This here is a pretty extensive list. Perusing it, you might not believe that I didn’t get out to see my first concert until I was almost twenty years old. However, it is the truth and it’s also true that I’ve spent the years that followed going to as many concerts as I could afford. As you can see, I definitely made up for it, especially over the last ten years.
1993
June 22 – New Model Army w/ Ed Alleyne-Johnson @ Lee’s Palace
1994
February 13 – Teenage Fanclub w/ Yo La Tengo @ Lee’s Palace
February 20 – Wonder Stuff w/ Chapterhouse @ RPM
June 20 – Depeche Mode w/ Primal Scream & Stabbing Westward @ Kingswood Music Theatre**
August 21 – Lush w/ Weezer & Throneberry @ The Warehouse
September 28 – Blur w/ Pulp @ The Phoenix
1995
May 21 – Edgefest – Blur, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Elastica & Our Lady Peace @ Molson Amphitheatre
September 11 – Spirit of the West @ The Underground
October 24 – Beautiful South @ Danforth Music Hall**
1996
October 27 – Billy Bragg w/ Robyn Hitchcock @ Concert Hall
November 20?? – Spirit of the West @ The Underground**
1997
July 7 – Foo Fighters w/ By Divine Right @ The Warehouse
September 16 – Luna w/ Snow pony @ The Opera House
September 26 – Charlatans w/ Dandy Warhols @ The Guvernment**
November 27 – Spiritualized w/ Acetone @ The Guvernment
1998
February 1 – Sisters of Mercy @ The Warehouse
April 12 – Radiohead w/ Spiritualized @ Maple Leaf Gardens
November 13 – Miles Hunt w/ Ron Hawkins @ El Mocambo
1999
April 15 – Miles Hunt @ El Mocambo
May 24 – Saint Etienne @ Lee’s Palace
July 5 – Kula Shaker @ The Opera House
August 24 – R.E.M. w/ Wilco @ Molson Amphitheatre**
September 24 – Groundswell U.K. w/ Jebediah & Starsign @ The Reverb
December 8 – The Rheostatics @ The Phoenix**
2000
February 23 – Miles Hunt & Michael Ferentino w/ The Spy & Renann @ The Reverb**
April 5 – Charlatans w/ Stereophonics @ The Warehouse
June 12 – The Cure @ Molson Amphitheatre
September 12 – Travis @ The Warehouse**
September 30 – Mojave 3 w/ Mean Red Spiders @ The Horseshoe
2001
February 19 – Levellers (acoustic) @ Lee’s Palace**
May 3 – Ocean Colour Scene w/ Ours @ The Opera House
August 2 – Lowest of the Low w/ Billy Bragg & The Weakerthans @ Molson Amphitheatre
2002
April 20 – Neil Halstead w/ Sid Hillman @ Mercury Lounge**
May 2 – Lowest of the Low @ Barrymore’s
2003
December 28 – Spirit of the West w/ The Mudmen @ Capital Music Hall**
2004
April 2 – David Bowie w/ The Polyphonic Spree @ Corel Centre**
September 18 – The Sadies w/ Greg Keelor @ The Horseshoe
October 9 – The Killers w/ Ambulance Ltd & Surferosa @ Capital Music Hall**
2005
February 5 – Lowest of the Low w/ The Polytones @ Zaphod Beeblebrox**
April 9 – Wonder Stuff w/ As Fast As @ The Horseshoe
May 21 – The Decemberists w/ Petra Haden @ The Phoenix**
September 25 – High Dials @ Babylon Night Club
November 25 – U2 w/ Arcade Fire @ Corel Centre**
2006
February 18 – Stars @ Winterlude
March 17 – Coldplay w/ Richard Ashcroft @ Corel Centre**
October 28 – Death Cab For Cutie w/ Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ Ottawa Civic Centre**
2007
January 30 – Camera Obscura w/ The Essex Green & Glenn Nuotio @ Barrymore’s
May 18 – Heavy Trash w/ The Sadies & Bloodshot Bill @ The Horseshoe
June 5 – The Clientele w/ Beach House & My Dad vs Yours @ Babylon
June 9 – Jason Collett @ Westfest**
July 21 – Spirit of the West & the NAC Orchestra /w Kevin Hearn & the Thin Buckle @ Lebreton Flats Park**
September 6 – The Veils w/ The Heights @ Zaphod Beeblebrox**
October 13 – Besnard Lakes w/ Young Galaxy @ Zaphod Beeblebrox**
2008
September 6 & 7 – Mardeen, Airborne Toxic Event, Spiritualized, The Fratellis, Bloc Party, The Weakerthans, Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Oasis @ V Fest Toronto**
September 22 – James w/ Unkle Bob @ Club Soda**
November 15 – Secret Machines w/ Small Sins @ Babylon
2009
