23 concerts in Vancouver to check out in September

September is a busy month for concerts in Vancouver.

From rappers like Anderson .Paak and Drake (Finally!), to honky-tonkers Dolly Parton and Keith Urban, there’s a little something for all musical tastes this month.

Enjoy the shows, Vancouver!

Bob Moses

Vancouver babes Bob Moses are back in the city for a homecoming show at the Commodore Ballroom. With their debut album, Days Gone By, set for release later in the month on September 18, expect to hear a lot of epic electo-pop fusions like their singles “Talk” and “Too Much Is Never Enough.”

When: Sunday, September 3 at 9 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $25. 19+

Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals

After stealing the show at Pemberton Music Festival in July, Anderon .Paak returns to Vancouver for a victory lap on September 4. Expect the rapper extraordinaire to rely heavily on tracks from Malibu (the New Yorker called “Parking Lot” the “song of the summer) with a couple of fan favourites mixed in for good measure.

When: Sunday, September 4 at 8 pm
Where: Vogue Theatre – 918 Granville Street
Tickets: Sold out

Explosions in the Sky

Austin instrumental rock band Explosions in the Sky return to our city to support their latest release The Wilderness. With seven albums to their name the band is perhaps best remembered for their contributions to the soundtrack for Friday Night Lights, both during its run on TV and it’s appearance on the big screen. They play two gigs in Vancouver this month.

When: Sunday, September 4 at 8 pm and Monday, September 5 at 7 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Sunday’s show is sold-out. Tickets for Monday are available at $30. 19+

San Holo

San Holo is making back to school time a little better. The producer is back in Vancouver, this time hitting Fortune Sound Club. One of the fastest growing talents in electronic music, San Holo has gone from Soundcloud star to respected music maker in less than two years.

When: Thursday, September 8 at 9 pm
Where: Fortune Sound Club – 147 East Pender Street
Tickets: Available online at $15. 19+

Boyce Avenue

Boyce Avenue rose to superstar status a few years ago courtesy of their wildly popular YouTube channels. The band, made up of brothers Daniel, Fabian, and Alejandro Manzano, upload original material and cover songs (like their awesome version of Adele’s “Hello”), and their videos have been seen more than a billion times online. This is their rescheduled show from April.

When: Saturday, September 10 at 6:30 pm
Where: Vogue Theatre – 918 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $30. All ages

Keith Urban

Not only does Keith Urban have the prettiest hair in country music – he also has one of the genre’s prettiest voices, too. Expect the awesome Aussie to play hits from 2016’s Ripcord, in addition to Grammy-winning favourites like “You’ll Think Of Me” and “Stupid Boy”.

When: Saturday, September 10 at 7:30 pm
Where: Rogers Arena – 800 Griffiths Way
Tickets: Available online from $69.50 to $109.50. All ages

Action Bronson

Since entering rap’s ring in 2012, the former chef released a number of mixtapes before unveiling his first full-length album, Mr. Wonderful, back in March last year. Catch the popular foodie rapper in town this month.

When: Monday, September 12 at 8 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $40. 19+

Juliette Lewis

Actress and singer Juliette Lewis (yes, THE Juliette Lewis from Natural Born Killers and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) makes a Vancouver stop on her current tour. Lewis began her music career with Juliette and the Licks until she launch her solo stuff in 2009.

When: Wednesday, September 14 at 8 pm
Where: Venue – 881 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $20. 19+

David Crosby

David Crosby has sold millions of albums and has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice – as a member of Crosby, Stills & Nash, and a founding member of The Byrds. Expect the singer-songwriter to perform songs from both periods, in addition to songs from Croz, his first solo album in 20 years.

When: Thursday, September 15 at 8 pm
Where: Vogue Theatre – 918 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online from $20 to $720. All ages

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald

Calgary singer/songwriter Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is back in Vancouver this month, bringing with him his signature swooning sound. Fitzgerald is a regular on music festival stages, so having him at an intimate venue should be a bonus for fans.

When: Thursday, September 15 at 8 pm
Where: The Fox Cabaret – 2321 Main Street
Tickets: Available online at $15. 19+

Bloc Party

Kele Okereke and the Bloc gang are back. Bloc Party formed back in the early 2000s, and have released five studio albums, including last year’s Hymns. With several major hit singles, from “So Here We Are” to “The Good News”, Bloc Party will keep you dancing all night.

When: Friday, September 16 at 8 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $35. 19+

Drake

Drake’s Summer Sixteen tour has been as successful as it has been controversial. The rapper took shots at local radio station HOT 97 during a concert in New York, and recently reignited his feud with Meek Mill at a show in Mill’s hometown of Philadelphia (“you did this to your motherf&$@n’ self, boy,” he said after performing diss track “Back To Back”). There’s no telling which local stars he may throw shade at during his Vancouver shows but if we were either Tegan or Sara, we’d stay home.

