Rock returns to the Hill: Halifax Music Fest
HIGHLIGHTING THE most memorable moments of Halifax Music Fest
WRITTEN BY: KATIE GORDON // PHOTOS BY: MITCHELL JODREY // THE BOOM AT NOON 
Nickleback headlining night one of Halifax Music Fest
The inaugural Halifax Music Fest brought more than just a stacked lineup of talent; it brought the weather forecast only Nova Scotia can deliver. Wind, rain, sun, and heat all made appearances over the weekend, but nothing could slow the energy surging through Citadel Hill. According to organizers, 22,000 people were expected each day at the fest and judging by the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, that number wasn’t far off.
It marked the first major rock festival on the Hill in over a decade, a return after a concert scandal left Halifax wary of big-ticket shows at the National Historic Site. Aside from a few one-offs and comedy events, rock had largely stayed away. Until now.
June 27: Nickelback, The Glorious Sons, Big Wreck and Tenille Townes
On a sunny, chaotic Friday, Halifax Music Fest kicked off with a lineup of Canadian talent and a rowdy crowd ready to sing at the top of their lungs.
Tenille Townes
Despite the pre-show gridlock, Albertan country artist Tenille Townes took the stage right on time at 5:30 p.m. Her love for Halifax and the East Coast was apparent and gave a shout out to her recent performances at the Light House Arts Centre in October 2024 and two months later took part in The Guthro Songwriters Circle, where she shared the stage with Dylan Guthro, Scott Helman and Gordie Sampson. Even though she was the only country artist on the bill, she had a lot of fans in the crowd singing along. Her performance included her award-winning music and a few covers, including songs from Dolly Parton and Joni Mitchell.
A familiar face was in her backing band, beloved local musician Leith Fleming-Smith, playing the keys. Tenille said he “saved their butt” by joining the band on stage and noted it was his first time playing with them and in true Leith fashion, he didn’t miss a beat.
Towards the end of her set, Tenille mentioned her admiration for Canadian rock icon, Bryan Adams and shared a story about how they met. After passing him in a stairwell, they struck up a conversation. Following their chance encounter, she decided to send him a demo recording of a song along with an invitation for him to join her on it, which he agreed to. She then performed the song, “The Thing That Wrecks You” (sans Bryan) and encouraged everyone in the crowd that if they have a “crazy pipe dream” like she did, to just go for it.
Big Wreck
The second act of the night was Big Wreck, who brought the noise. They kicked things off with their song “Bombs Away,” which was released last year. Every time I see Big Wreck and hear frontman Ian Thornley’s voice, I’m amazed by the power and punch it brings.
While on stage, the band didn’t say much on stage, keeping it to mostly music, which carried across the National Historic Site incredibly well. The band played many of their hits, including their chart-topping debut single, “The Oaf (My Luck is Wasted)” which was released in 1997… 28 years ago, and it still hits the same. The band has had an incredible career, and they sound as good as they always have. By this point, the crowd was starting to fill out, and it was apparent it was going to be a busy night.
Towards the end of the set, Ian expressed their excitement to be sharing the stage with their buds, Nickelback. He said they’ve known the band for half of their life and reminisced when Nickelback used to open for them and joked that the scenario “changed pretty quickly.”
The Glorious Sons
Kingston-based band, The Glorious Sons, were the next act to take the stage and walked out to “Country Roads Take Me Home” by John Denver. The last time the band played Halifax was back in 2023 when they brought "The Glory Tour" in support of their fourth studio album, “Glory,” to the Scotiabank Centre. As always, lead singer Brett Emmons showed up barefoot and ready to put on a hell of a show.
Brett attended university in Halifax before the band was formed, so he’s no stranger to the city. The band formed back in 2011, when Jay Emmons (Brett’s brother) called him up asking him to join a band back in their hometown, and the rest is history. Every time they come to Halifax, there’s always legions of fans ready to attend their shows and witness their brotherly camaraderie.
At the fest, the band kicked things off with their 2014 single “The Union” from their JUNO award-winning, debut album of the same name and followed that up with “Mama” the band’s first radio single, which Brett got the crowd to sing back to him, which the crowd loudly obliged. Towards the end of the set, Brett dedicated the song “Cellular” from their last album to his aunt. Lyrics in the song’s chorus are “I love you so much. It's cellular. I miss you so much. I don't need to tell ya.” The band then went on to play “White Noise” and got the crowd clapping and singing along. They closed out the evening with their emotional ballad “Pink Motel” from their 2019 album “A War on Everything.”
