That is it, another year complete. 2018 ended up being very productive in terms of shows and personal progress.
I worked through a lot of personal emotional pain regarding my father, whom passed away back in 2016. Currently, I am at peace with his departure from this world. I will forever be saddened by the loss but I no longer feel this cloud of pain hanging over me. That was a big milestone for me. I think it is important for people to be open about their pain and mental state, never hide what you are going through.
In the beginning of the year, I had planned to attend many fewer concerts but I didn’t abide by that plan. I made lots of choices to sneak off and see plenty of shows, it helped me work through that pain and in the end I am grateful for that.
The Concert Addicts brand saw growth in total visitors and total views across the main website and all social media streams. We managed to team up with several great partners to arrange coverage of their shows and even sponsor some of them with advertising deals. Things are starting to expand again and the additional demand absorbed much of my free time, in the end I had fun doing it and felt rewarded for my investment of blood, sweat, and tears.
In my annual moment of retrospect, I sat down and came up with a list of some my favourite things from this past annum.
Favourite album: The Struts – Young&Dangerous (Canada or USA)
Favourite song: Hozier ft. Mavis Staples – Nina Cried Power
Favourite new-to-me artist: Blood Red Shoes
Favourite movie: Hereditary
I took a little bit longer and came up with my top ten most loved shows of the year. It was a tough decision as there were a lot of contenders for the top, but after some deliberation these were my choices.
Now that we got the top ten out of the way, we can look at things a little more holistically. In total, I saw 106 concerts and around 297 individual artists/performers/etc. Now that is a spicy meatball! Like I said it was a busy year.
Many of these shows I did not stay for the whole set. In some circumstances, I would leave after the first 3 songs, as is required for concert photographers, and then move on to a second or even third show in the same night. So, don’t look at my list and compare it to yours, because it would not be apples to apples. None the less, these were the bands/artists I was lucky enough to witness.
| Artist | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Big Boi | Jan 09 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Cool Kids | Jan 09 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Def3 | Jan 09 | Commodore Ballroom |
| K. Flay | Jan 21 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Sir Sly | Jan 21 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Meshuggah | Jan 23 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Code Orange | Jan 23 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Adam Sandler | Jan 24 | Orpheum Theatre |
| David Spade | Jan 24 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Rob Schneider | Jan 24 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Nick Swardson | Jan 24 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Tyler, The Creator | Jan 26 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Passion Pit | Jan 26 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Halestorm | Jan 27 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Stone Sour | Jan 27 | Abbotsford Centre |
| The Wombats | Jan 30 | Venue |
| Future Feats | Jan 30 | Venue |
| Sleeping With Sirens | Feb 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Set It Off | Feb 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| The Gospel Youth | Feb 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Dua Lipa | Feb 16 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Enter Shikari | Feb 16 | Imperial |
| Milk Teeth | Feb 16 | Imperial |
| Avenged Sevenfold | Feb 17 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Gogol Bordello | Feb 18 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Lucky Chops | Feb 18 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Asking Alexandria | Feb 26 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Crown The Empire | Feb 26 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Theory Of A Deadman | Feb 26 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Blue Stones | Feb 26 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Architects | Mar 01 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Stick To Your Guns | Mar 01 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Big Wreck | Mar 01 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Jesse Roper | Mar 01 | Commodore Ballroom |
| PVRIS | Mar 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Flint Eastwood | Mar 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Santana | Mar 07 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Run The Jewels | Mar 08 | Rogers Arena |
| Tove Styrke | Mar 08 | Rogers Arena |
| Jay Chandrasekhar | Mar 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Kevin Heffernan | Mar 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Steve Lemme | Mar 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| COIN | Mar 13 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| The Aces | Mar 13 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Steel Panther | Mar 15 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Wild | Mar 15 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Andy Grammer | Mar 21 | The Vogue Theatre |
| James TW | Mar 21 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Amine | Mar 27 | Venue |
| Odie | Mar 27 | Venue |
| Lucy Dacus | Mar 27 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| And The Kids | Mar 27 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Adult Mom | Mar 27 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Beth Ditto | Mar 28 | Imperial |
| Ssion | Mar 28 | Imperial |
| Our Lady Peace | Mar 31 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Matthew Good | Mar 31 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Ellevator | Mar 31 | Abbotsford Centre |
| The Darkness | Apr 04 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Diarrhea Planet | Apr 04 | The Vogue Theatre |
| The Strypes | Apr 04 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Alvvays | Apr 04 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Shinedown | Apr 06 | Abbotsford Centre |
| In This Moment | Apr 06 | Abbotsford Centre |
| One Bad Son | Apr 06 | Abbotsford Centre |
| 10 Years | Apr 06 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Jonathan Davis | Apr 09 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Palisades | Apr 09 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Neighbourhood | Apr 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Health | Apr 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Field Medic | Apr 10 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Jaden Smith | Apr 10 | Imperial |
