Three months to the day after my sold-out Vancouver Road Show, I’ll be in Toronto on Saturday, June 20 for a big night at the reborn Hugh’s Room Live on Broadview Ave.
In 2023 I started planning these live events, at the end of the year in Ottawa at first — to thank my subscribers, have some fun, and force-mingle this newsletter’s assorted audiences: political junkies, music fans, people who’d rather listen than shout. So far every one of my Ottawa Holiday Shows, and my first Road Show in Vancouver, has sold out. This first Toronto Road Show should sell out too. Hugh’s Room is a comfy, relaxed community hall with a glorious history. But given its modest capacity of 200, I expect tickets to move fast.
Fortunately paying subscribers will get a head-start on ticket sales. Below the paywall at the bottom of this post, I’ll share a link to subscriber pre-sale, available tomorrow, Thursday, May 21. That means paying subscribers to this newsletter will be able to buy their tickets a day before the general on-sale date of Friday.
I’m viewing this show as a proof-of-concept, on my way to what I hope will be bigger Toronto shows next year and after. But there’ll be a lot going on at this one. (I polled readers who attended earlier shows. They said they wanted more in each show. All righty then…)
I’m pleased to be joined by Mayor Olivia Chow for a discussion about the challenges facing Canada’s biggest city. I’ll have a not-overly-partisan panel to follow up, with Mark Carney’s former chief of staff Marco Mendicino, former top Conservative staffer Jason Lietaer, and the editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, Nicole MacIntyre, who’s been greatly expanding the Star’s own slate of live events.
And because it’s not a party without a party, I’ve got three representatives of Toronto’s arts community. I’ll talk with playwright Michael Healey, whose plays Rogers v. Rogers and The Master Plan at Crow’s Theatre, not far from Hugh’s Room, are mighty contributions to a literature of contemporary Toronto. Rapper Cadence Weapon will be on hand, fresh off the release of a new album, Forager — and a new book, Ways of Listening, about music in an age of streaming, published under his given name, Rollie Pemberton.
And I’m thrilled to introduce the audience to a young Toronto (well, Milton) singer-songwriter, Gavin McLeod. Perhaps you haven’t heard of him. That’s about to change.
I’m so grateful to my Presenting Sponsor, the good folks at Cameco, for making this event possible.
I’ve never lived in Toronto, but I think it’s a wonderful, often-inspiring city that’s had a rough time in recent years. We’ll talk about all of that on the 20th. I hope you can join me.
Tickets for the general public cost $60 and will go on sale this Friday, May 22, at 9 a.m. at hughsroomlive.com. But if you’re a paid subscriber, find out below how to get your advance tickets tomorrow, Thursday, May 21, at 9 a.m. And thanks, now and always, for your support.