After sold-out shows in St. John’s and Halifax in 2019, well known Afro-German-Caribbean disco and funk vocal group Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell return to Atlantic Canada for seven ‘Holiday Favourites and Classic Hits’ shows this November and December.

Tickets for Halifax, Moncton, Charlottetown, Truro, and Sydney go on sale this Friday, September 23 at 10 a.m. and tickets for Corner Brook and St. John’s go on sale this Friday, September 23 at 12 noon.

Tickets for the Corner Brook show will be available online at cbciviccentre.com

Tickets for the St. John’s show will be available at the Mary Brown’s Centre Box Office (50 New Gower Street), by calling 1-709-576-7657 and online at mbcentre.ca

Originally founded in Germany by writer and producer Frank Farian, Boney M. was one of the disco-oriented pop acts which dominated the European charts throughout the late seventies and early eighties with a string of hits well remembered to this day. The band has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and their discography of hits is extensive. The group had eight #1 hits on the European charts, including Daddy Cool, Sunny, Ma Baker, Belfast, Rivers of Babylon, Brown Girl in the Ring, Rasputin, and Mary’s Boy Child. In addition to the successes of Boney M’s singles was the success of three #1 albums in the European market.

Now in the 21st Century, there is obviously no doubt that songs from the past are far more popular than ever before. Boney M’s international success during the past thirty-five years has proven that their hits belong to the collection of timeless classics. In 2022, Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell is still a phenomenal live act drawing huge crowds across Europe.  The live show is as spectacular as ever and they are currently making live appearances in concert halls, arenas, and festivals around the world.

Boney M. live in Atlantic Canada is presented by VaughCo Entertainment: vaughncoentertainment.com

Jim Cuddy has seen it all in a hall of fame worthy career atop the pantheon of Canadian songwriting royalty. What’s now foreign to the frontman of the legendary Blue Rodeo is stillness, an involuntary byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Once it started happening (in 2020), staying still, that’s my first year of staying still in 35 years,” Cuddy shared in a sitdown with The Herald ahead of Blue Rodeo’s return to St. John’s on the Many A Mile Tour. 

“We have a little rural place that’s north of the city, so I was there sitting in this one seat and just playing and writing songs and thinking what I would do with them and how I was going to do this, but not worrying about the final result, just writing songs. And yes, I think that had a very beneficial effect on all of us, because whatever little injuries go along with touring all the time, they cleared up and whatever little complaints you have about, ‘oh, I don’t like this hotel’ or, ‘can’t we stay in Montreal instead of Ottawa?’ All that bulls**t, it doesn’t matter anymore because the essence of what you do is gone, the essence of playing live.”

Blue Rodeo would release their whopping 16th studio album in 2021, Many A Mile, though Cuddy is open to the idea that, pre-pandemic, the reality that the band had released their final record loomed large.

Charge up the lifeblood

“We could never go out and just do the songs that we’d already committed to in the past. I think we’d just feel like a jukebox and so it’s always necessary to charge up the lifeblood a little bit and get everybody playing together,” Cuddy shared. 

“These guys are fantastic players, and just to hear them create is inspiring. But I don’t know. It’s definitely a waveform that two years ago, before this pandemic started, I was pretty sure we were never going to make another record. And then halfway through the pandemic, I was less sure. And of course I was proven wrong. I’m sure we’ll do it again.”

2022 marks milestone anniversaries for seminal Blue Rodeo albums, including 1987’s debut record Outskirts, which marked the shift for the group from applauded bar band to full on national treasure.

“I think that when we made Outskirts, first of all, we were very pleased to be making a record, but that wasn’t the end all, be all. We weren’t going to be super disappointed because we’d already been disappointed. We’d been a band for seven years at that point, and we were a really successful bar band at that point, and we really enjoyed ourselves playing in The Horseshoe, playing the Big Bop. So making the record was a step, and then it kind of failed at the beginning, but being taken out by the record company and being told you’ve sold 5,000 copies, which made us go wow, 5,000 copies! That’s more than you sell off the stage. But then ‘if you don’t sell more we’re going to drop you,’” Cuddy recalled.

Dealing with hits

 “And then Try comes out and it becomes a hit and that changes our lives. But we’re not aware of how it’s changing our lives. But I look back and I realize that all that we had done in the bars and how we formed ourselves as a band, that was the training period and that was over.”

Returning to St. John’s at Mary Brown’s Centre on Sept. 10th (a rescheduled date from earlier this year), and Cuddy laughs when we jokingly thank the consummate gentleman and national treasure for continuing to include ‘The Rock’ in the band’s touring itinerary.

