We're nearly in it now: that purgatorial state as one year comes to an end and another begins. While severely deprived of vitamin D, toggling between setting resolutions to improve our lives and doing the absolute least, there are still concerts going on out there in the world. Even when it's burnt out on overstuffed holiday cheer or feeling like the days will be bleak and grey forevermore! Now if that's not a Christmas miracle, we're not sure what is. Here are seven can't-miss concerts coming to Vancouver in December 2024 and January 2025.
Taylor Swift
BC Place Stadium, December 6–8
Buy tickets here, here and here
We know, we know — but the record-shattering Eras Tour is finally coming to an end, and it's having its last hurrah in Vancouver! You might have to sell an organ on the black market to afford even a "no view" seat, but it's your final chance to experience the billion-dollar spectacle that has been the peak of Swift's career thus far. How she'll follow this act is anybody's guess.
Allegra Krieger
The WISE Hall, December 8
Buy tickets here
For some of us, "Never Arriving" from the New York-based singer-songwriter's The Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine very much landed in our personal collections of 2024's best songs. Krieger's alt-country guitar tones lay the bedrock for her stark lyricism, always delivered movingly with her signature honeyed rasp.
CRi
The Pearl, December 14
Buy tickets here
Nothing screams December quite like dancing to keep warm. No matter how much the temperature does or doesn't dip, things are bound to heat up at the Pearl when Montreal's CRi brings his irresistibly vibey chill house bangers to the stage.
Meltt
Rickshaw Theatre, December 15
Buy tickets here
Hometown show alert! The psychedelic Vancouver quartet will let their woozy, sprawling soundscapes stretch out with the home court advantage as they headline the annual Kingfisher Bluez Records Christmas Party — featuring additional performances from Kylie V, Buddie and more — at the Rickshaw.
Thee Sacred Souls
Commodore Ballroom, January 15–16
Buy tickets here and here
After enamouring all of aesthetic TikTok with "Can I Call You Rose?" from their 2022 self-titled debut, the soul trio are determined to connect IRL. With two nights at the Commodore, they'll prove that they Got a Story to Tell that's even richer than a viral moment.
Arooj Aftab
Hollywood Theatre, January 20
Buy tickets here
Pakistani singer-songwriter/composer Arooj Aftab is only making one Canadian stop on her first North American tour behind the beguiling Night Reign, which will make the rarity of her time-suspending music feel even more singular at the Hollywood Theatre.
Nemahsis
Rickshaw Theatre, January 26
Buy tickets here
The artist born Nemah Hasan released her debut album independently after she was dropped by her label for her pro-Palestine advocacy. It's one of Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2024, and Vancouverites can be among the first to hear it live when she kicks off her North American headlining tour at the Rickshaw.