When: Saturday, September 17 and Sunday, September 18 at 6:30 pm
Where: Rogers Arena – 800 Griffiths Way
Tickets: Available online from $49.50 to $179.50. All ages

Blink 182

Punk rock trio Blink-182 are playing the Abbotsford Centre! Yes, maybe not Vancouver, but close enough. The punk pop favourites are back after a long interlude (sans former lead singer Tom DeLonge) with a brand new single “Bored to Death,” from their seventh studio album, California. The boys are on a massive summer tour, which will visit nearly 50 cities throughout North America.

When: Sunday, September 18 at 6 pm
Where: Abbotsford Centre – 33800 King Road, Abbotsford
Tickets: Available online from $35 to $79.50. All ages

Dolly Parton

Here she comes again! Country legend Dolly Parton will dazzle Vancouver on September 19 with songs and stories from her storied, six decade-long career. Parton has racked up an impressive 25 Number One songs on Billboard’s country chart, more than any other female artist, and her latest album Pure & Simple is a best-seller.

When: Monday, September 19 at 7:30 pm
Where: Rogers Arena – 800 Griffiths Way
Tickets: Available online from $39.50 to $97.50. All ages

Sigur Ros

The Icelandic rockers are on the road promoting Kevikur, their first album to not feature founding member Kjartan Sveinsson. But Sigur Ros are doing just fine as a threesome; the band were featured on an episode of Game of Thrones and contributed music to The Simpsons. 

When: Monday, September 19 at 8:30 pm
Where: Queen Elizabeth Theatre – 600 Block Hamilton Street
Tickets: Available online from $56.50 to $76.50. All ages

The Temper Trap

Everyone had that one friend who played the Temper Trap’s single “Sweet Disposition” on repeat throughout 2009/10. The Aussie band released their latest album Thick as Thieves earlier this summer, and are now on a North American tour.

When: Wednesday, September 21 at 7 pm
Where: The Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $32.50. 19+

Echo & The Bunnymen

English rockers Echo & The Bunnymen have been around since 1978. The Liverpool natives originally split back in ’88, but got back together later in the 90s. Their latest release was 2014’s Meteorites.

When: Saturday, September 24 at 7 pm
Where: The Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online from $39.50. 19+

Jack Garratt

British artist-producer and multi-instrumentalist Jack Garratt brings his live one-man show to the Commodore in September. Concert goers can expect to hear songs from Garratt’s self-written, self-performed, self-recorded, and largely self-produced debut album Phase.

When: Monday, September 26 at 7 pm
Where: The Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $25. 19+

Peaches

Toronto’s Peaches hits the Commodore Ballroom again this fall. Always putting on energetic shows, Peaches is known for her electro grooves and explicit lyrics. Having been in the music industry since the early 90s, the always wild and adventurous Peaches is unpredictable, so you never know what you’ll get at her shows.

When: Wednesday, September 28 at 8 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom, 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online at $28.50. 19+

Lindsey Stirling

Former America’s Got Talent contestant Lindsey Stirling is the hottest thing in electronic music right now, literally and figuratively (check out the video for “Crystalize” above – hubba hubba). The violin-playing virtuoso has performed for audiences around the world, killing them softly with her unique blend of classical music in club beats. Stirling’s latest album, Brave Enough, features guess appearances by Christina Perri and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo.

When: Wednesday, September 28 at 8:30 pm
Where: Orpheum Theatre – 884 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online from $32.50 to $69.50. All ages

KT Tunstall

KT Tunstall has been crafting hits for years (“Black Horse In A Cherry Tree” was an instant-classic back in 2005), but her latest song “I Got My Tambo Back” was a viral hit this summer for hilarious reasons. Tunstall performed a show in Scotland a few weeks ago and her beloved tambourine was taken by an overzealous fan; after an online plea, the instrument was eventually returned to the singer in a taxi cab. Tunstall repaid the kind gesture by releasing the 38 second-long “thank you” tune on Twitter.

When: Thursday, September 29 at 7 pm
Where: Commodore Ballroom – 868 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online for $29.50. 19+

LANY

LA-based trio LANY return for their headlining show and The Kinda Tour. Together since 2014, they have put together some incredibly catchy tunes (see above) and have recently released their 6 track EP, Kinda.

When: Thursday, September 29 at 8 pm
Where: Venue – 881 Granville Street
Tickets: Available online for $20. 19+

Kaytranada

Kaytranada returns to Vancouver at the end of September for an all ages show at the Vogue Theatre. The Montreal-based producer has had quite the year. From opening for Madonna’s “Rebel Heart Tour” in Vancouver, to the release of his anticipated debut album 99.9%, it has been a milestone of accomplishments. Kaytra (or Kaytradamus as he was once called) has collaborated with GoldLink, AlunaGeorge, Anderson .Paak, and Craig David – among many others.

Where: The Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville Street
When: September 30 at 7 pm
Tickets: Available online from $30. All ages