Juno Awards 2018
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Gord Downie wins artist of the year
A posthumous win for Gord, accepted by his brothers Patrick and Mike Downie."If we've learned anything from Gord, it's the value of taking care of each other," says Patrick, listing off some of the people who have helped them with healing over the past two years. "I like to believe that we're all better artists and people because of him. We love you Gord and we're all taking good care of each other."Now Mike takes the mic and talks about creating a "new country" with indigenous and non-indigenous people coming together. He says Gord really would like that and finishes by saying he loves his brother.Here's Mike:
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Arcade Fire win album of the year
It's for their 2017 album Everything Now. This win comes as a bit of a surprise as this album was easily their most divisive album amongst fans (full disclosure ... I count myself a longtime fan!). I am an Everything Now fan though."We're so humbled to be here," says frontman Win Butler. "I just hope we can all rise above negativity in our lives and do what we believe in."Perhaps that was a dig to the critics who hated on the album. They performed the title track from the album earlier in the show. The best song with a pan flute?
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Jessie Reyez wins Breakthrough Artist
"I wasn't expecting this so thank you ... it means a lot to get this love at home," Reyez said. She is visibly emotional.She ends her speech by giving a shout out about being proud of being Canadian ... it's a bit hard to hear though over all the cheers!
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What can we expect tonight?
Let me give you the breakdown on what we know will be happening during tonight's show.- The Oscars this 'aint. Only six awards will be handed out during tonight's show: R&B/soul recording of the year, breakthrough artist of the year, rap recording of the year, album of the year, JUNO fan choice and artist of the year.
- It's really all about the performances. We'll be seeing and hearing performances from Arcade Fire, Barenaked Ladies ft. Steven Page, the Jerry Cans, Shawn Hook, Lights, Daniel Caesar, Jessie Reyez, Arkells, Diana Krall, and a tribute to Gord Downie from Sarah Harmer and City and Colour.
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Welcome to the big show
Hello folks! The big Junos broadcast is here. I'll be your guide throughout the evening. We've got lots of CBC journalists on the ground in Vancouver who will be contributing to our live blog coverage -- from the red carpet and back stage.Most of the Junos were already handed out at last night's gala. Take a look at what happened:
Gun control, Indigenous rights addressed at early Junos ceremony
Michael Bublé, A Tribe Called Red and Diana Krall were among early Juno winners at a private industry ceremony Saturday night in Vancouver that called for gender parity, Indigenous advocacy and American gun control. -
The host is in the house
Laura Thompson/CBC Michael Buble will be hosting the show tonight. He was supposed to host last year but had to drop out after his son Noah was diagnosed with cancer. He's here now walking the carpet with his wife Luisana Lopilato.Buble told the CBC's Eli Glasner that the experience with his son's sickness has given him a new focus to be centred and able to appreciate events like this.
Tina Lovgreen/CBC -
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The red carpet has taken over the Georgia Viaduct
It's a major route into downtown Vancouver and it's closed for the Junos tonight. But as the CBC's Michelle Ghoussoub puts it, it sure cleans up well. -
'A day of reckoning is coming to music'
That's what Juno Awards president Allan Reid has to say about the #MeToo movement and the Hedley allegations. The band was supposed to perform on the show and was nominated for several awards but was dropped and withdrew themselves from consideration as the allegations started to surface.The CBC's Eli Glasner just spoke to Jann Arden about it on the red carpet and she said she is glad people are talking about it now but wants to reiterate that there are good men and the movement has the potential to backfire.You can read more about the #MeToo movement and what it means for Canadian music here:
Calls for change, celebration mingle at 2018 Juno Awards
Changing Canada's music industry is a key part of the conversation as the 2018 Juno Awards are presented in Vancouver Sunday night. -
BNL is here ... and Steven Page is too
The band is being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame along with their former co-frontman Steven Page. He is walking the carpet separately from the band.But they will all be performing together tonight. It will be the first time they have been together in about nine years, since Page left the band following his arrest for cocaine possession."You know, we worked together for 20 years and that relationship got difficult," other frontman Ed Robertson told CBC News, "and so it had to come to an end … we're lucky to be on the other side of it and 10 years down the road."Read more about how the band prepared for tonight here:
'Sometimes a marriage breaks down': Barenaked Ladies reflect on split ahead of Junos reunion
It's been nine years since Steven Page abruptly left the Barenaked Ladies and he hasn't been in the same room with the remaining band members since. Yet on March 25, they'll reunite for a one-time performance at the Juno Awards, and there is the potential for awkwardness. -
Who are the big winners so far?
