us to build upon the fine attributes that we have here as a natural amphitheatre."

Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau said the AC/DC concert has helped southeastern New Brunswick draw more tourists and develop the concert business, which generates millions into the local economy.

"We've made considerable investments as a government on this site and we are looking at doing some more. This site has been ranked among the top four sites in North America for outdoor venues, so it is obvious that the investments are paying off and putting us in the position to attract the likes of AC/DC and who knows who it'll be next year."

Hudon said promoters are looking at several big bands who will be on tour next year, including Irish supergroup U2.

The problem, however is that U2's travelling show is based on a special stage that was constructed especially for stadiums and some major changes would have to be made for it to be used at the Magnetic Hill Site.

Hudon is also enthused with the new stadium under construction at l'Université de Moncton, which should hold about 20,000 people for concerts, and the idea of a new multi-use arena for downtown Moncton which could hold about 12,000 for concerts and other special events. He said these two venues, along with the concert hill that can hold up to 100,000 people, give promoters a lot of flexibility when they are looking for entertainment events and concerts to bring here.

"As a promoter, these facilities give us a lot of choice and a lot of possibilities."

[Dmajackson]

Snoop Dogg to play Halifax Sept. 13

By OUR STAFF
Thu. Aug 13 - 12:20 PM

Snoop Dogg is coming to Halifax. Fo' shizzle.

The legendary rapper, producer and raconteur will play Halifax's Metro Centre on Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $54.50 and $44.50 and go on sale Friday morning at 9.

Snoop will be promoting his 2008 release Ego Trippin' and will be bringing his band the Snoopadelics to town.

The Dogg's new album Malice in Wonderland will be released in November.

Tickets are available at the Metro Centre box office, select Atlantic Superstore outlets, ticketatlantic.com or at sonicconcerts.com.

( newsroom@herald.ca )

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

AC/DC shines light on Moncton
Published Tuesday August 11th, 2009

New and future facilities help city build reputation as the place to be for big shows
BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF

Last week's show by legendary rock group AC/DC has enhanced Moncton's reputation as a world-class concert site and will help the city attract more big events in the future.

"What ends up making an event or a venue successful is that if you can keep it going year after year after year you become an event, a destination and more artists want to play it. They know the Rolling Stones did 80,000 here and now AC/DC has been here, and they want to be part of it," says Debra Rathwell, executive vice-president of AEG Live, a New York-based entertainment company that deals with the biggest concert stadiums and outdoor venues around North America.

Thursday night's show in Moncton drew a crowd of 70,000 people from all over Canada, parts of the U.S. and Europe. The people started streaming in when the gates opened at 3 p.m. and were still trying to get in when AC/DC went on stage shortly after 9 p.m. The official AC/DC website described the Moncton show as "massive."

And even though Saturday night's show at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal was sold out, the reported attendance was 53,000. All the other AC/DC shows in Canada, including yesterday's concert in Ottawa, are in football and baseball stadiums with a capacity of about 50,000 and have sold out.

The Moncton crowd spanned all demographics from teenagers and young adults to parents with their young children to aging baby boomers. AC/DC has been one of the world's best-known touring groups for many years and is travelling the world with the Black Ice Tour, but Moncton was the only "green field" outdoor concert in North America and will likely be the biggest crowd the band plays to on this continent.

"They left here with a big smile on their face and they were very happy about their decision to come here," said André Hudon, president of Donald K. Donald Events.

He said the successful show adds another notch to the reputation of Moncton's concert site as a destination for world-class touring acts.

"The band was overwhelmed by the public here. They were thrilled by the outcome of the show and overwhelmed by the audience and the sheer size of the audience."

The Montreal-based promoters say they put a lot of effort into convincing AC/DC to come to Moncton.

The band didn't want to come here because they were leery of playing in an outdoor field as opposed to a football or baseball stadium. But they eventually changed their minds and were reportedly very happy with the decision when they finally arrived to a roaring crowd of 70,000 people, most of whom were wearing blinking red devil horns that created a surreal blinking glow throughout the packed-in concert field.

"When you are in a stadium you are in a confined area, but here you could see a sea of people, so certainly they were overwhelmed. The band's manager said they were thrilled with the show and it was one of the better shows they've had on the tour. Everything went flawlessly," Hudon said.