“It’s one of those things you can feel embarrassed being thanked for. Because we’ve always loved coming to Newfoundland,” Cuddy shares with a smile. 

“We used to come and play Memorial University to play the pub there, and you had to go for two nights and Gary Clark would bring us out and it was a thrill. We got treated just like every other band. We were super abused a couple of times at the beginning and then people liked us and then we got invited to parties and we got our education about St. John’s and Newfoundland in those times,” he said.

“I think just generally for us, we started to tour Canada because that’s what we were offered. We toured the States a lot because that’s what we were offered, but it didn’t open our hearts the way touring in Canada has. There’s few exceptions to this – we really loved everywhere we’ve been and everywhere I’ve been on ‘The Rock’ and have really enjoyed it. I have friends now that have places there from Ontario, which is crazy, right. And it’s a way of life. It’s a type of person and it’s a natural beauty there. So we should be thanking you for being there and for also having such enthusiasm for music.”

For all things Blue Rodeo visit bluerodeo.com. For tickets to see the band with special guest Jenn Grant on Sept. 10th at Mary Brown’s Centre visit mbcentre.ca 

The Provincial Government delighted islanders when they announced they would be bringing Come From Away The Concert and the new musical comedy Tell Tale Harbour to Newfoundland and Labrador as part of the Arts and Culture Centres’ program line up for Come Home 2022.

The Tony and Olivier Award-winning international hit musical Come From Away  returns to the Steele Community Centre in Gander and premiers at the Mary Brown’s Centre in St. John’s reuniting  members of the Toronto cast and band along with original Broadway cast member, the province’s own Petrina Bromley. 

Come From Away The Concert will be presented in Gander, from Sept.13-15 and in St. John’s from September 19-20, as marquee events for Come Home 2022.

Later in October, the province’s Arts and Culture Centres’ present Tell Tale Harbour, based on the screenplay, The Grand Seduction. This new musical comedy from the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Prince Edward Island will see its Newfoundland and Labrador debut as another marquee event for Come Home 2022. 

Co-written by and starring the province’s own musical icon Alan Doyle, Tell Tale Harbour also features the talents of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians Jillian Keiley and Edward Riche.

“Exciting things are happening in Newfoundland and Labrador for Come Home 2022. The stage is set for some incredible performances. Along with the impressive performances that will grace the stages of our Arts and Culture Centres province-wide, we are thrilled to be bringing Come From Away The Concert and the Tell Tale Harbour musical home to our province,” said Premier Andrew Furey at the announcement. 

“We are beyond thrilled to bring Come From Away back to its home in Newfoundland this year. When we first performed our show there, it was a life-changing experience for us – and the Come From Away Company – and we are grateful to be invited back with a Canadian cast including several Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, like Petrina Bromley, coming home from Broadway. It means the world to us to share these stories with the community that was so generous with us and has now inspired millions around the globe,” said Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away’s creators. 

The Herald spoke to Bromley who said she was “excited” to be returning to ‘The Rock.’ “The idea of bringing the show home to Newfoundland for people to see is an incredible experience. Sharing that story and seeing that it gets told so that everyone can get a sense of how important it is and how big a moment it was is just magical,” she said.

Bromley’s favourite memories of the show’s run are the performances on home soil, she added. “It was just the most unbelievable experience to be welcomed and embraced into the community and to have that feeling of pure nervous joy. I always say for me it was like bringing your new boyfriend home to meet the family.”

The incredibly gifted performer, Owen Mac, returns to Newfoundland with special guest Desi Mac and the Keltic Storm Band. 

Proudly presented by Vaughnco Entertainment, Mac can be seen onstage at Arts and Culture Centre’s in Corner Brook on August 31, in Grand Falls-Windsor on September 1 and in Gander on September 2.  On September 3rd, Mac will be in St. John’s performing at Holy Heart Theatre for his highly anticipated return.  

Friendly & welcoming

During his last visit, Mac performed at both Princess Sheila NaGeira Theatre and at Holy Heart, he recalled.  

“I remember coming back home to Ireland with my family wanting to return (to NL) as the people over there are so friendly and welcoming and it feels very much like Ireland … I can’t wait to perform again in both those venues and more as I return at the end of August,” he said.

At just 19, he has had quite the career. “I remember growing up, I knew that I always wanted to pursue a career in music,” Mac said, recalling that his  first performance in front of a live audience was at 12-years-old.

“Music has always been in my family, so I think that’s how I had such a love for it. My daddy used to sing a lot, and I grew up listening to him perform, so I think music has always been in the house for me.”

