Lorde Plays a Sold-Out Toronto Show on Ultrasound Tour: Canadian Concerts of the Week
Plus, Vancouver band Yukon Blonde embarks on cross-Canada tour dates and indie icon Mac DeMarco plays a hometown show on the West Coast.
After a three-year touring hiatus, one of music’s most mysterious pop stars comes to Canada this week — Lorde has a sold-out show at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on her Ultrasound tour.
Plus, pop, alt-R&B artist Nourished by Time plays on the Velvet Underground’s final shows, while Airplay chart successes Yukon Blonde perform in Alberta. British rockers Wolf Alice hit Montreal, and Canadian indie sensation Mac DeMarco plays a hometown Vancouver show.
Concert of the Week
Lorde, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto — September 24
"RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC." This is how Lorde described her fourth studio album, Virgin.
Since 2013, the New Zealand pop star — born Ella Yelich-O'Connor — has returned with a new album every four years. Virgin dropped June 27, fulfilling Charli XCX’s promise of “Lorde summer.” With earnest songwriting and bold yet sparse production, Virgin debuted at No. 3 on the Canadian Albums, with lead single, “What Was That,” hitting No. 36 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. Preceding singles “Man of the Year” and “Shapeshifter” hit No. 85 and No. 79, respectively, with the latter solely charting in Canada.
Lored's arena tour started last night (September 17) in Austin, Texas. In a voice note to fans, she expressed fear of playing larger venues due to low ticket sales during Melodrama’s tour run, despite the album peaking at No.1 on Canadian Albums. “I booked an arena tour and a lot of those shows were, like, half full,” she said. “This is my first arena show since then, because I had such damage from that feeling.”
With her feature on Charli’s pop culture-defining “Girl, So Confusing” remix in 2024 and her new music, Lorde has onboarded a new set of fans with her genuine, honest work — now playing many sold-out arenas, including her stop at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena. In the blink of an eye, Lorde summer has turned into Lorde fall, and fans of the pop star will have the opportunity to experience a project "100% written in blood," in person.
Tickets are available here.
More Canadian Concerts of the Week
Nourished by Time, Velvet Underground, Toronto — September 18
Time is fleeting, but the pop, alt-R&B artist — born Marcus Brown — is asking fans to give him their undivided attention as he plays tunes from his recently released sophomore record, The Passionate Ones, at one of the beloved intimate venue’s final shows.
Tickets are available here.
Yukon Blonde, Modern Love, Calgary — September 20
Earlier this year, the band’s hit “Adore You” landed on the Billboard Canada Modern Rock airplay chart. Now, the Vancouver outfit is hitting the road, playing cross-country dates — including a stop in Calgary — on their Friendship & Rock 'n' Roll tour. “We’re back in survival mode, hauling our amps over the Canadian Shield,” they wrote on Instagram.
Tickets are available here.
Wolf Alice, Beanfield Theatre, Montreal — September 22
The British rock quartet is expected to bloom on stage as they bring the ‘70s soft rock of their latest record, The Clearing, to life. While it’s the band’s fourth studio album, the project marks their first release with major label Columbia Records, after leaving indie label Dirty Hit in 2024.
Tickets are available here.
Mac DeMarco, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver — September 24
After launching his career in Vancouver over 15 years ago, the indie singer-songwriter is back living in B.C. as he performs a hometown show in support of his DIY new album Guitar. The project has 12 songs written, performed and recorded in its entirety by DeMarco over the course of 12 days in Los Angeles.
Tickets are available here.