As I mentioned earlier, the bulk of awards were handed out last night. Here are some of the big winners from that gala.- Single of the year: Shawn Mendes, "There's Nothing Holdin' me Back"
- Group of the year: A Tribe Called Red
- Breakthrough group of the year: The Beaches
- Country album of the year: James Barker Band, Game On
- Songwriter of the year: Gord Downie and Kevin Drew: "A Natural," "Introduce Yerself," "The North" (Gord Downie, Introduce Yerself)
- Adult alternative album of the year: Gord Downie, Introduce Yerself
- Alternative album of the year: Alvvays, Antisocialites
You can find all the other winners here:
Junos 2018: the complete list of winners so far | CBC Music
See all the winners from this year's Juno Awards. -
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Politics goes pop
Yes, the night is all about music, but there's a bunch of politicians here tonight too. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh walked the red carpet with his spouse Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu. Federal heritage minister Melanie Joly is here and she will be presenting an award on the show tonight. -
Home province hero
Jazz star Diana Krall is from Nanaimo, B.C., one of the few home province musicians being feted as this year's ceremony. She was nominated for two awards ... and won both at last night's ceremony! -
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Buble is now on stage doing his monologue
"I wanted to be here last year but I could not make it."Buble started by thanking his friends "Russell Peters and Bryan Adams" who stepped in last minute to host the show for him. He is thanking friends and family for getting him through the past few years. His son was diagnosed with cancer."Sometimes when you've been gone a while, sometimes you wonder if you lost what you had in the first place."I think we also got a hint who the first performers are ... Arcade Fire. Just saw frontman Win Butler as Buble emerged onto the stage.
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Arcade Fire are starting things off musically
They are performing their song Everything Now of their album of the same name.The band is tied with Daniel Caesar for the most nods. They are up for:- Album artwork
- Single of the year
- Album of the year
- Group of the year
- Alternative album of the year
They were also recipients of the International Achievement Award -- the first band to be bestowed the honour. -
In classic Arcade Fire fashion ...
... there are many, many people on the stage. I've lost count at about 16. But there are many, many more than that because there's a hidden string section behind the piano. The cameras keep changing so fast ... I can't keep up!
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More on the Jerry Cans here
They are wild live if you haven't seen them:
The Jerry Cans combine traditional and modern for diverse sound | CBC Radio
The Jerry Cans is an Iqaluit-based band who find inspiration for their sound from their hometown. They are a self-described mix of Inuktitut, alt-country, throat singing, and reggae. But here's the catch — not all the members of the band are Inuit. Andrew Morrison is non-Inuit and as the lead singer of the Jerry Cans, he sings in the Inuktitut language. Unreserved caught up with them at the West End Cultural Centre in Winnipeg. -
Shawn Hook performs
He's joined by members of a B.C. youth choir, performing his song Reminding Me.A bit of a different feature this time around. The song actually features Vanessa Hudgens, perhaps best known for her stint in High School Musical. Is that a dated reference? Yes, Haydn. Yes it is.A month and a half ago, Shawn Hook was touring around the country with Hedley. But as those allegations about he band began to emerge, he and fellow openers, Neon Dreams, dropped off the tour. He initially said he would continue to fulfil his contractual obligations but then left altogether."I sincerely apologize to fans who have purchased tickets to see me on this run," he tweeted. "I hope to see you out on the road in the near future." -
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Lights performs
"It's time for change," says Buffy Sainte-Marie, about women in the music industry.. "Now's the time to do it." The #MeToo movement has been referenced several times in this ceremony so far, including earlier by heritage minister Melanie Joly.She and Grimes (aka Claire Boucher) are on stage to introduce Lights, who is performing her song, Giants. -
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Tory Lanez wins rap recording
Tory Lanez isn't in the building so the presenters, the rappers from the iconic (and now 20 year old) Northern Touch recording aka Rascalz along with Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair break into an impromptu (though maybe planned) version of Northern Touch."I'm sorry we had to take over for a minute," says Kardinal Offishall. I'm going to find out if it was planned or not.In the meantime, you can read about Northern Touch and its impact here:
'Northern Touch' at 20: An oral history of the most important rap collaboration in Canadian history | CBC Radio
For the 20-year anniversary of its release, the artists and key contributors to the song reflect on its impact, then and now. -
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Back on break
I've gotten word from someone backstage at the show in Vancouver that the impromptu performance of Northern Touch was not planned. It was rather spontaneous ... but the show didn't cut away from it. -
Tribute to Gord Downie
We're back now with a tribute to Gord Downie.Many famous Canadians, including Sam Roberts, Peter Mansbridge and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are giving one or two word tributes to the Hip frontman. Musician/producer Kevin Drew (who produced Downie's last two solo albums) is now on stage with Pearl Wenjack. Her brother was Chanie Wenjack, the subject of Downie's Secret Path project."He was our king. He was our friend," says Drew.The tribute starts now with a performance of Downie's tune Introduce Yerself by Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn and Sarah Harmer.
