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Concerts

Billy Joel Announces First Toronto Show in Over a Decade

Nathaniel Rateliff, Jorja Smith, and Nate Smith have also announced upcoming Canadian dates.

Billy Joel

Billy Joel

Myrna Suárez

Billy Joel will be playing Toronto's Rogers Centre next year.

The legendary piano man is set to return to Toronto on March 15. The stadium show will be his first performance in the Canadian metropolis in 11 years and his only Canadian performance in 2025.


Joel is one of the industry's most popular artists, with 160 million records sold worldwide and 23 Grammy nominations to his name. He'll serenade the Rogers Centre thirty years after he last played there, in March 1995. Tickets go on sale October 25, with presale beginning Oct. 21.

Also announced this week: Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats will be bringing their brand of Americana to several Canadian cities in the new year. Touring their new album South of Here, they'll perform in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Toronto in February and March 2025. Tickets go on sale Oct. 25, with presale beginning Oct. 22.

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American country singer Nate Smith is bringing his Through the Smoke tour to Toronto and Hamilton on March 28 and April 1 respectively, with tickets on sale Friday, Oct. 18. Smith's had a recent breakout and is performing particularly well in Canada, with his new album California Gold debuting at No. 45 this week on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, 20 spots higher than in the U.S.

Another Smith just announced a Toronto show for next year: English singer Jorja Smith will perform at Massey Hall on March 4, her only Canadian stop on a North American tour. The new tour dates arrive alongside the deluxe edition of her album falling or flying, with features from popular U.K. acts like Craig David and Nia Archives. Tickets are on sale now.

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Val Blavatnik
Courtesy WMG

Val Blavatnik

Business News

Val Blavatnik to Oversee Warner Music Canada in New Role at Warner Music Group

Blavatnik will oversee Warner Music Canada as managing director of Warner Music North America, U.K. and Corporate Development at WMG. As part of a slew of executive announcements, Simon Robson will be leaving the company, while Alejandro Duque takes the top international role.

Val Blavatnik, the 28-year-old son of Warner Music Group majority owner and vice chairman Len Blavatnik, has been named managing director of Warner Music North America, U.K. and Corporate Development at the Warner Music Group, the company announced Friday (Sept. 25). In his new role the younger Blavatnik, who has held several roles at the company in recent years, and has been a board member since 2023, expects to “unify and drive business and operational strategy across these markets while guiding the company’s investment strategy to support growth,” according to a press release.

The Blavatnik announcement is part of a flurry of new executive announcements that CEO Robert Kyncl made this morning. In addition, Atlantic Music Group chairman/CEO Elliot Grainge will take on ADA in the U.S. as its new chairman, while Alejandro Duque, who has held the dual roles of president of Warner Latin and president of ADA since last July, has been named president of Warner Music International, adding Asia-Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa under his oversight. (Duque will continue to oversee ADA outside the U.S.) Zach Friedman, currently COO at Atlantic Music Group, will add the title of vice chair of ADA U.S. to his resume.

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