Illustration by Chantelle Dorafshani
Hello summer, goodbye music icons.
In an era when touring is more lucrative than ever for major artists, more than a few of them are permanently pulling themselves off the road nevertheless. These next few months will likely be your last chance to see them in the flesh.
Summer album preview: Ten new releases to watch
British rock legends the Who already announced their retirement in 1982 but returned for a reunion tour seven years later. Ever since, people have tried to put them down just because they still get around. The My Generation band has announced a final jaunt that includes three shows in Canada, at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage (Sept. 2 and 4) and Vancouver’s Rogers Arena (Sept. 23).
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The WhoMatthew Baker/AFP/Getty Images
Cyndi Lauper will also play Budweiser Stage and Rogers Arena for the final time, July 27 and Aug. 21, respectively. This is not an indication that Lauper (or girls in general) no longer just want to have fun.
It’s game, set and match for the beloved indie-pop duo Tennis, who play Vancouver’s Malkin Bowl on Aug. 30. The hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan comes together for a farewell tour that hits Vancouver’s Rogers Arena (June 30) and Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena (July 14).
Postpunk conceptualists Devo have hinted at retirement, but not before a concert at Toronto’s History (June 30.) Black Sabbath’s finale, dubbed Back to the Beginning, is scheduled for July 5, in Birmingham, England. Even iron men have their limits.
And from the “hello, I must be going” file, Brit-pop icons Oasis have suggested that a reunion tour that stops at Toronto’s Rogers Stadium (Aug. 24 and 25) is also a wave goodbye.
A mural of Oasis band members Liam and Noel Gallagher by artist Pic.One.ArtPhil Noble/Reuters
Despite these retirements, the summer music future is as bright as a champagne supernova in the sky. Here are 10 shows that bode well for the warm months.
Nas, at Montreal Jazz Festival
If you had to choose one iconic hip-hop album to be performed live with a symphony orchestra, which LP would it be? The answer is Nas’s Illmatic, automatic. June 29
2025 summer album preview: Kick off the season with these ten new releases
Benson Boone, at Festival d’été de Québec
Fans are flipping over the Grammy-nominated acrobat and Beautiful Things singer. July 5, Quebec City
Coldplay, at Rogers Stadium
Live Nation’s new outdoor stadium at the northern tip of Toronto was built with superstar bands like Coldplay in mind. July 7, 8, 11 and 12, Toronto
The Weeknd, at Commonwealth Stadium
The enigmatic superstar takes a break from his acting side-gig for a tour that also stops in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto (twice). July 19, Edmonton
Gracie Abrams, at Budweiser Stage
Gracie AbramsMario Anzuoni/Reuters
After opening for Taylor Swift’s recent megatour, singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams returns to Toronto to get loud about her feelings, under her own steam. July 26, Toronto
The Beaches, at Churchill Park Music Festival
The red-hot rock quartet landed a spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s Gather No Moss tour in Chicago on Aug. 29, the same day their new album lands. Among their Canadian dates, they share a festival bill with Def Leppard and the Killers. July 29, St. John’s
Bill Frisell, at Hotel Wolfe Island
The great U.S. jazz guitarist, with Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson, played the same venue in 2023. Apparently you can check out of the Hotel Wolfe Island any time you like, but you can never leave. July 30-31, Wolfe Island, Ont.
Doechii, at Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
DoechiiDerek White/Getty Images
The Montreal festival booked the Alligator Bites Never Heal rapper before she won her Grammy. They’re getting her cheap. Aug. 1, Montreal
Joe Perry Project, at Kee to Bala
The legendary guitarist and a couple of his Aerosmith bandmates hit Ontario’s cottage country (and Toronto’s History club) with a supergroup made up of members of fellow rowdies the Black Crowes and Stone Temple Pilots. Local authorities will be on alert. Aug. 17, Bala, Ont.
Wet Leg, at Malkin Bowl
After the release of a highly anticipated album (Moisturizer, July 11), the Isle of Wight indie rockers hit the road for a tour that stops in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver’s intimate amphitheatre. Sept. 3, Vancouver
Fifteen more for the road
Oscar Peterson at 100, Massey Hall, Toronto, June 14; Corb Lund, Willow Prairie Agricultural Society, La Corey, Alta., June 14; Rae Spoon, Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, Calgary, June 21; Avril Lavigne, All Your Friends Fest, Oro-Medonte, Ont., June 29; Oscar Peterson Centennial Gala: Canadiana Suite, Montreal Jazz Festival, July 4; Julian Taylor, SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, July 9; Shania Twain, Cavendish Beach Music Festival, PEI, July 10; Elisapie, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, New York, July 11; Bruce Cockburn, Winnipeg Folk Festival, July 12; Femi Kuti, Halifax Jazz Festival, July 15; Jeremy Dutcher, Dawson City Music Festival, Yukon, July 18-20; On the Beach: Neil Young Reimagined, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 18-20; Jeremie Albino, Folk on the Rocks, Yellowknife, July 20; Rose Cousins, Larlee Creek Hullabaloo, Perth-Andover, N.B., Aug. 9; Billy Strings, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Aug. 19-20.
