'Metric' Announced As Peterborough Musicfest's First Act of 2024

The first act for the 37th-annual Peterborough Musicfest is bringing the musical stylings of Metric to town for July 17 at Del Crary Park, announced on Tuesday.

Metric has played Coachella, one of the world's largest and most famous music festivals.  Photo courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest.

The band last appeared in Peterborough in 2010 at the Memorial Centre. Lead singer Emily Haines' brother Tim Haines operates the local record store Blue Streak Records on George Street in Downtown Peterborough. 

While this is the first act announced for Musicfest, more dates and a lineup reveal are occurring in May.

Peterborough Musicfest's 37th season runs from June 29 to August 17 with free concerts every Wednesday and Saturday night.

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Juno-Award Winning Rock Band Billy Talent to Take Centre Stage At the Peterborough Memorial Centre On Aug. 6

The Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) stage is going to be rocked as multi-Juno award-winning band Billy Talent is hitting the stage for Aug. 6, announced on Tuesday morning.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The Canadian punk quartet Billy Talent spent the latter part of the 1990s building a hard-won grassroots following before breaking out into mainstream success in 2003.

Their Juno Award-winning self-entitled debut album went quadruple-platinum,. As Subsequent albums such as Billy Talent II and III went multi-platinum and to the top of the Canadian Albums chart.

By the time of 2016's Afraid of Heights, the band had become a highly decorated rock act with an international fan base and years of hard touring to their credit. After a six-year gap, they returned with their sixth set, 2022's Crisis of Faith, which landed three consecutive number one songs at Canadian Rock Radio, leading to two Juno Nominations.

Bands Crown Lands and NOBRO are joining Billy Talent as opening acts. Crown Lands is a Juno Award winning rock duo from Oshawa as NOBRO is an all-female Canadian rock band from Quebec.

Tickets go on sale March 1 at 10 a.m. online, by phone at 705-743-3561 or in person at the PMC Box Office. Tickets are priced at $60.99, $80.99 and $90.99 (plus applicable fees). One dollar from each ticket sold will be donated to War Child Canada to help to provide aid to children and families in war and conflict areas.

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Homelessness Benefit Concert Returns With 'Peterborough Performs IV' For United Way at Showplace On March 7

Sixteen acts are taking the stage at Showplace Performance Centre for United Way’s ‘Peterborough Performs IV: Musicians United to End Homelessness’ to fundraise for homelessness initiatives announced Thursday morning.

Musician Dan Hicks is one of 16 acts joining ‘Peterborough Performs IV."‘ Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The one-night event takes place on March 7 at Showplace (290 George St. N.) at 7 p.m. with tickets for $50.

The campaign is in its fourth year with the ultimate fundraising goal $1.45 million. The concert has raised over $84,000 to date, with 95 per cent of the proceeds going to local shelters according to Paul Rellinger, event organizer.

“We all feel homelessness is a big issue that we can't as individuals do anything about,” he said. “You can make a difference with this event.”

While the event averages over $28,000 annually in raised funds, Rellinger adds that no goal is set for this campaign's fourth edition.

“The first goal is to do better than the year before,” he said. “What I'm really excited about is the event is going to well pass $100,000 in money raised over four events and that's pretty good for something that was just an idea four years ago.”

Tiffany Arcari from ‘The Tiffany Show’ is the emcee for the event.

The following are the acts performing at this year’s concert:

  • The Weber Brothers Band

  • Emily Burgess

  • SJ Riley

  • The Austin Carson Band

  • The Peterborough All-Star Band (featuring Rick and Gailie Young)

  • The Cheryl Casselman Trio

  • Irish Millie

  • Tom Eastland

  • Chris Collins

  • Bread & Soul

  • Phil Stephenson/Glen Cardus/Ron Kervin

  • Jacques Graveline

  • The Hippie Chicks

  • Michaela Hetherington

  • Dan Hick

  • Tim Burnie (stand-up comedian)

An online auction with over 50 items runs until March 7 at 10 p.m. Local businesses, sponsors and organizations have donated all the lots for the auction.

Tickets to Peterborough Performs are available for purchase at the Showplace Box Office. The discount code ‘LoveLocal’ is available to purchase two tickets for $40 until next week Thursday.

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Grammy-Winning Group TLC Bringing 90's Nostalgia to the Peterborough Memorial Centre For May 18

There will be 90’s nostalgia hitting the Peterborough Memorial Centre as Grammy-award winning group TLC with special guests All-4-One and Color Me Badd hit the stage on May 18.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

TLC has sold 85 million Records Worldwide, had four number one singles in the US, 10 Top Ten singles in the US, won 4 Grammy Awards, 5 MTV Awards, 5 Soul Train Awards and 4 Multi-Platinum selling albums. Two of them (Fanmail and CrazySexyCool) are certified Diamond by the RIAA and have one billion plays on Pandora.  

All-4-One are best known for their songs I Swear, I Can Love You Like That, So Much In Love, I Turn To You, These Arms, Beautiful As You and more. The Grammy Award Winning group All-4-One is internationally known for chart topping radio hits and also garnering countless awards. All-4-One’s very first single ‘So Much In Love,’ scaled to RIAA Gold Sales and top five pop status.

Color Me Badd were considered the leaders of a resurgence of post-doo-wop harmony groups singing in the early 1990s.

