Well, it’s been about a week since the end of Taylor Swift’s monumental Eras Tour. Millions attended, and I’d presume that millions more, like me, never even got half a sniff at a ticket. I confess I didn’t exactly engage in battle with the ridiculous Ticketmaster queues, impossible lottery statistics, or even a near-complete failure of the entire sales system. Nor did I create multiple email accounts to game the allocation system, take days off work to phone in to radio show contests, or any similar extreme measures. Perhaps I’m just not a dedicated enough fan. But as an alternative, I did end up seeing a lot of good live music anyway.
A little cross-referencing of the 149 Eras shows during most of 2023 and nearly all of 2024 against my folders of live music photos reveals that I was watching, listening to, and photographing musicians on 12 separate Eras tour dates. Many of these were independent artists that I like, some were acts that I wish I’d seen decades earlier, and others were completely new to me.
So, here, I present to you: Richard’s 2023-2024 alt-Eras tour.
2023
April 1. Taylor Swift is in Arlington, Texas. Richard, on the other hand, is at the Cameron House in Toronto. On stage: pop powerhouse Liam Benayon, hosting a party for the release of his single entitled, ironically enough, “Don’t Call Me At A Party”. With support from Jack Dean playing his first solo show, and DJ Zellers.
Liam and fans. It’s possible that the room was slightly over capacity.
As a bonus, I also caught folk duo Robertson Meadows in the Cameron’s cozy front room, before Liam went on in the much starker and more rock-n-roll back room.
Robertson Meadows: mandolin, guitar, and a couple of great voices.
June 9-10. Taylor’s in Detroit, Michigan. Not so very far away in Simcoe, Ontario, is the Norfolk County Fairgrounds Festival, where over two days we had local singer Felicia McMinn (who I missed due to backstage meet-n-greet photo duties, but have seen on other occasions), and a great line-up of pop and rock acts: Dizzy, The Beaches, Bif Naked, Sloan, and Finger Eleven.
The Beaches, just before their song “Blame Brett” blew up.
August 27. Mexico City. Today, Richard was at the Orillia Opera House in Ontario, to see the Canadian Musicians Co-Op showcase. As usual, a great show featuring a couple of dozen independent artists that are well worth your attention.
Feura, maybe my favourite act to photograph, with guitarist Jules McCools.
2024
March 7. Singapore. Today, I’m at See-Scape in Toronto, watching a favourite electro-pop outfit, My Own Money, along with solo act Friends From Church and headliners Javi Goodnite (tagline: “Spaghetti Western Surf Cowboy Rock”).
My Own Money, upstairs at “Toronto’s Original Sci-Fi Bar and Cafe”.
May 18. Stockholm. I find myself at Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Tavern to see the wildly eclectic mix of The Petras (pop-punk), The Lookout Service (melodic hard rock, very loud), Delyn Grey (blues-rock), and The Lemon Pistols (defies explanation, think ska-punk with a massive sense of humour).
The Petras, chilling backstage.
June 14-15. Liverpool, and I’m back at the Norfolk County Fairgrounds Festival again, this time for a hard rocking mix of By Divine Right, 54*40, Sam Roberts Band, The Wild High, Saint Asonia, and Theory of a Deadman.
Sam Roberts Band, one of those acts that seems to always be on the road.
July 6. Amsterdam. Or Big Shiny Saturday at The Bowl at Sobey’s Stadium, Toronto. Someone had the idea of putting a bunch of 90’s guitar bands on stage and I was all for it. I saw warm-up act DJ Human Kebab, opener Bif Naked (who was even better than in Norfolk last year), and the newly re-formed Treble Charger. There were more acts on tap, but I was there working for Treble Charger, and didn’t stick around for the rest.
Canadian pop-punk legend Bif Naked. Would 100% see again, anywhere, any time.
August 16. London. I, on the other hand, am at Carrot Fest in Bradford, Ontario. Yes, Carrot Fest, once again for the Canadian Musicians Co-op showcase.
Co-op alumna Melle, warming the crowd up for the main showcase to come.
November 2-3. Indianapolis. Or the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, which featured a live music stage among its many other attractions. I caught up with country musician Kristin Nicholls and singer Kelly Davies.
Kristin Nicholls, performing solo on this occasion.
That may seem like a lot of live music, but these are only the shows that intersected with Eras Tour dates. If I counted right, I actually saw live music on 23 occasions in something like 17 different venues over the course of the Eras era. For photos of these, and a whole lot more besides, take a look at my Concerts and Events collection on Flickr. And then perhaps consider going to see a live show in your own home town, maybe even an independent artist or two – why not?