The talent comes from many sources, he continued, and he has a few musical inspirations. 

“I have always been influenced by a lot of country and gospel singers and of course singers back here in the Irish country scene. People like Vince Gill and traditional artists like Jim Reeves and Merle Haggard.”

What can fans expect to see when he takes the stage on September 3rd? The best of the best, he shared! 

Performing for fans

“This year I am bringing out my seventh studio album and I can’t wait to share it with everyone,” he said. 

Mac shared that returning to NL means a lot after COVID and he’s excited to visit and perform for fans. 

“I just can’t wait to see everyone while I am back over again and I hope that everyone enjoys the show.”

For tickets and more visit vaughncoentertainment.com, holyhearttheatre.com or the various ACC websites in your region 

It’s been a struggle not coming to Newfoundland, admits Thane Dunn. “I fell in love with the people and with the place, so I can’t wait to bring the show back,” he opened enthusiastically. 

One Elvis tribute show that was supposed to be held in St. John’s last January was cancelled due to the pandemic, but as life returns to normal, the time couldn’t be better, he added. 

“We’re doing the Elvis Summer Festival, going back to 1972, so it’s an amazing show with all the great songs everybody wants to hear. And if fans want to dress up like it’s 1972, it’ll make the show even cooler,” he said with a laugh. 

The pandemic has been so hard on musicians, he added, but now that things are finally getting back to normal, people are coming out and they are enthusiastic for great music again, and there’s nowhere better to tour than Newfoundland. 

“I’ve never been to a place with more talent. And so what we’ve done is we have Dave Fitzpatrick  of The Fables fame. He’s such a great guy, such a talented guy, and so he will be joining my wife Melanie and I on stage too,” he said. This August show will be “the best show ever,” he added. 

“During the pandemic, all we did was practice and practice. And my wife is such an amazing singer,  and we really worked on both our vocals. Anyone who has heard me sing lately say, ‘Wow, your voice is even stronger than it was before.’ I’m able to hit notes that I could never touch before. The past two years has made me a little crazier not being able to perform, but when it comes to getting back on stage, all this practice has only made me make my Elvis performances even more authentic.” 

Focus on the positives

It’s all about focusing on the positives, he added. “When I sing Elvis, the songs, I try to sing them like he did,” he said. 

The songs come through him, or they come through the heart before coming out of his mouth, he explained. 

“You have to feel those songs. And I always try to relate them to something that’s happened in my life. And now, with everything being so emotional during the past two years, all that stuff just seems to have really brought that out in the music, and I hope that makes me a better performer.”

For more visit thanedunn.net and for tickets see artsandculturecentre.com

From Gimmie All Your Lovin’ and Sharp Dressed Man to Legs and La Grange, ZZ Top will celebrate 50 years of kickin’ it and keepin’ it real when they take to the stage at the Mary Brown’s Centre on May 13th & 14th. 

Ahead of the maiden voyage on NL soil, vocalist and guitarist Billy Gibbons chats with The Herald.

We’d love to know if there’s anything you are looking forward to and if you will get time between the two show dates to do any touring around our city while you are in St. John’s?

It seems we’re charged large to finally make it. Looking forward to seeing the sights and would be open to checking out the marine life. 

Frank’s (drummer Frank Beard) an intrepid fisherman so you might see him casting off if there’s time. As far as local cuisine is concerned, we’re looking forward to cracking a lobster or two … We’ll bring the Whisker Bomb hot sauce for good measure. 

It’s the 50th anniversary of the band. I’m dying to know if live performances are still providing the high they once did? Is it still a thrill to step on the stage in front of fans and rock out to Sharp Dressed Man?

Oh, yeah! We get a real charge out of it. We get out there, the crowd is up for it, you plug it, turn it up and it’s magic. Works just about every time. 

My daughter is 13. She’s a fan. I’m 52 and I’m a fan. Does the multiple generation appeal thrill the band as they tour? Wondering if, when the band started 50 years ago, you realized the possibility of such mass appeal and longevity. 

We’ve borne witness to the intergenerational phenomenon and it always impresses us. When we first started, the audiences were, for the most part, our same age or maybe a little older. As things progressed, those folks had kids and they brought them along and when those kids grew they came to the show and then they had kids and now they’re out there. Age is kind of irrelevant when your aim is having a good time. 

You lost a friend and a band mate in Dusty Hill, but the band has said the show must go on in his memory. Tell us about his place in your legacy of performances and recordings. 

To us, nobody was as genuine nor as talented as Dusty. 

