Categories
Awards

Do I care? Should I care? Will I care?

k.d. lang, k-os join Juno lineup
WINNIPEG – If you still need proof that the underground has gone mainstream, look no further than the Juno awards.
Punk groups Billy Talent and Simple Plan; hip-hop artist k-os; and former cowpunk turned torch singer k.d. lang were added to the lineup of performers during the April 3 Juno broadcast yesterday.
“They’re very well representative of what has been going on during the past year — I think they’re perfect for the show,” said Melanie Berry, president of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
The four acts join previously announced performers Neil Young and The Tragically Hip for the 34th Juno Awards at the MTS Centre. Comedian Brent Butt will host. Further acts will be determined in the next few weeks after nominees are announced Monday. This year CARAS is aiming to have about nine live performances during the show’s two hours, Berry said.
Tickets for the awards show in Winnipeg go on sale Saturday, Feb. 12, for six different prices:
* $40 for a seat behind the stage with viewing available on a video screen.
* $50 for partially obstructed seats beside the stage.
* $67 for upper bowl seats.
* $80 for seats in the 200 section of the lower bowl.
* $100 for seats in the 100 section of the lower bowl.
* $116 for floor seats.
* An early-bird ValuPak will be sold for one day only on Fri. Feb. 11 at 10 a.m. The $119.95 package includes a ticket to the broadcast awards ceremony in the 200 section; a JunoFest wristband; a ticket to the JunoCup hockey game in Selkirk; and a first balcony ticket to the Songwriters’ Circle at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
About 10,000 tickets will be available to the public from Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.ca and 780-3333. The stage setup will be posted online so people can see where their seats are. All of the floor seats will be sold to fans.
“Last year they were walking through the crowd to get their awards so it makes it more interactive and fun,” Berry said.
The stage will be at the south end of the arena, but there may be a second stage somewhere on the floor, Berry said.
About 3,000 tickets are being held for industry representatives, musicians and sponsors. Berry expects another 500 to 1,000 additional tickets will be released to the public the day before the show when the stage is built.
Ticket prices and on sale dates for the other Juno week events will be announced over the next month. After examining several locations, the Duckworth Centre at the University of Winnipeg has been chosen as the site of the Juno Fan Fare autograph sessions on April 2.