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June 22, 2023 edition - Gen Z is ruining the live music industry

June 22, 2023 edition - Gen Z is ruining the live music industry

Chandler Walter
June 22, 2023

TOGETHER WITH

Hey you. Yeah you, staring at the screen. You like voting on stuff? Or, better yet, nominating things that will then, eventually, be voted on? Who doesn’t get a cathartic kick out of the democratic process, right?

Well lucky you, we’re about to launch the 2023 edition of Best of Vancouver, where our newsletter subscribers (and only our newsletter subscribers, so you made the right choice) will be able to nominate and vote on their favourite INSERT CATEGORY HERE throughout July. We’re talking everything from tattoo studios to hikes to your favourite local band.

Nominations start in a week from now on Thursday, June 29, and we’ll have a link to the nominations page in next week’s newsletter, so keep an eye out for that.

Your preferred concert buzz:

You might've missed:

Chilliwack's Bill Henderson is (finally) headed to the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
Sirreal releases new single with Swollen Members' Prevail and Sweatshop Union’s Mo Moshiri
Foodie tour spotlights Gastown’s gastronomic flare and historic resilience
Kim Petras to headline PNE Forum on October 26
Full Circle presents the 22nd annual Talking Stick Festival 2023: Summer Reverb. Happening now, it celebrates and honours National Indigenous History Month.*
Celebrate Vancouver Pride on Aug. 3 with a special edition of Science World After Dark! Let's honour the rich history of Pride in Vancouver and uplift our 2SLBGBTQIA+ communities.*

*Sponsored Listing

FEATURE

Alcohol-averse Gen Z evidently doing its best to ruin the live-music industry

As easy as it’s been to blame the live-music industry’s well-documented struggles on the COVID-19 pandemic, the lowly Canadian dollar, or the seductive pull of The Last of Us, there’s evidently another factor at play.

Taking a lesson from two studies from the U.S., Gen Z is ruining, well, everything.

Vancouver International Jazz Festival starts tomorrow!

The Vancouver International Jazz Festival returns from June 23 until July 2 for its 38th year! With over 140 shows, including over 50 free performances on downtown stages and venues across Granville Island!

Catch marquee performances by international jazz heavyweights Chris Botti, BADBADNOTGOOD, and The Bad Plus. You can also catch Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Shahzad Ismaily as their new project, Love in Exile.

Tickets are on sale now! Head to CoastalJazz.ca for tickets and more information.

NEWS

Lucky’s Comics forced to leave longtime Main Street location

Grab your comics while you still can: independent bookstore and Main Street stalwart Lucky’s Books and Comics is being evicted from its longtime storefront.

The best place in town to buy graphic novels, manga and quirky community-made zines announced that their impending closure was now “official.”

ARTS

Opera in the Park makes a return to Burnaby's Deer Lake on July 16

The funny thing about the opera is that, once you’ve gone, you realize how inclusive the shows are. Believe it or not, you don’t have to know the difference between an overture and an aria to have a great night. If you've been to a production by Vancouver Opera then you know it's not only about the songs, but indeed the glorious spectacle of it all.

Uninitiated but curious? You can get a preview of what to expect from Vancouver Opera this coming season at Deer Lake Park on July 16 at 7pm.

MUSIC

Lido Pimienta’s supercharged art takes infinite avenues

Colombian-Canadian polymath Lido Pimienta met Colombian-Israeli artistic director Orly Anan on the set of Pimienta’s music video for “Nada,” off her critically-acclaimed 2020 album, Miss Colombia.

The two connected instantly and have been friends ever since. Now, Pimienta has released a new single, “Ein Sof, Infinito”, for Anan’s film, Ein Sof, which translates to “no end/infinite” in Hebrew. The genre-defying song is ethereal, as Pimienta’s luminous singing voice soars over flute, strings, and shimmering electronics.

“Me and Orly’s work is about yearning and the metaphysical connection to culture,” Pimienta tells the Straight over email, ahead of her performance at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival this month.

FOOD

No Reservations: Bagheera takes Vancouver on a cinematic journey to an exotic past

There are bars, and then there are spots that fall more under the umbrella of immersive experiences. The team behind Bagheera made it crystal clear which side it's obsessed with when it opened Laowai back in 2021.

Located on East Georgia, Laowai throws back to the speakeasies of the 1930s—before you get a table you have to give the secret password to the folks manning the Blnd Tger dumpling shop, which looks like it was designed by the team behind the first two Indiana Jones movies.