Making loud noise was what he lived to do and nobody did it better. It’s an understatement that he’s sorely missed, but we carry on in righteous memory of The Dust. 

Your hat is famous. I read the tale about how it was quite the trade. Any other signature pieces that fans should be on the lookout for when you take the stage? 

The hat was acquired on a visit to Cameroon in West Africa, which I like to say is the source of just about everything we like including the blues and soul food. It’s made by the Bamileke people there and was gifted to me by a tribal chieftain. 

He liked my Texas style cowboy hat and I was told it would be wise to gift it to him. I figured we could make it an even trade and he was up for that so he got the 10 gallon and I get the famous Bamleke hat. 

Speaking of Texas duds, there’s a limited edition line of BFG boots out now from Alvies that bear my brand. Get ‘em while you can: alvies.com/pages/bfg-boots-billy-f-gibbons

You’ve worked with some interesting artists. I noted back in 1969 there was a Jimmy Hendrix experience when you were with the Moving Sidewalks. Anything to share from those days?

Off stage (Hendrix) was kind of shy and on stage he was ferocious. He was very friendly and showed us some guitar moves that we still employ to this day. We once got to hang out and jammed together with sponges wrapped around the headstock of our respective guitars. 

We dipped those sponges in day-glow paint and spattered a blank canvas under blacklight as we played. The resulting painting, if you want to call it that, is long gone, but the memory lingers.

When you think of music’s good old days, what decade comes to mind and why? 

Didn’t Carly Simon sing “these are the good old days?” I would think it’s the 40s and 50s, the era when country, Jesus, hillbilly and blues came together. As far as the band is concerned, La Grange broke us out, which was a real kick. 

And on into the 80s with the advent of MTV which brought new twists and turns into the mix. Now that we’re hitting the road again, this just might be the time! 

Anything else you want to share about the show and the tour? Newfoundlanders think our province is fairly cool, but having you b’ys visit will make us so much more so! 

We’re excited to come and visit so get out and see us. It’s gonna be a good time!

For tickets and more visit mbcentre.ca

Fans can expect to hear a selection of songs from his brand new album The Legend of Robin Hood plus Moonfleet, Into The Light, Spanish Train and many other classic hits from an international career that spans 50 years.

Chris De Burgh has always had a very special relationship with Canada, “It was one of the first countries that really embraced my music, and the atmosphere of playing there is just electrifying. My music goes back a very long way there … the beautiful, wide open nation – and its wonderful people. We can’t wait to see you in the spring!”

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De Burgh’s most iconic single, the chart topping The Lady in Red, remains to this day one of the most played songs on the planet and reached the #1 position in 47 countries. Out of his repertoire of more than 280 songs, De Burgh’s other classic songs are staples on the radio: Don’t Pay the Ferryman, Spanish Train, Patricia the Stripper, High on Emotion and A Spaceman Came Traveling speak to a generation of music lovers, who have rewarded him with sales of 50 million albums and sold out performances worldwide. Download Chris de Burgh’s full bio here.

Chris de Burgh’s 27th studio album released this past September, The Legend of Robin Hood, re-imagines the fabled tale of a folklore favourite. The concept emerged from his involvement in  Robin Hood, a stage musical about the infamous Sherwood Forest nobleman and his band of outlaws. Chris was invited to contribute storylines and melodies to the musical, which will be produced later in the year in Fulda, Germany, by Spotlight Productions.

The compelling result breathes music and lyrical life into a centuries-old and much-loved classic. It has the romance and magic of a minstrel entertaining and enlightening the listener, and that is precisely what has made Chris so unique and peerless throughout his long career. The Legend of Robin Hood is an aural extravaganza, played flawlessly by seasoned, talented musicians across a plethora of musical styles, from Medieval, ‘traditional’, nursery rhyme, folk and Celtic-infused to rock, classical and choral.

St. John’s, NL • Wednesday, April 13, 2022 • Mary Brown’s Centre. Tickets on sale Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 10am NSTat mileonecentre.com

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The tour is in response to the 16th studio album of the same name, which was released on December 3rd, 2021. 

Presale tickets are available now with public on sale kicking off December 17th at 10 am NST.

Visit tour.bluerodeo.com for more information. 

Henry Rollins returns to Atlantic Canada on his Good To See You 2022 tour, performing three shows in the region. Dates include:

June 6  Halifax             Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
June 7  Fredericton     The Playhouse
June 9  St. John’s        Arts and Culture Centre

On the Good To See You 2022 tour, Rollins will faithfully recount the events of his life in the brief pre-COVID period since the last tour and when things got even stranger over the last several months. It’s been an interesting time to say the least and he’s got some great stories to tell.

