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Concerts, Concerts, Concerts. You would pretty much have to be living under a rock lately to not see the huge influx of concerts that have made or are making their way to Calgary. In the last year alone we’ve seen everyone from The Red Chili Peppers to Elton John, Gun and Roses was just here after the Dixie Chicks. Then there was Rod Stewart, Aerosmith and Rascall Flatts. And my personal favorite The Rankins. (but I’m biased). And that is just at the Saddledome.
That doesn’t include the seemingly endless line up of musicians playing at the Jubilee, Mac Hall and all the other joints around town. And it’s only March. In the next two weeks alone we welcome Christina Aguilera, Nelly Furtado and The Fray. (all of which i’m going to!) Like their brand of music or not, it is hard to ignore that Calgary is becoming a major stop for the all things House of Blues!
It makes me wonder what made all these artists to decide to stop in Calgary? I happen to think that much like home builders, city hall and landlords, concert producers have figured out that Calgarians are pretty willing to spend whatever it takes to get this pesky money out of our pockets. After a while it just becomes too heavy, am I right?
Or maybe it is because we are always looking for the next big concert to go to? I’ll admit it, I’m not a huge Chili Peppers fan, but I went to the concert anyway. I mean, who passes a concert like that up? But am I to blame? Being from the Maritimes I’m just happy not to be watching Great Big Sea.
However, upon further inspection maybe we aren’t the concert mecca we would like to think. One of the biggest tours of the year, The Police, are flying right over us and heading to Edmonton. And John Mayer only booked next month’s Calgary show after his Edmonton show sold out first. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill happen to think that Edmonton is more cowboy than calgary!
What does Edmonton have that we don’t? I mean besides the greatest mall on the entire globe? Well they do have perhaps the scariest downtown this side of East Hastings. Hmm what else? We know they don’t have Ryan Smyth anymore, but they knew that too, I just wanted to remind them.
Maybe Edmontonians are more willing to cough up those bucks they’ve been making on the big rigs? But if you were to ask me, I don’t know if the hundreds of men on rotation from the rigs are going to spend their hard earned money on watching John Mayer sing to Jessica Simpson. Scratch that.
So as the flux of concerts to Calgary continues it looks like we are going to have take the good with the bad. For every Gwen Stefani we have Tom Cochrane or Big and Rich (choose your poison). Whether you are watching someone you’ve idolized or someone that almost won Canadian Idol, continous concerts are just another plus to Calgary’s Boom. That is until Rock Star Supernova shows up, then all bets are off.