May 22 – Leonard Cohen @ K-Rock Centre**
July 9 – Metric @ Bluesfest**
July 10 – The Dodos & Okkervil River @ Bluesfest**
November 7 – Young Galaxy w/ Politique @ Zaphod Beeblebrox**
2010
March 20 – The Clientele w/ Field Music & Receivers @ Il Motore**
May 20 – Elephant Stone w/ Ornaments @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
July 10 – Trio Bembe, Depedro, John K Samson, Swell Season, Jon and Roy, Works Progress Administration @ Winnipeg Folk Festival**
July 13 – Del Rey, Sarah Harmer & Arcade Fire @ Bluesfest
July 14 – Capital Grass & The No Men, The Rural Alberta Advantage, That 1 guy & Plants And Animals @ Bluesfest
July 15 – Lawrence Arabia, Islands & Matthew Good @ Bluesfest
July 16 – Blonde Redhead & Stars @ Bluesfest**
July 18 – Ben Cooper, Amos the Transparent, David Maxwell, Ryan Shaw, Hollerado, Jimmy Cliff & Weezer @ Bluesfest
2011
February 5 – Cuff the Duke w/ Kalle Mattson @ Mavericks
April 16 – Pixies w/ Imaginary Cities @ Ottawa Civic Centre
May 1 – Rural Alberta Advantage @ Ritual Nightclub**
July 5 – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Flaming Lips & Tegan and Sara @ Bluesfest
July 6 – Orienteers, Bedouin Soundclash & Mark Kozelek @ Bluesfest
July 7 – Ukrainia, Infected Mushroom, PS I Love You & Girl Talk @ Bluesfest
July 8 – Cage the Elephant, Cavaliers & Black Keys @ Bluesfest
July 9 – Giant Hand, Dawes & Tragically Hip @ Bluesfest**
July 10 – Paramedics, Diamond Rings, Dropkick Murphys, Library Voices, Yukon Blonde & Josh Ritter @ Bluesfest
August 27 – Jon and Roy, The Wooden Sky, Rural Alberta Advantage, Basia Bulat, and Bright Eyes @ Ottawa Folk Festival
September 17 – Orienteers @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
December 3 – Austra w/ Young Galaxy & Tasseomancy @ Ritual Nightclub
2012
February 18 – Amos the Transparent w/ Julia Dales, Ben Caplan & Fire And Neon @ Ritual Nightclub
February 24 – The Wooden Sky w/ Great Bloomers @ Ritual Nightclub
May 5 – Spiritualized w/ Nikki Lane @ The Phoenix
May 6 – M83 w/ I Break Horses @ Sound Academy
July 4 – Loon Choir, Akron/Family & Billy Bragg @ Bluesfest
July 6 – Freelance Whales, Conor Oberst, !!! & Sleigh Bells @ Bluesfest
July 8 – Shred Kelly, The Peptides, Deep Dark Woods & The Wooden Sky @ Bluesfest**
July 11 – Father John Misty, Airborne Toxic Event, Blitzen Trapper & Rich Aucoin @ Bluesfest
July 12 – The Love Machine, Cowboy Junkies & The Sam Roberts Band @ Bluesfest
July 13 – Hey Rosetta!, Rude Boy, The Dirty Heads & Young The Giant @ Bluesfest
July 14 – Fire And Neon & Beirut @ Bluesfest
July 15 – Birthday Girls, The Ethics, The Balconies, The Postelles, Young Empires, Wintersleep & Metric @ Bluesfest
August 3 – Poliça, Bombay Bicycle Club, Of Monsters and Men, Dum Dum Girls, Florence + The Machine & Sigur Ros @ Osheaga
August 4 – Memoryhouse, Kandle, Young Galaxy, Yeasayer & Jesus and Mary Chain @ Osheaga
August 5 – Zeus, Dan Mangan, Airborne Toxic Event, Austra, Tame Impala & The Shins @ Osheaga**
November 28 – Finding Chuck & Elephant Stone @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
December 7 – Leonard Cohen @ Scotiabank Place**
2013
June 7 – The Cliks, Andrew Vincent & Elliott Brood @ Westfest
June 22 – Great Lake Swimmers @ Ottawa Dragonboat festival, Mooney’s Bay
July 4 – Bahamas, The Cat Empire & The Black Keys @ Bluesfest
July 5 – Camera Obscura, Dawes & She and Him @ Bluesfest
July 6 – The Gallop, Camp Radio, Cold Specks, Fitz and the Tantrums, Neko Case & Belle and Sebastian @ Bluesfest
July 7 – Fevers, Everlast, The Joy Formidable, Hannah Georgas & Diamond Rings @ Bluesfest
July 8 – The Specials @ Bluesfest
July 10 – Family of the Year, The Animal Collective & Passion Pit @ Bluesfest
July 12 – Loon Choir, The Waterboys & Great Big Sea @ Bluesfest**
July 13 – Roberta Bondar, Half Moon Run, Imaginary Cities, Austra, Phosphorescent, Stars & Björk @ Bluesfest
