Big, can’t-miss Montréal concerts in 2024

Fall concerts

This will be smokin’

Back in the early ’70s, what the nascent, soon-to-be world famous band reportedly thought was a “stupid” name actually ended up sticking, and The Doobie Brothers were born. Now the four-time Grammy Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are embarking on their first tour in over 25 years. The brothers doob bring their extensive catalogue of rock, soft-rock and pop hits to Place Bell on October 12.

You need to get some Air

Groundbreaking French electro duo Air reinvented cool with their debut album Moon Safari, which earned worldwide accolades for its unique brand of downtempo electronic music that heavily influenced a whole generation of electronic pop music artists. The recording has also withstood the test of time — no easy feat. Following a sold-out European tour, AIR will be playing the widely celebrated Moon Safari album in its entirety at Place Bell on October 13.

Montrealers just wanna have fun

She's So Unusual, indeed. Cyndi Lauper became the first woman in history to have four top-five singles from a debut album, including her anthem Girls Just Want to Have Fun. A staple on ’80s radio and video TV, the outspoken, Brooklyn-born performer with her unmistakeable, eccentric style has gone on to sell over 50 million albums worldwide. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Show your true colours one last time by joining Lauper on her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour at the Bell Centre, October 18.

They couldn’t be less evanescent 

“Adjective: soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing.” Grammy-Award winners Evanescence, led by the extraordinarily talented vocalist/pianist Amy Lee, have been blazing trails through alt-rock for 20 years and are showing no signs of losing momentum. Quite the opposite, actually — the Little Rock, Arkansas goth metal outfit return to Montréal for their first Canadian headline tour in 15 years this fall when they play the Bell Centre on October 25 with openers Halestorm.

Run to the hills!

Or rather, to the Bell Centre. Metal mayhem continues to reign in MTL this year when British legends Iron Maiden return with their 17^th studio album, Senjutsu. Under the steady helmsmanship of vocalist Bruce “Air-Raid Siren” Dickinson, and shadowed by omnipresent ghoulish mascot Eddie, the Maiden’s by-all-accounts-epic The Future Past World Tour will decamp in the Bell Centre for an effects-laden, sensory-overloading blowout on October 30.

The past is blasting 

After an 11-year hiatus, and on the 30^th anniversary of their formation, post-grunge hit-makers Creed have reunited and picked up where they left off with their Are You Ready? Tour. The ninth best-selling musical act of the 2000s, Creed will join fellow rockers Mammoth WVH (fun fact: WVH stands for frontman Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of Eddie Van Halen) and Finger Eleven (fun fact: they were originally known as the Rainbow Butt Monkeys) at the Bell Centre on November 25.

Winter concerts

A (bitter)sweet emotion

The best-selling American rock band of all time is ready to hang up its spurs. Boston phenom Aerosmith — 150 million records sold worldwide, including 25 gold, 18 platinum and 12 multi-platinum albums — have paid their dues and then some, and are calling it a day with their Peace Out tour. The authors of unforgettable anthems like Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, Dream On, Janie’s Got a Gun — the list goes on and on — will bid thee farewell with special guests The Black Crowes at the Bell Centre, January 10, 2025.

Free your plaid and fun will follow

In case you haven’t noticed, ’90s alt-rock is not only alive and well, it’s thriving for quite a few of the stalwarts of the genre, in this case the Toronto-formed Our Lady Peace (fronted by the inimitable Raine Maida) and Georgia hitmakers Collective Soul. Catch both bands on the Our Lady Peace 30^th anniversary Tour when they rock out at Place Bell on March 10, 2025.

Monsters of prog

Montrealers loooove their progressive rock, and prog-metal pioneers Dream Theater have, for the better part of the last four decades, enjoyed enormous support here. It’s only fitting then that the band — featuring the iconic lineup of James LaBrie, John Myung, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy
and Jordan Rudess — should bring their 40^th anniversary tour, An Evening with Dream Theater, to la belle ville. The Boston rockers promise a full night of fan favourites at the Bell Centre on March 12, 2025.

The return of Aussie pop royalty 

It will have been nearly 14 years (April 29, 2011, to be exact) since dance-pop phenomenon Kylie Minogue graced the Bell Centre stage in Montréal. At over 80 million records sold worldwide, the so-called “Princess of Pop” is the highest-selling female artist from Australia ever. Long-awaiting fans will have to wait just a wee bit longer to see her again when she brings her Tension Tour 2025, with an as yet unnamed special guest, back to the Bell Centre on March 30, 2025.

Raging arena rock redux 

Rock’n’roll in the ’70s never felt so good as when the giants of riffing and harmony — like, say, Heart — were doing it. Well, lo and behold, what once was old is brand spankin’ new again as Canadian/American rockers Heart, still led by the Wilson sisters, come out of a five-year hiatus for their rescheduled (due to health reasons) Royal Flush Tour. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will fill the Bell Centre with memories and legendary tunes on April 2, 2025.

Sink or Swims

If you haven’t already heard of him, meet rapidly ascendant, multi-genre singer, songwriter and musician Teddy Swims. With a musical palette that spans R&B, pop, soul, country and more, Swims (an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes) has been steadily marching up international charts for the last two years. Don’t get that sinking “I’ve missed out” feeling: catch him when he brings his I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy tour to Place Bell on May 24, 2025.

Original article in English by Jamie O'Meara, adapted into French by Francis Rose.