Canada Day To Go Virtual
In light of the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s priority of keeping Canadians safe, Canadian Heritage has decided to host Canada Day virtually. Details will be announced soon. #CanadaDayhttps://t.co/jDcqEl6Iw1 pic.twitter.com/210uNAPSY8
— Canadian Heritage (@CdnHeritage) April 17, 2020
The cancellation of Canada Day celebrations on the Hill is regrettable, but it's the right decision to keep everyone safe. I'll be celebrating our country virtually with Canadians from coast to coast on July 1st, and I look forward to welcoming you all back to Ottawa in 2021!
— Jim Watson (@JimWatsonOttawa) April 17, 2020
More Free Concerts
Genesis will be premiering concerts for free on their official youtube channel, at 3 PM eastern on five consecutive Saturdays starting today with Three Sides Live, a concert filmed on 28 and 29 November 1981 at the Savoy Thater and Nassau Coliseum in New York.
The “Film Festival 2020” will continue on April 25th with Genesis Live: A Mama Tour, which features live footage from several February 1984 concerts at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre. And starting on May 2nd, three additional live concert recordings will make their way to the channel, namely Genesis Live At Wembley Stadium, which was filmed from July 1st to July 4th, 1987, The Way We Walk – Live in Concert, which was filmed at Earls Court in November 1992, and When In Rome 2007, which was filmed at the Circus Maximus in Rome on July 14, 2007.
The last two aforementioned films will be added on May 9th and May 16th.
Neil Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House has also been performing live from isolation on Mixrl at 7 PM Eastern, daily from Late March. Details on his live broadcasts and archived recordings are available by clicking here. And The Killers are scheduled to perform today on Instagram Live at 3 PM Eastern (12 PM Pacific Time).
North Americans who prefer English theatre also have the opportunity to view a full stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera until 2 pm Eastern on Sunday on the Show Must Go On! Youtube channel.
This performance features Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess and Hadley Fraser and will be replaced by other stage performances penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber shortly after 2 pm Eastern on Sunday.
Closures & Reduced Hours
Sunshine Records has decided to close its stores and fulfilment center, so online orders have been suspended by the chain.
Indigo Book stores are also now closed but online orders are still being processed, with free shipping until March 31st, 2020.
Best Buy locations will remain open for their reserve and pick-up services. They are also still shipping from their web site.
Archambault stores are remaining open in Quebec, as are Bad Boy locations in Ontario but I suspect they will reduce their hours shortly as Long & McQuade has.
Many independent record stores have decided to close throughout Canada. Please consult their respective websites and Facebook groups for details.
March 18, 2020 Update
Variety has reported that Amazon.com has stopped accepting CD and vinyl shipments to concentrate their efforts on the distribution of essential goods.
It should be noted that marketplace items on this site and on Amazon.ca are shipped independently by sellers and should not be disrupted, for the time being.
By the way, don’t forget to check Facebook for impromptu performances by your favourite artists. Burton Cummings, Jann Arden and P!nk are only three of the artists that have had live feeds up to entertain their fans.
Enjoy. And be safe.
Record Store Day Postponed
Record Store Day has been postponed to June 20th, 2020. And multiple tour dates have changed, including some by Celine Dion and Thom Yorke of Radiohead:
Due to restrictions put in place to minimise the spread of COVID-19, we regret that the North American leg of the Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes tour is postponed.
— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) March 13, 2020
Ticket holders, please standby for information on a new routing for later this year. Apologies for the inconvenience.
You should probably keep an eye on your favourite artists for changes to their upcoming tour schedules.
UPDATE: Schools, Museums, Libraries and City Facilities in Ottawa will be closed from March 14th to April 5th. Please consult your local municipality’s schedules.