August 2 – Capital Cities, Oberhofer, Daughter, Alt-J, Palma Violets, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix & The Cure @ Osheaga
August 3 – Wild Nothing, The Heavy, Flogging Molly, Stars, Frank Turner, The Breeders, Bob Mould & Beck @ Osheaga
August 4 – Twin Forks, Frightened Rabbit, Charles Bradley & his Extraordinaires, Dusted, Father John Misty, New Order & Mumford and Sons @ Osheaga
September 5 – Little Stella, The Pack A.D., Colin Meloy & Vampire Weekend @ Ottawa Folk Festival
September 21 – Rival Boys & The Lowest of the Low @ Mavericks **
2014
March 14 – Arcade Fire with Kid Koala and Dan Deacon @ Canadian Tire Centre **
May 17 – Elbow with John Grant @ Danforth Music Hall **
June 20 – Harlan Pepper and Cuff the Duke @ Ottawa Dragonboat Festival, Mooney’s Bay
July 3 – Fiftymen, Amos the Transparent, Tegan and Sara & Gary Clark Jr. @ Bluesfest
July 4 – Silkken Laumann, Bonobo & Jeff Tweedy @ Bluesfest
July 5 – Kalle Mattson, Langhorne Slim and The Law & Twin Forks @ Bluesfest**
July 6 – Young Rival, Boyhood, Tindervox, Drive-By Truckers, Violent Femmes & St. Vincent @ Bluesfest
July 8 – Made in Heights, Jenny Lewis & Wagons @ Bluesfest
July 9 – Royal Canoe, The Districts & Phantogram @ Bluesfest
July 10 – Gogol Bordello, The Paper Kites & Blondie @ Bluesfest
July 11 – July Talk @ Bluesfest
July 13 – Farewell Davidson, Groenland, Said the Whale, Lord Huron & Sam Roberts Band @ Bluesfest
September 10 – We Are Monroe & M. Ward @ Ottawa Folk Festival
September 12 – High Waters, Wake Owl & The National @ Ottawa Folk Festival
September 13 – Sun Kil Moon, The Lone Bellow, Seasick Steve & Neutral Milk Hotel @ Ottawa Folk Festival
September 14 – Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Wooden Sky & The War on Drugs @ Ottawa Folk Festival **
2015
May 5 – Swervedriver with Gateway Drugs and PINE @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
June 2 – Ride with Tess Parks @ Danforth Music Hall
June 19 – Blonde Redhead @ Glowfair festival, Bank street **
June 26 – Kalle Mattson, The Franklin Electric, Hey Rosetta! @ Ottawa Dragon Boat festival
June 27 – The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Ottawa Dragon Boat festival **
July 9 – Tara Holloway, Robyn Hitchcock @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 11 – The Reverb Syndicate, The Growlers, Shakey Graves, Alvvays @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 14 – Operators, Future Islands, The Black Lips @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 15 – Grime Kings, Current Swell, Black Mountain @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 17 – The Yips, Dear Rouge, Lowell, Purity Ring @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 18 – Riishi Von Rex, The Beaches, Musk Ox, Interpol @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 19 – The Temperance Movement, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic @ Ottawa Bluesfest
September 18 – Cold Specks, Shakey Graves, Desaparecidos, Northcote, Murder by Death, Chuck Ragan, The Sadies, Of Monsters and Men @ Toronto Urban Roots Festival
September 19 – The Strumbellas, Lucinda Williams, Choir! Choir! Choir!, Passenger, Wilco, Rich Aucoin, Cake, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros @ Toronto Urban Roots Festival
September 20 – Ron Hawkins & the Do Good Assassins, Ron Sexsmith, Elliott Brood, Punch Brothers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Neko Case, Pixies @ Toronto Urban Roots Festival
2016
April 9 – Dandy Warhols with The Seratones @ Bronson Centre
June 18 – Caveboy, Fevers, and Young Galaxy @ Glowfair festival, Bank street
June 25 – Pony Girl, Nap Eyes, Alvvays @ Ottawa Dragon Boat festival
July 7 – Suits n Toques, Joe Jackson, Boy and Bear, Peter Bjorn and John @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 8 – The Tallest Man on Earth, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds @ Ottawa Bluesfest **