Nickelback
For the first time since 2007, Nickelback was finally coming back to Halifax to once again play Citadel Hill. Since then, Nickelback became synonymous with being uncool, and in recent years, they have flipped the switch with many coming out and unabashedly saying they’re fans and always have been. In 2023, there was even a documentary film released called “Hate to Love: Nickelback,” which told the story of the band’s meteoric rise to fame and rollercoaster career. The band has had an incredible career and has sold over 50 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful bands of all time and one of Canada’s biggest music exports. On night one of the festival, Nickelback reminded us why we liked them in the first place. Despite being one of the most divisive bands of all time (alongside Creed, who is also playing a sold-out show on the Hill later this summer), it was apparent that thousands of fans on the East Coast unequivocally support them. Even the province’s Premier, Tim Houston, was spotted enjoying the show.
Leading up to the scheduled set time of 9:30 p.m., the massive crowd was getting increasingly excited, singing along to classic rock songs that they hoped the band would eventually walk out to. Ten minutes later than planned, the band walked out to Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” followed by the “All aboard!” from Ozzy Osborne’s “Crazy Train.” It didn’t matter where you were on the hill, people were on their feet, jumping up and down with excitement - even those who had been sitting on the hill slopes the rest of the evening.
The band started their set with their 2022 single, “San Quentin” before bringing out Mike Kroeger’s bass tech, Rob Dawson to play a few songs starting with “Save Me” and “Far Away,” both from their 7x platinum album “All The Right Reasons” followed by an animated video that introduced their hit “Animals” which brought the first dose of pyro from the set, inspiring the crowd to get even more rowdy.
Between songs, the band was chatty and mentioned the incredible weather we had for their show and the unfortunate damp weather forecast for Saturday’s headliner, Lenny Kravitz. The band (minus frontman Chad Kroeger) said they were sneaking around town for a few days and even made their way to Mahone Bay, giving a shoutout to a guitar maker in the area.
Towards the end of the regular set, Chad made his way to the back of the stage on a platform behind drummer, Daniel Adair and introduced their major 2005 hit “Photograph” by jokingly singing “Look at this graph,” referring to a viral video that blew up a decade ago. We love the self-awareness.
When it came time for the band to play their song “Rockstar,” the band invited Ricky and Julian from The Trailer Park Boys, and Chad claimed it was the “most Canadian thing” and called out Bubbles for missing out. Everyone’s phones came out, and the crowd was singing the lyrics back even louder than the on-stage guests.
The regular set ended with “How You Remind Me” before the two-song encore featuring “Gotta Be Somebody” and “Burn It to the Ground,” which maybe the crowd took too literally. The final moments of the show resulted in knocked-down gates, overflowing streets and drunken rowdiness.
June 28: Lenny Kravitz, Ben Harper, Amanda Lightfoot and Terra Lightfoot
Day two of Halifax Music Fest arrived with cooler temps, scattered showers and a crowd of eager fans wrapped in ponchos.
Terra Lightfoot
Ontario-based singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot opened the night with her powerhouse vocals, charm and a guitar named Veronica. A JUNO Award nominee and Polaris Music Prize long-lister, she kicked things off promptly at 5:30 p.m. as the crowd trickled in.
During her song “Out of Time,” she shared a story about finding success and still feeling lost, how a quiet moment in Austria, visiting a tree on a mountaintop, helped her reconnect with herself.
Between songs, she bantered with the audience, commenting on outfits, cracking jokes and keeping things loose, which was a welcoming tone to kick off the evening.
Amanda Marshall
With a spoken-word Law and Order style intro, Amanda Marshall kicked things off with her 1995 hit “Let It Rain” - a cheeky move considering the forecast. Wearing a shirt that said “Bluenose Baby,” Amanda called Halifax her “second home” and “almost hometown,” reminiscing about living in Halifax as a preteen and going to her first concert at the Rebecca Cohn to see Glass Tiger before briefly breaking out into their song “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” before launching into her song “Sitting on Top of the World”.
Rain eventually started to come down harder as her set went on, but spirits stayed high. She played many of her hits throughout her set and closed out the evening with “Birmingham,” and it felt like everyone on the hill was singing every word back to her like it was released yesterday, when in reality, it’s been 30 years.
Ben Harper
Ben Harper took the stage with little introduction, just as the rain started to settle in. He last played Halifax in 2012 during the second (and final) Summersonic Festival, which also took place on Citadel Hill. I was there, having won tickets from MuchMusic, and as someone who counted Ben as one of my favourite artists, I was ecstatic to be there to see him perform. Unlike this show in 2025, that show was quiet with the crowd intently listening and hanging onto every word Ben sang and said.
His set was a slower pace that stood in contrast to the evening’s earlier acts. He played my favourite song of his, “Diamonds on the Inside,” but noticeably left out “Burn One Down,” a fan favourite that many were quietly hoping for.
He gave a warm shoutout to his Canadian tour manager, Sabrina and nodded to Pro Skateboards and Snowboards, where he remembered getting in a good skate on that same 2012 visit.