Best known for their singles I Wanna Sex You Up, I Ador, Mi Amor and All 4 Love, the group has sold over 12 million records worldwide, had two number one Hit Singles, nine Top 40 Hits and a Triple-Platinum Album. They were nominated for two Grammy Awards, won two Soul Train Music Awards and one American Music Award and were nominated for five others.

Tickets range from $79.50 to $149.50 (plus applicable fees) and go on-sale Friday at 10 a.m. online, by phone at 705-743-3561 or in person at the box office.

PMC Scoop members presale begins on Wednesday at 10 a.m. where presale codes are available online.

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Jazz Singer Ada Lee to Perform Special Fundraising Concert To Benefit Peterborough and District Pathway of Fame

The Peterborough and District Pathway of Fame is hosting a special fundraising concert featuring world-renowned jazz singer Ada Lee at the Studio at Showplace Performance Centre on Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Pathway Walk of Fame.

She has performed with some of the most revered generational jazz masters including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Guido Basso, Moe Koffman and Don Thompson.

The ‘Home Again’ concert represents a return to Peterborough for Ada, where she founded the Voices For Life Gospel Choir and was an active community volunteer. She has been honoured with a Governor General’s Award and the City of Peterborough Key to the City. She was also inducted into the Peterborough and District Pathway of Fame, where she served as a founding member.

The opening act is the Sean Hully Jazz Group and Ms. Lee will be accompanied by Rob Phillips. The concert is produced and sponsored by David Goyette.

Tickets are $35 and are available through Showplace at showplace.org or 705-742-7469.

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'Harmony for Healing' Event Organizer Sends Cordial Invitation Letter to Neil Young and Daryl Hannah

Organizer Philip Jolicoeur has reached out in a cordial letter to famed Canadian musician Neil Young and his wife and actress Daryl Hannah to attend his ‘Harmony for Healing’ suicide prevention concert.

Jolicoeur’s letter that was posted to social media. Photo courtesy of Philip Jolicoeur.

Jolicoeur’s mother passed away from suicide in the summer of 2022. He says Young’s music was a ‘comfort’ to her and himself. Jolicouer got to see Young in concert for the first time when he was four.

The letter was posted to social media on Wednesday and had almost 200 shares on Facebook, tagging the renowned artist.

The show is set for Feb. 22 at Market Hall. Tickets are $40 (plus $4 for ticket office fees) and are available online.

The concert has a house band boasting a large handful of Peterborough’s best performing at the event. The Weber Brothers, Melissa Payne, Nicholas Campbell, Austin Carson, Carling Campbell, Beth Anne Pelow on Sax, Tony Silvestri, Lindsay Barr and the artistry of Jason Wilkins Art & Creative Inc. are showcased at the event.

The event’s fundraising goal is $10,000 annually over a five-year span to raise a total of $50,000. Proceeds go to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Assertive Outreach Suicide Prevention program.

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Canadian Artist Shawn Desman to Hit The Venue With Special Guest Sofia Camara On March 1

To help mark his 2024 Ontario and Quebec tour, JUNO Award-winning pop artist Shawn Desman is performing at The Venue on March 1, announced on Wednesday.

File Photo.

The multi-platinum artist has added rising pop artist Sofia Camara as a special guest for the tour.

2024 promises more new music and an expansion of live shows for Desman, according to a press release. 

Ticket availability can be found online on Desman’s website.

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Hometown PTBO: Phillip Joilcoeur Organizing the 'Harmony For Healing' Concert and His Mother's Passing As Its Connection

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks to ‘Harmony For Healing’ organizer Phillip Jolicoeur about the concert coming up on Feb. 22 next year, the connection of his mother’s passing last year and the concert and his long-term plans with the event.

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Peterborough Concert Band Hosting PATH Benefit Concert For Oct. 15

The Peterborough Concert Band is holding a special musical program, ‘The PATH Forward’ to benefit Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes (PATH) for Oct. 15 at Market Hall.

The performance is conducted by Juno-nominated Music Director Saman Shahi as Kate Suhr and Megan Murphy will guide the audience through a program that features big band standards, classical gems, new compositions and vocals. A celebratory reception hosted by PATH volunteers will follow the concert.

All tickets are $40 ($44 including HST and fees). They are available by phone (705-775-1503), at the box office and online. Live streaming tickets are also available online and are $10 each.

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Blue Rodeo With Special Guest Melissa Payne Returns to the Peterborough Memorial Centre On Dec. 28

Canadian icons Blue Rodeo returns to the Peterborough Memorial Centre with special guest Melissa Payne on Dec. 28.

File Photo.

The band is touring, celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the band’s fifth studio album ‘Five Days in July.’

Ennismore’s Melissa Payne is bringing her background in old-time fiddle and traditional Celtic music to the stage.

“This night in December has become an annual favourite for the Peterborough community,” said Jeremy Giles, PMC facility manager. “Blue Rodeo’s music always brings the feelings of celebration and fun to the PMC. A band with a catalogue like theirs keeps fans singing along as they play hit after hit. We are really thrilled to be able to welcome our local girl Melissa Payne to this lineup as well this year.”

Tickets are on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. in person at the PMC Box Office, by phone at 705-743-3561 and online

Exclusive pre-sale for PMC Scoop members starts on Wednesday at 10: a.m.

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