| Geoff Berner | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Riz Ahmed | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Ladama | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Sarah Kay | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Joshua Roman | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| jaron lanier | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| maria popova | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| adam foss | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| sarah parcak | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| neil gaiman | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| mike posner | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| lili haydn | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Emily nagoski | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Adam Savage | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Amanda Palmer | Apr 11 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Hayley Kiyoko | Apr 18 | The Vogue Theatre |
| I M U R | Apr 18 | The Vogue Theatre |
| The Fratellis | Apr 26 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Blood Red Shoes | Apr 26 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Wild Child | Apr 26 | The Fox Cabaret |
| Flatbush Zombies | Apr 27 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Kirk Knight | Apr 27 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Nyck Caution | Apr 27 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Bishop Briggs | Apr 27 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Youngblood | Apr 27 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Unknown Mortal Orchestra | May 08 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Makeness | May 08 | Commodore Ballroom |
| X Ambassadors | May 08 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Jacob Banks | May 08 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Eagles | May 10 | Rogers Arena |
| JD & The Straight Shot | May 10 | Rogers Arena |
| Slayer | May 16 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Anthrax | May 16 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Lamb Of God | May 16 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Behemoth | May 16 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Testament | May 16 | Pacific Coliseum |
| The Brian Jonestown Massacre | May 21 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Ghost Meat | May 21 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Hinds | May 21 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Goodbye Honolulu | May 21 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| Fever Ray | May 22 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Bunny Michael | May 22 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Sofi Tukker | May 22 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Kah-lo | May 22 | Commodore Ballroom |
| LP Giobbi | May 22 | Commodore Ballroom |
| King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | Jun 05 | Malkin Bowl |
| Amyl and The Sniffers | Jun 05 | Malkin Bowl |
| Bhad Bhabie | Jun 05 | Venue |
| Bryan Adams | Jun 06 | Rogers Arena |
| The Longshot | Jun 13 | Rickshaw Theatre |
| Frankie and the Studs | Jun 13 | Rickshaw Theatre |
| Kaleo | Jun 23 | PNE Amphitheatre |
| Dan Mangan | Jun 23 | PNE Amphitheatre |
| John Butler Trio | Jun 27 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Gomez | Jun 27 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Jon Bryant | Jun 27 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Macy Gray | Jun 28 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Belle and Sebastien | Jun 28 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Japanese Breakfast | Jun 28 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Collective Soul | Jun 28 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Robert Plant | Jun 29 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Future | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| A$AP Ferg | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| London On Da Track | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| Tails | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| Kaskade | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| Noodles | Jul 07 | Holland Park |
| Harry Styles | Jul 07 | Rogers Arena |
| Brockhampton | Jul 08 | Holland Park |
| Kehlani | Jul 08 | Holland Park |
| Lil Skies | Jul 08 | Holland Park |
| Bazzi | Jul 08 | Holland Park |
| Duke Dumont | Jul 08 | Holland Park |
| Kina Grannis | Jul 17 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Imaginary Future | Jul 17 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Suicidal Tendencies | Jul 17 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Havok | Jul 17 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Keys N Krates | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Juicy J | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Wu-Tang Clan | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Cappadonna | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| DJ Mathematics | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Ghostface Killah | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| GZA | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Inspectah Deck | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Masta Killa | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Raekwon | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| RZA | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| U-God | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Method Man | Jul 29 | Center Of Gravity |
| Queens of The Stone Age | Aug 04 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Eagles Of Death Metal | Aug 04 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Panic! At The Disco | Aug 11 | Rogers Arena |
| Hayley Kiyoko | Aug 11 | Rogers Arena |
| Jack White | Aug 12 | Rogers Arena |
| Olivia Jean | Aug 12 | Rogers Arena |
| Alice Cooper | Aug 20 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Vince Staples | Aug 24 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Sabrina Claudio | Aug 24 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Manilla Grey | Aug 24 | Westminster Pier Park |
| LNDN DRGS | Aug 24 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Anderson .paak | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Alina Baraz | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Sonreal | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Rico Nasty | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Kandy K | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| Anders | Aug 25 | Westminster Pier Park |
| The Cult | Aug 28 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Stone Temple Pilots | Aug 28 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Bush | Aug 28 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Portugal. the Man | Sep 01 | Deer Lake Park |
| Broken Social Scene | Sep 01 | Deer Lake Park |
| Youngblood | Sep 01 | Deer Lake Park |
| Phoenix | Sep 03 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Little Destroyer | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| Matt Mays | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| Dear Rouge | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| Chromeo | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| Black Pistol Fire | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| Arkells | Sep 07 | Brockton Point |
