Big, can’t-miss Montréal concerts in 2025

Spring concerts

MTL is where the party at 

As monster hip-hop concerts go, this is one for the ages: headliner Nelly as well as Ja Rule, Chingy, St. Lunatics and Jermaine Dupri, all together, all on one unforgettable night. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nelly’s debut studio album, Country Grammar, the Where the Party at Tour features 54 dates across New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. Catch Nelly and his all-star lineup when they blow the roof off the Bell Centre, April 15.

We wish you’ll be here

Montrealers love — and we mean loooove — their Pink Floyd, and apart from the iconic English prog rockers themselves, the very next best thing is internationally renowned cover band Brit Floyd. This year, Brit Floyd returns to the stage with their biggest and most spectacular production to date, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s classic album Wish You Were Here, complete with a stunning laser and light show, spectacular circular screen, inflatables and theatrics. Immerse yourself in all the Pink Floyd hits at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts on April 16, 2025.

Zappa-tastic!

Renowned guitarist in his own right and son to legendary musical non-conformist/experimentalist Frank Zappa, Dweezil Zappa has added a Montréal date to his Rox(Postroph)y Tour, celebrating two of his father’s landmark albums, Roxy & Elsewhere and Apostrophe. The tour commemorates the 50th anniversary of both albums, and Dweezil notes that “if you have never heard my father’s music, this might be the tour to start your obsession.” Minds will be blown at Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts on April 21, 2025.

Bringing down the house… outside 

Highly acclaimed Australian house music DJ/producer Dom Dolla’s meteoric rise will see him blasting through Montréal this spring. His much-anticipated performance follows career-defining North American headline shows in 2024 that included back-to-back nights in Los Angeles that drew over 40,000 people, as well as two sold-out Madison Square Garden dates in March of 2025. Catch Dom Dolla on the epic, outdoor Esplanade Viau at the Olympic Park on May 17. 

Sink or Swims

If you haven’t already heard of him, meet rapidly ascendant, multi-genre singer, songwriter and musician Teddy Swims. With a musical palette that spans R&B, pop, soul, country and more, Swims (an acronym for Someone Who Isn’t Me Sometimes) has been steadily marching up international charts for the last two years. Don’t get that sinking “I’ve missed out” feeling: catch him when he brings his I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy tour to Place Bell on May 24, 2025.

Bid adieu to one of the greats 

Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, the towering tunes of Barry Manilow were omnipresent on radio, and over a career that spans six decades, he released 51 top 40 singles, including 13 that hit number one, 28 that appeared within the top 10, and 36 that reached the top 20. Instantly familiar hit recordings like Mandy, I Write the Songs and Copacabana (At the Copa) are why he is ranked as the number one adult contemporary artist of all time. Celebrate the legacy of Barry Manilow when he plays “The Last Montréal Concert” at the Bell Centre, May 30.

To put it bluntly…

British singer/songwriter James Blunt scored one of the biggest hits of the new millennium with his chart-topping single You’re Beautiful off 2004’s Back to Bedlam LP, one of the top 10 best-selling albums of the decade. We’ll let Blunt take it from here: “I’ve released seven studio albums, but Back to Bedlam was the one people actually bought. So on its 20th anniversary, the record label and I thought we should repackage it with some early demos, and milk it for all it’s worth.” Blunt brings his Back to Bedlam 20th Anniversary Tour to Place Bell, Laval on June 13, 2025.

Summer concerts

A final gathering of the Clan 

Undisputably the world’s most iconic hip-hop group, the Wu-Tang Clan are embarking on their final tour: Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber. The tour will celebrate the depth and breadth of the ground-breaking group’s deep catalogue, including tracks that have never been performed live, deep cuts and, of course, the major hits spanning a 30-year career that began with the release of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Brooklyn rappers Run the Jewels will set the tone at Place Bell, Laval on July 13. 