"If the band had an enjoyable experience, the word's going to get around in those circles and other bands are going to want to come. A crowd attracts a crowd and the more we continue to do these large-scale events, the more are going to want to come here."

Most of the staging at the Magnetic Hill site was taken down immediately after the concert. The production elements of the show were torn down, packed off and on trucks headed for Montreal within a few ours after the show.

Pascal Dubé of Stage Crew Inc. in Shediac said about 200 people were working on setting up and tearing down the stage and towers. For Dube and many others, big concerts have been good for business.

"When I started this company in 2001, I didn't think it would get this big. I was in the right place at the right time. I never thought I'd be setting up for AC/DC."

He said the Magnetic Hill site has developed an international reputation to the point where many big bands want to come to a market they've never visited before.

"It's very different here because it's not just another concert, it's a happening, it's an event," Hudon said. He said fans and the media in bigger markets like Montreal and Ottawa don't have the enthusiasm shown here.

"In Moncton it is a major event."

Premier Shawn Graham has said he wants to make Moncton the entertainment capital of Atlantic Canada and has helped the city secure funding to make improvements to the Magnetic Hill Concert Site.

Those improvements include permanent washrooms, ground work, a new drainage system, electrical system, water works and even a permanent first-aid building.

Ian Fowler, Moncton's manager of recreation, parks, tourism and culture, said it is gratifying to hear positive comments about the site from the fans, promoters, bands and even the truck drivers who are bringing everything to the site.

"The infrastructure that has been done on the site as the result of investments by the province and the city have allowed us to build upon the fine attributes that we have here as a natural amphitheatre."

Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau said the AC/DC concert has helped southeastern New Brunswick draw more tourists and develop the concert business, which generates millions into the local economy.

"We've made considerable investments as a government on this site and we are looking at doing some more. This site has been ranked among the top four sites in North America for outdoor venues, so it is obvious that the investments are paying off and putting us in the position to attract the likes of AC/DC and who knows who it'll be next year."

Hudon said promoters are looking at several big bands who will be on tour next year, including Irish supergroup U2.

The problem, however is that U2's travelling show is based on a special stage that was constructed especially for stadiums and some major changes would have to be made for it to be used at the Magnetic Hill Site.

Hudon is also enthused with the new stadium under construction at l'Université de Moncton, which should hold about 20,000 people for concerts, and the idea of a new multi-use arena for downtown Moncton which could hold about 12,000 for concerts and other special events. He said these two venues, along with the concert hill that can hold up to 100,000 people, give promoters a lot of flexibility when they are looking for entertainment events and concerts to bring here.

"As a promoter, these facilities give us a lot of choice and a lot of possibilities."

After seeing U2 in Glasgow last week Magnetic Hill would not be able to handle U2. The stage setup wouldn't work on a hill at all.

[MonctonRad]

Yeah, I got excited when I heard that U2 had put together an outdoor "theatre in the round" stage for their concert tour but then I thought about it and the gentle slope at Magnetic Hill might make this sort of set-up impractical for our location.

This would be too bad.......After The Stones, The Eagles and AC/DC, I thought the next logical band to grace the hill might be U2. Perhaps they will come up with a solution yet.

If U2 were to play the Hill, I betcha it would be the biggest crowd yet..........say between 90,000 and 100,000.

[Haliguy]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Yeah, I got excited when I heard that U2 had put together an outdoor "theatre in the round" stage for their concert tour but then I thought about it and the gentle slope at Magnetic Hill might make this sort of set-up impractical for our location.

This would be too bad.......After The Stones, The Eagles and AC/DC, I thought the next logical band to grace the hill might be U2. Perhaps they will come up with a solution yet.

If U2 were to play the Hill, I betcha it would be the biggest crowd yet..........say between 90,000 and 100,000.

Yeah I don't think you would have any problem getting 100,000 out for it. They had 120,000 in Glasgow.

[Wishblade]

I could see the commons working for it atleast. And I have heard that both Moncton and Halifax have been talking to U2 for a time now.

[MonctonRad]

Cast of Stacey Jamboree reunites
Published Wednesday September 2nd, 2009

Amateur country music show was Maritime hit in 1970s
the canadian press

SAINT JOHN - A generation before American Idol, people across Atlantic Canada would gather in front of their television sets on Saturday nights for an amateur hoedown that gained almost cult status among its viewers.