He played his 1999 single “Steal My Kisses” midway through his set, swapping the lyric “warm southern rain” to “warm Halifax rain,” earning a big cheer as the drizzle returned… despite it being quite chilly at this point.
He told the crowd it was “the honour of a lifetime” to be sharing the stage with Lenny Kravitz, one of his musical heroes. His final song of the evening was a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Lenny Kravitz
Just after 9:45 p.m., Lenny Kravitz made his appearance on the Halifax Music Fest stage. Photographers weren’t permitted on his set, so while we were able to sit back and take it all in, unfortunately, we don’t have images from his performance.
From the first note, Kravitz looked and sounded incredible, effortlessly cool and commanding the stage. He opened with a blast of pyrotechnics. “This is our first time in Halifax… I believe,” he said at one point during his performance. “Unless I was so stoned the first time, I don’t remember.” (For the record, he did play here back in 2008 at what’s now the Scotiabank Centre).
At one point in the set, Lenny brought Ben Harper back out. The two hugged and reflected on their early careers. “I wouldn’t be signed to Virgin if it weren’t for you,” Ben said.
Lenny powered through a hit-filled set with his band locked in behind him, sounding massive from start to finish. He may not remember being here before, but Halifax won’t forget this performance anytime soon.
June 29: The Killers, Alvvays, Lights and Said the Whale
The final night of Halifax Music Fest wrapped with a crowd of about 10,000 people, steady rain, two nods to Halifax icons Sloan and a whole lot of confetti. The fans who stuck it out were treated to an incredible night of music and ended the weekend on a high note.
Said the Whale
Opening the final night of the festival was Vancouver’s Said the Whale, marking their first Halifax performance since a pre-pandemic show at the Seahorse Tavern in 2019. With a nearly two-decade career, the JUNO Award-winning band brought an upbeat set that blended songs from earlier in their career with newer material from their 2021 album “Dandelion.”
Lights
Sixteen years after winning New Artist of the Year at the 2009 JUNOs, Lights continues to prove why she’s remained a force in Canadian music.
Two months after dropping her sixth studio album, “A6,” the Ontario-based electropop artist hit the stage with undeniable energy, dancing across the rain-soaked platform and reaching out to fans along the barricade.
Between songs, she told the crowd she comes to Halifax from time to time and shared that a love of music is ingrained in East Coasters’ DNA. “We’re Canadian,” she said with a grin. “We’re not bothered by the rain.”
Alvvays
It’s been seven years since Alvvays last performed in Halifax, taking the stage at the 2018 Halifax Jazz Festival. Despite some Nova Scotian roots, they don’t play here often, making this their first local show since releasing their critically acclaimed 2022 record “Blue Rev.”
Their set was more reserved with fewer crowd interactions, but a strong focus on the music. “There’s a lot of Killers fans here,” said lead vocalist Molly Rankin early on. “But it’s also just a sea of first and second cousins,” nodding to their Maritime ties and the famously small-world feel of an East Coast crowd.
Much of the setlist came from “Blue Rev,” giving fans a chance to hear songs live some hadn’t heard in person, but also included fan favourites like “In Undertow,” “Adult Diversion,” “Not My Baby,” “Dreams Tonite” and “Archie, Marry Me.” They also did a cover of Sloan’s “I Am the Cancer,” introducing it as a “Halifax classic.” For their final song, the band dedicated “Easy On Your Own?” to the crew working in the rain all day.
The Killers
Just before 9:45 p.m., The Killers launched into a surprise brief rendition of Sloan’s “Underwhelmed,” followed by their own “When You Were Young,” complete with pyro and an explosion of energy. Sloan was tagged in many videos on social media and reposted a video from our friend Richard Lann at Buddy Loves Ham, noting that maybe they’ll have to learn “Mr. Brightside” for their upcoming show at The Shore Club.
Frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd he’s been coming to “the great white north” for 20 years, but this show marked their first time in Halifax. The stage was soaked, and he joked about slipping on stage and took off his boots entirely, suggesting everyone do the same in solidarity. “I don’t want you to think I’m not giving 110%,” he said.
Despite the drizzle and thick fog, the band kept spirits high with lots of confetti, crowd-wide cell phone lights and fans singing along to every word, even the deeper cuts.
They closed with an encore of “The Man,” “Human,” and fan favourite “Mr. Brightside,” sending the foggy, fired-up hill into full chorus.
It was a fitting finale for a weekend that proved Halifax is more than ready for big and loud rock festivals again.
Over three days, Halifax Music Fest delivered the kind of energy that only an outdoor rock show can. The weekend featured inclement weather, rain-soaked stages and plenty of ponchos, confetti, pyrotechnics and unforgettable performances. More than anything, the festival proved that Halifax still knows how to show up and show out for live music. If this is the new era of concerts on the Hill, let’s hope it’s just the beginning.