In describing Rollins, the tendency is to try to squeeze as many labels as possible into a single sentence. “Rollins is many things,” says The Washington Post, “diatribist, confessor, provocateur, humorist, even motivational speaker…his is an enthusiastic and engaging chatter.” Entertainment Weekly’s list includes “Punk Rock icon. Spoken word poet. Actor. Author. DJ. Is there anything this guy can’t do?” TV Guide has more concisely called him a “Renaissance Man” but, if Henry Rollins could be reduced to a single word, that word would undoubtedly be “workaholic.”

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When he’s not traveling, Rollins prefers a to keep a relentless schedule full of work, with gigs as an actor, author, DJ, voice-over artist and TV show host to name a few of the roles that keep his schedule full. He has toured the world as a spoken word artist, as frontman for both Rollins Band and Black Flag, and as a solitary traveler with insatiable curiosity, favouring road-less-traveled locales in places such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Siberia, North Korea, South Sudan and Iran.

TICKETS AND VIP PACKAGES GO ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, DEC. 3

Halifax tickets are $31.50 in advance and $36.50 day of show (including tax and CIF) and will be available at 12 noon at the Dalhousie Arts Centre box office, by phone at (902) 494-3820 (1-800-874-1669), and sonicconcerts.com. Additional fees may apply. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show time is 8 p.m.

Fredericton tickets are $34.03 in advance and $39.03 day of show (including tax and service fee) and will be available at 10 a.m. at The Playhouse box office, by phone at (506) 458-8344, and sonicconcerts.com. Additional fees may apply. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

St. John’s tickets are $33 in advance and $38 day of show (including tax and service fee) and will be available at 12 noon at the Arts and Culture Centre box office, by phone at (709) 729-3900, and sonicconcerts.com. Additional fees may apply. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show time is 8 p.m.

Just For Laughs is excited to announce the return of the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour!  Following his successful turn as host in 2019, Canadian comedy legend Rick Mercer returns to lead a stellar line-up of Canada’s most hilarious and diverse comedians. This 19^th edition, titled Just For Laughs Comedy Night in Canada, will feature co-star of STARZ’s Ramy Dave Merheje, Just For Laughs Festival favourite Eman El-Husseini, and 2018 Juno award winner Ivan Decker. Together, these comedians will visit 18 prestigious theatres across the country – a mari usque ad mare! – starting April 19, 2022 in Moncton, NB and wrapping up in Victoria, BC on May 22, 2022.

The Tour will stop in Moncton, NB at the Capitol Theatre on April 19 at 7:30 PM; Saint John, NB at the Imperial Theatre on April 20 at 7:30 PM; Charlottetown, PEI at the Confederation Centre of the Arts on April 21 at 7:00 PM; Halifax, NS at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium on April 22 & 23 at 7:00 PM; and St, John’s, NL at the the Arts & Culture Centre on April 25 at 7:30 PM. Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, November 26 at 10:00 AM (noon in Halifax).

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Just For Laughs is also proud to once again be partnering with Movember on the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour. The tour will provide Movember with an additional platform to bring continued awareness to men’s health, including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.  $1 per ticket sold (less taxes) will be donated to Movember.

The Just For Laughs Tour has been bringing some of its favourite comedians to Canadians from coast to coast for almost 20 years and we are very excited to welcome our audience back into the theatre for live shows, and we are committed to doing so safely.  We will be adhering to all local Covid-19 safety protocols in place in collaboration with each venue and will be closely monitoring the situation in every city we visit.

About Rick Mercer
Rick Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author. He is best known for his work on the CBC Television comedy shows This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Made In Canada, and Rick Mercer Report. Mercer has received nearly 30 Gemini Awards and Canadian Screen awards for his work on television, and his CBC Television special Talking To Americans remains the highest rated Canadian comedy special ever with 2.7 million viewers.

Mercer is the author of four books, all of which have been national best sellers, and has also written for Time, Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, and The National Post. His newest book – Talking to Canadians: A Memoir – is available now.

He is a recipient of the Governor Generals Performing Arts Award, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a proud native of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

St. John’s, NL • Arts & Culture Centre
Monday, April 25, 2022 • 7:30 PM
Tickets: $56.50
(taxes included + facility & service charges)
$1 per ticket sold (less taxes) will be donated to Movember.

Tickets on sale:
By phone: 709-729-3900/1-800-663-9449
Online: www.artsandculturecentre.com