| X Ambassadors | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Rodrigo y Gabriela | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Milky Chance | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Matt Andersen | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| St. Vincent | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Metric | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Florence + The Machine | Sep 08 | Brockton Point |
| Foo Fighters | Sep 08 | Rogers Arena |
| The Joy Formidable | Sep 08 | Rogers Arena |
| Cold War Kids | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Yukon Blonde | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Greta Van Fleet | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Mother Mother | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Bahamas | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Buffy Sainte-Marie | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Father John Misty | Sep 09 | Brockton Point |
| Leon Bridges | Sep 16 | PNE Amphitheatre |
| Khruangbin | Sep 16 | PNE Amphitheatre |
| Rise Against | Sep 23 | PNE Forum |
| AFI | Sep 23 | PNE Forum |
| Anti-flag | Sep 23 | PNE Forum |
| WWE Live | Sep 30 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Def Leppard | Oct 01 | Rogers Arena |
| Journey | Oct 01 | Rogers Arena |
| Gary Numan | Oct 01 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Nightmare Air | Oct 01 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Jay-z | Oct 02 | BC Place |
| Beyonce | Oct 02 | BC Place |
| Chloe x Halle | Oct 02 | BC Place |
| Clutch | Oct 08 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Sevendust | Oct 08 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown | Oct 08 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Luke Bryan | Oct 13 | BC Place |
| Sam Hunt | Oct 13 | BC Place |
| Jon Pardi | Oct 13 | BC Place |
| Carly Pearce | Oct 13 | BC Place |
| Noah Cyrus | Oct 23 | Venue |
| Maty Noyes | Oct 23 | Venue |
| Arctic Monkeys | Oct 25 | Pacific Coliseum |
| Ty Segall | Oct 25 | Biltmore Cabaret |
| The Glorious Sons | Nov 03 | Commodore Ballroom |
| The Beaches | Nov 03 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Tank and the Bangas | Nov 05 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Big Freedia | Nov 05 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Naughty Professor | Nov 05 | Commodore Ballroom |
| 98 Degrees | Nov 06 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Bend Sinister | Nov 06 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Reignwolf | Nov 06 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Troye Sivan | Nov 08 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Kim Petras | Nov 08 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Carlie Hanson | Nov 08 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Wavves | Nov 16 | The Vogue Theatre |
| The Garden | Nov 16 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Shy Guys | Nov 16 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Behemoth | Nov 19 | Commodore Ballroom |
| At The Gates | Nov 19 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Wolves in the Throne Room | Nov 19 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Jorja Smith | Nov 20 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Ravyn Lenae | Nov 20 | Orpheum Theatre |
| Aimee Song | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Anna Cathcart | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Asalah Youssef | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Craig Kielburger | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Daniel Sedin | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Drew Scott | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Elaine Leung | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Esera Tuaolo | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Grace Dove | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Henrik Sedin | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Jrdn | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Karina Leblanc | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Keshia Chanté | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Laurdiy | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Lights | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Liz Trinnear | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Marc Kielburger | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Margaret Trudeau | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Millie Davis | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Noor Fadel | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Peter Mansbridge | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Ryan Hickman | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Shawn Hook | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Shilpa Narayan | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Sonreal | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Spencer West | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Tai Young | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Tyrone Edwards | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| Wali | Nov 22 | Rogers Arena |
| 6lack | Nov 29 | Harbour Event Centre |
| Deante Hitchcock | Nov 29 | Harbour Event Centre |
| Pale Waves | Dec 01 | Venue |
| Kailee Morgue | Dec 01 | Venue |
| The Candescents | Dec 01 | Venue |
| Joe Bonamassa | Dec 01 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Elvis Costello | Dec 04 | Queen Elizabeth Theatre |
| Black Pistol Fire | Dec 06 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Hollerado | Dec 06 | Commodore Ballroom |
| Three Days Grace | Dec 14 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Nothing More | Dec 14 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Bad Wolves | Dec 14 | Abbotsford Centre |
| Amine | Dec 18 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Buddy | Dec 18 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Kayo Genesis | Dec 18 | The Vogue Theatre |
| Cheap Trick | Dec 28 | Molson Canadian Theatre |
I managed to capture a lot of those bands in photograph, my most notable favourites to shoot include The Glorious Sons, Jorja Smith, Greta Van Fleet, The Longshot, Nothing More, Slayer, In This Moment, Foo Fighters, and Florence + the Machine.
Combing through my photo archive I managed to pick my top fifty favourite photos of 2018.
Photos © Jamie Taylor // Cryptic Photography
So, that is it. 2018 is over and we ring in the New Year tonight.
2019 looks to be the year of the farewell tour again with artists like KISS and Elton John and others planning “goodbye tours”. Take those words with a grain of salt, as we all know sometimes that is just wishful thinking or even a marketing ploy by the bands camp.
Thank you to everyone that followed, liked, retweeted, read, shared, or in anyway interacted with our content. I am forever appreciative of your open hearts and the love you show.
Thank you to every contributor that took time out of their day to create impressive and unique content for the masses. You are all truly amazing and I really need to take more time to tell you that more often.
Thank you all for a fabulous 2018. Now lets take on 2019 with open eyes and open hearts.