Dick Stacey's Country Jamboree aired for a decade beginning in 1973, entertaining people from Maine and throughout Atlantic Canada and providing them with a chance to perform -- even if they lacked any real talent.

Tonight, many of the original cast will gather at the Atlantic National Exhibition in Saint John for a reunion show.

"By golly, it's going to be fun," said Dick Stacey from his summer home in Maine.

Stacey -- the jolly, down-home, gas station owner from Brewer, Maine -- sponsored the show, which aired on Bangor, Maine's ABC affiliate, better known as WVII among Atlantic Canadians.

To this day, his name and face are instantly recognizable by people across the region. In fact, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams counts himself a fan.

"I have fond memories of watching Dick Stacey's Country Jamboree as I am sure that many others do throughout Atlantic Canada," Williams said in an interview yesterday. "It was unrehearsed and unpretentious and there were some very memorable performances."

During his closing remarks last year at a meeting of Eastern Canadian premiers and New England governors in Bar Harbor, Maine, Williams thanked the people of the state for the jamboree and its contribution to Atlantic Canada.

Much of Stacey's fame came as a result of his ad-libbed commercials, most notably the one where he promoted his full-serve gas station.

"I took three steps forward, put my hands in front of the camera and said 'See these hands. They pump gas and by golly they stink ... the reason being we pump the gas,'" Stacey said in what was one of the show's popular catchphrases.

Stacey parlayed that fame into three service stations and a motel, and became the top retailer of Atlas Tires along much of the U.S. East Coast.

While most of the entertainers changed each week, there were regulars such as Jennie Shontell, a sweet, grandmother-like senior who seemed totally oblivious to the cameras or her regional fame. Every week, Shontell -- who died a few years ago -- sang, "On the Wings of a Snow White Dove."

Other regulars will also be part of the three-hour reunion show, including host Charlie Tenan, New England fiddle champ Lucky Farrell and Jeff Simon, who grew up on the show.


YeeeeHawww!!!!!

[kirjtc2]

Dick Stacey was before my time, but I heard all the horror stories....I had to get the DVD to see for myself.

[kirjtc2]

Megadeath and Slayer coming to Moncton and Halifax in November....what is it with all these metal shows coming lately?

[mylesmalley]

It's only rock and roll, but we like it.

[JasonL-Moncton]

Originally Posted by Wishblade

I could see the commons working for it atleast. And I have heard that both Moncton and Halifax have been talking to U2 for a time now.

The Halifax Commons could not hold 100,000 people, a stage the size U2 would use, vendors, gates, security, etc....no way, no how.

I've been to both venues as a concertgoer, a worker, and MH as stage crew... and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the commons if it had 100,000 people in it.

JL

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by JasonL-Moncton

The Halifax Commons could not hold 100,000 people, a stage the size U2 would use, vendors, gates, security, etc....no way, no how.

I've been to both venues as a concertgoer, a worker, and MH as stage crew... and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the commons if it had 100,000 people in it.

JL

The commons have nearly the same surface area as the magnetic hill concert site. true fact. The commons have a concert capacity of 110,000.

[Wishblade]

Originally Posted by JasonL-Moncton

The Halifax Commons could not hold 100,000 people, a stage the size U2 would use, vendors, gates, security, etc....no way, no how.

I've been to both venues as a concertgoer, a worker, and MH as stage crew... and I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the commons if it had 100,000 people in it.

JL

dp

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by kirjtc2

Megadeath and Slayer coming to Moncton and Halifax in November....what is it with all these metal shows coming lately?

Yes, well........as an antidote to all this metal I present the following:

Chantal Kreviazuk live at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, November 17th.

[JasonL-Moncton]

Originally Posted by Wishblade

The commons have nearly the same surface area as the magnetic hill concert site. true fact. The commons have a concert capacity of 110,000.

It may be listed as that but, as I said, I wouldnt want to be anywhere near it if it ever got to that capacity...that's just silly.

To be honest, I've been at every outdoor concert site that has had a major concert at it in Atlantic Canada, I've worked at most, been a concert goer at some, been in front of the stage and behind at several. Having been to between 100-200 concerts in my lifetime, to me, Magnetic Hill is the best venue for a major outdoor concert in Atlantic Canada, with a close second the new area that recently held the Cavendish concert, a far away third would be the Commons.

That said, I wouldn't want to be at Magnetic Hill with over 100,000 people in it either.

JL