About Classic Albums Live
Classic Albums Live is a concert series based in Toronto, Ontario, in which musicians perform a classic rock album in its entirety. The series was founded in 2003 by Craig Martin, a musician who had previously produced a series of boutique cabaret shows as well as composed music for television and film.
The musicians go to great lengths to faithfully recreate every sound on the original album. They have performed with orchestras, sitarists, choirs and schools. The shows are treated like recitals with the album being performed in its entirety followed by a 'greatest hits' set of the featured artist.
In recent years, the series has presented concerts in a variety of cities, including Orlando, Florida, Melbourne, Florida, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Akron, La Mirada, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Lakeland, Coral Springs, New York, New Jersey, Dallas, Houston, Uncasville, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Rochester, New York. On 17 December 2006, Classic Albums Live performed the entire 213-song Beatles song catalogue in one 13-hour concert at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto.
A different line-up performs each album. There is a group of core musicians who are frequently part of the performances, including Nick Hildyard, Rob Phillips, Lindsay Clark, Leslea Keurvorst, Troy Feener, Clifton David, Dom Polito,David Love, Doug Inglis and Marty Morin. Occasionally, more famous Canadian musicians are brought in as well, including Mia Sheard, Kim Bingham, Nicholas Walsh, and ex-members of Moist. In some venues, they will bring in local musicians to fill needed spots. For example, on 16 June 2006, the group performed the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando; they brought in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra to fill in on the orchestral parts.
When performing in Toronto, they usually play at Massey Hall. The producer of Classic Albums Live has created a musical called Gig which will run in 2016.
List of albums performed:
Map & Directions To Venue