July 9 – Jill Zmud, The Cult, Preoccupations @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 13 – Danielle Allard, Carlo, The Decemberists @ Ottawa Bluesfest
July 16 – Danny Albert, Wicked Mercy, Paper Kites, DZ Deathrays, Wolf Parade @ Ottawa Bluesfest
2017
May 6 – Slowdive with Japanese Breakfast @ L’Olympia **
June 24 – Twin Flames, Kasador, Darcys, and Half Moon Run @ Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Mooney’s Bay
July 12 – Phantogram, The Shins, and LCD Soundsystem @ Ottawa Bluesfest
September 14 – The Family Crest, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats @ CityFolk
September 15 – The Suitcase Junket, Broken Social Scene, The Artichoke Hearts (Marvest) @ CityFolk
September 16 – Common Deer, Twain, Fred Penner, Corb Lund & Ian Tyson, Father John Misty @ CityFolk
October 12 – The New Pornographers with Born Ruffians @ the Bronson Centre
2018
June 2 – Reuben And The Dark, The Barr Brothers, Middle Kids, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, and Metric @ Field Trip
June 3 – Liza Anne, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Japandroids, Alvvays, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ Field Trip
June 21 – Amos the Transparent, Crown Lands, and Sam Roberts Band @ Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Mooney’s Bay
June 22 – Gianna Lauren, Ellevator, Dizzy, and Broken Social Scene @ Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Mooney’s Bay
August 4 – Dan Edmonds, Julien Baker, Jenny Lewis, Father John Misty, and The National @ Fort York Commons
September 12 – Steve Earle & the Dukes Copperhead Road 30th anniversary @ CityFolk
September 13 – Tune-yards, Andy Shauf, David Byrne @ CityFolk
September 14 – 54.40 acoustic and William Prince @ CityFolk
September 16 – Colter Wall, Whitehorse, Mt. Joy, Terra Lightfoot, and The Decemberists @ CityFolk**
December 15 – My Brightest Diamond & Stars with the NAC orchestra @ The National Arts Centre**
2019
July 4 – Marie-clo, Abigail Lapell, Chvrches, U.S. girls, and Alt-J @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park
July 6 – Children of Indigo, The Beths, Pup, and This is the Kit @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park
July 7 – James, The Psychedelic Furs, and Ashley MacIsaac @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park**
July 9 – Scary Bear Soundtrack @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park
July 11 – Brandon ‘Taz’ Niederauer, Shakey Graves @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park
July 12 – Loon Choir, BlakDenim, The Offspring, Busty and the Bass, Guided by Voices @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats park
August 23 – Nobro, Alexandria Maillot, Weaves, and July Talk @ Hopped and Confused festival, Mill Street Brewpub
August 24 – Taylor Knox, Cleopatrick, Born Ruffians, and Sloan @ Hopped and Confused festival, Mill Street Brewpub
September 12 – Orville Peck, The Once, Lucinda Williams, Larkin Poe, and The Strumbellas @ CityFolk
2020 (aka the year COVID-19 cancelled live music)
None
2021
Ditto
2022
June 24 – Stoby, Frown Line, and The Strumbellas @ Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, Mooney’s Bay
July 8 – Amanda Lowe and The New Pornographers @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park
July 10 – Sophia Radisch, Garbage, and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park
July 14 – Gentlemen of the Woods, Lucy Dacus, and Crash Test Dummies @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park
July 15 – Okies, Run the Jewels, Jessica Pearson & the East Wind, and Rage Against the Machine @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park
July 17 – Aysanabee, Bonnie Doon, Andy Shauf, and The National @ Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park
** Concerts I’ve attended with my lovely wife
My (life in) music lists 