By barnaby
Boy Golden, Bob Moses, July Talk, The Beaches, Metric, Dear Rouge, The Glorious Sons, Arkells, Billy Talent, The Darcys, Monowhales, Anyway Gang, Mother Mother, and Dear Rouge stand out in the year-end Alt category.
Kehlani
Last night (Aug. 16), the R&B singer took the stage at RBC Amphitheatre, nearly two years after she had to cancel her Toronto show in 2024, only hours before she was set to perform.
Kehlani made her grand return to Toronto last night (Aug. 16). Nearly two years after the R&B singer’s last show in the city was cancelled just hours before she was due to perform, she pulled up to RBC Amphitheatre and didn’t mince words.
“I need to explain myself,” she told the crowd. “I know y’all was waiting on this...I got stuck at y’all’s border for like 12 hours last time, and that’s why my show was cancelled.”
Kehlani didn’t disclose exactly why she was held up for that long. Assuring fans that the cancelled concert — which was set to take place at Scotiabank Arena and in support of 2024's Crash — was no fault of hers or theirs, she shared that she was “so happy” that it only took her an hour to cross the border this time. “I was able to come here and do my f—--g show,” eliciting more cheers from the audience.
She doubled down on her excitement, telling the crowd that they sold out the waterfront venue. “16,000 tickets in this b—h tonight,” she confirmed.
Kehlani went on to share memories of her first-ever show in Toronto, at the Mod Club, which she called “a tiny little club” in the city.
“I remember telling everyone that I got my passport and made it out of the country,” she recalled. “And now look what y’all did, 16,000. I love you so much, and I’m so grateful.”
By the joyful sounds of the crowd cheering, it seems they’ve forgiven her.
The soulful hitmaker performed a medley of hits from her discography, including “After Hours,” “Nights Like This,” and “Cruise Control.” She closed out her nearly 30-song set with “Folded,” her highest-charting song on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, which peaked at No. 24.
After the show, Kehlani kept the good vibes going, heading over to DPRTMNT for her show’s official afterparty. She still had energy remaining and performed “After Hours” for the crowd, allowing them to sing the lyrics back to her while she stood on stage at the buzzy nightclub.
Kehlani is currently touring the globe in support of her self-titled album, Kehlani, released earlier this year. It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, a major jump from 2022’s Blue Water Road, and reached No. 83.