Like Laowai, there's something beautifully cinematic about Bagheera on Main Street.

🗓 Events & things to do

Ongoing

Art Downtown 2023: Art Downtown is an outdoor summer art festival where both new and established artists are encouraged to create and sell their work in an open setting that will inspire others and change the way quality art is circulated. | Until Sept. 15 | Free | Lot 19
Cosmic Connections: Queer Indigenous Astronomy: Augmented Reality artist Preston Buffalo secretly brings the Roundhouse to life with Indigiqueer pasts and futures – including a creation story of how the Cree People originated from the Pleiades star cluster. | To June 28 | Free | Yaletown Roundhouse Exhibition Hall

This week/weekend

Secrets of the Penthouse: Explore backstage inside Vancouver’s most infamous venue with club owner Danny Filippone and friends as your guides, armed with stories of vice squad busts, mobsters, bootlegging, Rat Pack parties, fire, and even murder. | June 22 | $70 | The Penthouse Night Club
Big Queer Party Mix Vol 4: Join the Anza Club for a night of comedy and drag at the fourth volume of Big Queer Party Mix: Pride Month Edition, hosted by Niki Mohrdar.| June 22 | $17 | ANZA Club
26th Annual Scandinavian Midsummer Festival: Join a few thousand others outdoors to enjoy Midsummer, a celebration of the summer solstice, with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. | June 24 and 25 | $15 on Saturday, $10 on Sunday | Scandinavian Community Centre
Summer kicks off this weekend at the Concord Pacific Dragon Boat festival; soak in the sun and enjoy the continent’s biggest dragon boat races, plus Dear Rouge and SABAI on the TD Main Stage!*
Swim by Vancouver Aquarium after hours this Saturday for Fish+Sips—their new adults-only summer social featuring tasty eats, ice-cold drinks, and a deep-sea DJ. Last chance to grab your tickets—get them today!*

Next week

The Engine Inside: Local cyclists rejoice: the Vancouver premiere of The Engine Inside, an Anthill Films documentary about the power of the bicycle, shows at the Rio on June 26. Watch the trailer here. | June 26 | $18 | Rio Theatre
Rollerskate 101: The four-week beginner-friendly course includes one free month of Open skate membership, free access to the online Rollerskating 101 program, as well as skate and gear rentals. | June 26 to July 24 | $250 | Rollerland
Therapy Gecko Live: After a sold out run of North American dates last year, multi-platform internet sensation Lyle Forever is bringing his beloved "Therapy Gecko” live show on the road again and around the world in 2023. | June 27 | $40 | Hollywood Theatre
Enjoy the launch of Rumble's Sound System Project on Jun. 27! Debuting live-works by artists Anju Singh, DJ Kookum, Sally Zori, Luz Fleming, and Richard Brown. Grab your tickets!*

Later this month

The Peelers: The Peelers have evolved to become one of the most acclaimed Celtic punk acts in the genre. | July 4 | $18 | LanaLou's Restaurant
35th Annual Dancing on the Edge Festival: The festival will include a presentation of over 30 extraordinary dance productions in live stage performances showcasing artists from across Canada. | July 6 to 15 | $20 to $40 PWYC | Firehall Arts Centre

Next month

Theatre Under the Stars presents The Prom and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical: Theatre Under the Stars invites audiences to witness the magic that comes from taking risks, celebrating differences, and accepting others for who they are with The Prom and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical. | July 6 to 26 | $30+ | Malkin Bowl
American rock musician and guitarist Nita Strauss' "Summer Storm North American Tour" arrives in Vancouver at Rickshaw Theatre Jul. 2 with Lions At The Gate and Misyrion. Get your tickets today!*
The 35th Annual Dancing on the Edge Festival July 6-15 presents over 30 extraordinary dance productions. Delivering innovative and spell-binding works from some of the most sought after contemporary Canadian choreographers.*
Harrison Festival of the Arts: This festival is bringing a stacked lineup to Harrison Hot Springs this July, including Celeigh Cardinal, James Keelaghan, The Soul Motivators, and more | July 6 to 17 | $30+ | Harrison Memorial Hall*
From Italian dance tunes to rollicking Louisiana zydeco, down-home blues to global beats, don’t miss the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Jul. 14-16 at Jericho Beach Park.*

Find more things to do around the city in our events listings.