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On Tuesday night, pop-rock band Hedley brought their Hello Tour to Prospera Place and the arena was packed full of screaming fans of all ages.
Hedley did not come alone. With them, they brought up-and-coming soul-pop star Francesco Yates, as well as fellow Canadian Idol contestant Carly Rae Jepsen. Between these three, the crowd never stood still.
Kicking off the evening with a surprising and electrifying set was 20-year-old Francesco Yates, opening with his funk-pop jam, Better To Be Loved. With vocals reminiscent of Bruno Mars, and strikingly passionate lyric delivery, Yates left fans stunned.
The only thing better than his voice, and hair, was his stage presence. Leaving no corner of the stage untouched, Yates bounced around energetically in between every word. Just when fans thought he couldn't get any more charming, he sang his love ballad Call and had all the ladies swooning over his crooner-esque voice.
It's no doubt that Yates and his band hit all the right notes, and then some. Some could say he even stole the show.
Up next was pop sensation, Carly Rae Jepsen. Before she even began, thundering screams of excitement filled the arena. Jepsen may be small in stature but her voice was large and in charge, belting out hit after hit including fan favorite Curiosity.
Rocking a new look, Jepsen also delivered a raw and heartfelt performance of her new song E.MO.TION. The combination of her upbeat music and poignant, relatable, lyrics had the crowd up and dancing through her sets entirety.
Whether she was bringing fans on stage to dance or persuading a security guard to sing along to her most popular song, Call Me Maybe, Jepsen did not need to rely on running around the stage to get the fans perked up for Hedley's performance.
The lights went dark and sounds of static filled the room while large state-of-the-art screens flipped through a series of different clips before landing on the opening for what looked like a bad 90's sitcom that featured the band. The crowd roared with laughter as humor is one of Hedley's most loveable characteristics.
A burst of white light lit up the entire arena as the band emerged. "Hello, Kelowna!" screamed frontman, Jacob Hoggard. This moment set the mood for the entire show as Hoggard wasted no time running in every which direction to admire his fans before starting off their set with their hit single Hello.
Amidst all of his jumping and twirling across the entirety of the stage, Hoggard still managed to sing with the perfect vocal juxtaposition that sets him apart from other artists. From raspy screams in Don't Talk to Strangers to angelic high notes in Perfect Hoggard hit any and every note.
Hoggard wasn't the only ball of energy on the stage. Guitarist Dave Rosin kept up by throwing in some high jumps and even splits between rhythm rifts. Though bassist Tommy Mac didn't move around as much, he sure knew how to please the ladies, throwing a flirty wink to the crowd every once in awhile, keeping the excitement level at a high.
The band didn't keep the crowd dancing the whole time, they slowed things down to show off a bit more of their instrumental skill set. Hoggard sat down at the piano for The Nights I Can't Remember and the arena lit up like a night sky with cellphone lights acting like stars. The crowd belted out to the song as passionately as Hoggard did.
At one point, Hoggard went into the crowd with his acoustic guitar to serenade fans more closely.
Playing over 20 songs from their very first album, all the way to their most recent, and even covers of popular songs Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars and Sorry by fellow Canadian Justin Bieber. Hedley did not miss a beat and nor did their fans as they shouted out every word and danced to every song throughout the entire two-hour set, making this show, a must see for Hedley fans from every era.
For more photos from this show, click here!
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