BC Business
Bonnie Raitt Concert | BCBusinessBonnie Rait, veteran performer and world-class guitarist, hits the Queen Elizabeth Theatre this August.
Beat the heat (we hope!) of August with these cool Vancouver picks. Music // Bonnie Rait
“Something To Talk About” is a staple at karaoke bars everywhere, and the songstress who made it famous – over 20 years ago – is coming to Vancouver. A veteran performer and world-class guitarist, Bonnie Raitt’s recording career began in 1971. She has since recorded 16 albums and gathered a list of collaborators that reads like a who’s who of musical royalty, from Stevie Nicks to James Taylor. A long-time political activist (in 2004, she dedicated a song to what she hoped was the end of George W. Bush’s run as president – before he got elected for a second term), Raitt is sure to find herself among friends at a venue just blocks from the Vancouver Art Gallery, the city’s unofficial ground zero for protests, political and otherwise. Queen Elizabeth Theatre, August 10. ticketmaster.ca
Vancouverites are an eclectic bunch. Consider two of the city’s stereotypical dwellers: the granola-crunching hippie and the so-hip-it-hurts, espresso-drinking urbanite.
When one of the country’s priciest postal codes plays host to an outdoor, grassroots festival each August, it’s a unique opportunity to see the two commingle in their shared natural habitat. This West Vancouver festival features some of the region’s most promising up-and-coming artists and a diverse concert series, all set against the backdrop of Ambleside beach and its glowing sunsets. The best part? Hippie-types can haul a barbecue to the beach, while urbanites can trot a couple blocks to Mangia E Bevi or La Régalade for their dinner. West Vancouver, August 3-12. harmonyarts.ca
Ask any tourist or local what Vancouver’s defining architectural theme is, and you’ll surely get this response: glass. But while glass highrises do dom- inate the downtown core, the city has quite a diverse architectural flavour to offer – if you know where to look. Exploring Vancouver offers 16 neighbourhood rundowns of Vancouver’s architectural gems, each summary accompanied by a walking, biking or driving route that you can explore for yourself. To see the building proclaimed by Guinness World Records to be the “world’s narrowest,” take a stroll through the heart of Chinatown, where Vancouver’s east-meets-west and past-meets-present character is on full display. D&M Publishing (2012), $24.95. chapters.indigo.ca