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And now, Bobcaygeon
City and Colour aka Dallas Green is up on stage solo, with just a chair and a guitar performing the classic Tragically Hip tune. He's joined briefly by Sarah Harmer.Downie is nominated for artist of the year tonight, posthumously.He won two awards at yesterday's gala -- songwriter of the year and adult alternative album of the year. -
Rush's Geddy Lee is here
He is here to induct the Barenaked Ladies into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He just called them "f'n great musicians" and said that their music abilities fly under the radar. The band will be playing later in the show. What do you think they will play?I also just learned that Jason Priestly directed the video for The Old Apartment. -
There's a lot leading up to this moment
The Barenaked Ladies are headed up to the stage, with former co-frontman Steven Page, who left the band nine years ago following his arrest for cocaine possession.Drummer Tyler Stewart starts off, thanking his hockey team. "Guys, I'm not crying, you're crying," says Page. He thanks his family.Keyboardist Kevin Hearn thanks the band for sticking by him "as he fought through cancer twice.""Thanks to Steve for starting this journey with me and to the guys for continuing it," says current frontman Ed Robertson.They end in true Barenaked Ladies fashion, with an impromptu song, thanking a whole whack of people, including Geddy Lee!
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We are hearing from Arkells now ...
... performing their hit (and Team Canada's favourite song) Knocking at the Door.The song lost out on single of the year (to Shawn Mendes) but the Hamilton band is still up for Juno Fan Choice Award ... also against Shawn Mendes. It's going to be stiff competition. Mendes won that prize last year. -
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What the Olympian thinks
Mark McMorris seems bashful up on the press room stage with beer in hand. When asked about the show so far: "Obviously it was really cool to see them do the Gord Downie tribute, that was amazing. Arcade Fire is great, Arkells is great, I've got to get back out there and see some more, but everyone has been awesome."McMorris is a snowboarder who just got back from competing at the Olympics in South Korea. -
Shawn Mendes wins fan choice award
... for the second year in a row. I was in Ottawa at last year's ceremony when he won and it was insanity. The fans really DO love him. But Mendes couldn't be here tonight. So we're moving on. Buble's back to introduce a performance by Jessie Reyez, the freshly minted breakthrough artist of the year.But not before some Canadian boasting first."On night's like this, I just feel like we are so much better than everyone else," he said. -
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Getting emotional
Diana Krall says she is moved by the show."I was just crying through half of it so far ... I am blown away by the show it's so great." She said the past two days have been one of the highlights of her life.She just performed a duet with host Michael Buble. They sang Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E for their kids. -
Buble wraps up the show ...
... poking fun at London, Ont., home of next year's show and "the Guy Lombardo museum." And he introduces the last act of the night, Barenaked Ladies, accompanied by former frontman Steven Page. It's the first time they've performed together in nine years.They are performing this gem: -
They've now moved on to If I Had a Million Dollars
... and they look genuinely happy to be reunited on stage together. Both frontmen Steven Page and Ed Robertson are smiling a bunch.They are now joined on stage by the Jerry Cans, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, Jann Arden, Kardinal Offishall and a bunch of fake money and balloons blowing around the audience.
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Now that the show is done ...
... here's some snaps from inside the arena.
Host Michael Buble cracks up on stage. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) 
It was a big night for Jessie Reyez who won breakthrough artist of the year and performed alongside Daniel Caesar. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) 
Sarah Harmer and Kevin Hearn pay tribute to Gord Downie. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) -
Spryfield, Nova Scotia gets a whole lot of love
Gina Burgess of The Jerry Cans was sporting a Spryfield Proud t-shirt while on stage during the big Barenaked Ladies finale. Spryfield is a small community just outside of Halifax, so the shoutout on the national stage might be a tad unexpected.
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And that's a wrap!
How can I possibly top Junos million dollar bucks (also I really appreciate the effort that went into actually making that "currency"). Thanks for hanging out with me this evening and kudos to my colleagues on the ground in Vancouver. And to all the winners and nominees. It's been a great year in Canadian music.I leave you with a list of all the winners from this year's Junos. London, Ontario, you're next!
Junos 2018: the complete list of winners | CBC Music
See all the winners from this year's Juno Awards. -