The cult of the Creator

Genius lyricist (“Do you look both ways when you cross my mind?”) and rapper, songwriter, producer, director, actor, fashion designer, you-name-it Tyler, The Creator is set to grace us with his presence in support of his recently released album Chromakopia. True to form, Chromakopia is, at the risk of understatement, an eclectic and brilliant quasi-concept album that runs the gamut of influences and styles. Tyler and openers Lil Yachty and Paris Texas will break the Bell Centre on July 22, 2025.

(It’s all) working for The Weeknd 

Following a typically epic live performance at this year’s Grammy Awards ceremony, Canadian global pop superstar The Weeknd will embark on an all-new North American stadium tour in support of his new album Hurry Up Tomorrow. The recording serves as the final chapter in his trilogy, following After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022), and comes on the heels of a record-breaking 2024 that saw him become the first artist in history to have 27 songs with over 1 billion streams each on Spotify. Blow your mind with The Weeknd as well as genre-defying rapper Playboi Carti and special guest Mike Dean at Parc Jean-Drapeau on July 24 and 25.

Get ready for a “Firework” to explode in MTL 

Dubbed the “Queen of Camp” by both Vogue and Rolling Stone, pop music mega-star Katy Perry has parlayed a wicked combo of light-hearted theatricality and razor-sharp songwriting sensibility into a music empire that has seen her become one of the biggest-selling artists in history. Katy Perry’s red-hot Lifetimes Tour, in support of new album 143, descends on the Bell Centre on July 30.

Phoenix rising

One of the most successful alt-rock/nu metal outfits of the early 2000s, Linkin Park suffered an enormous blow following the death of charismatic lead singer Chester Bennington in 2017. That would have been the end of most bands, but in the fall of 2024 the group made a triumphant return to the top of the rock charts with new album From Zero, featuring new vocalist Emily Armstrong. Linkin Park, with openers PVRIS, will pick up where they left off at the Bell Centre, August 6, 2025.

The best of the west

If you haven’t already heard of Tate McRae, buckle up, because you will soon. The crazy-talented Calgary singer, songwriter and dancer first gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on So You Think You Can Dance at the age of 13, and by 2021, age 18, she was the youngest musician to be featured on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. The multiple-award-winning pop star, who has racked up a staggering 11.6 billion career streams, performs with special guest Zara Larsson at the Bell Centre, August 24, 2025.

A night for the ages 

Sacramento’s Deftones have made a lengthy career — it’s almost ridiculous to think that they formed in 1988 — out of pushing the boundaries of what metal can be, leaving virtually no genre of rock unexplored, and they remain at the top of their game. Fitting then that they should have equally category-smashing, ascendant British band IDLES (who played two mind-blowing shows of their own in MTL in September 2024) in the opening slot with special guests The Barbarians of California as part of Deftones North American Tour 2025. It all goes down at the Bell Centre, September 8. 

Fans of Urban music rejoice! 

One of country music’s most influential artists, Australian/American singer, songwriter and guitarist Keith Urban has been a driving force behind the evolution and still-growing popularity of country music for the better part of the last 35 years. With a well-earned reputation for barn-burning live shows, Keith Urban brings his High and Alive World Tour to the Bell Centre with special guests Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins on September 19.

Oh, Kanada! 

It’s been just over 30 years since Korn’s self-titled debut album redefined rock music, pioneering a whole genre in the process: nu metal. Now, whether you can still call it “nu” is debatable, but what’s not up for discussion is Korn’s enduring dominance in the realm of hard rock, as evidenced by their massive 30-year anniversary tour in 2024. This year, the L.A.-based metallists pay tribute to the Great White North with their eight-city Korn: Kanada Tour 2025, featuring special guests Gojira and Loathe, which slams into the Bell Centre on September 20. 

Fall concerts

Por primera vez en Montréal! 

Yes, you read that correctly: Mexican pop-rock superstars Maná will perform for the very first time in Montréal this fall. Formed in 1981, and with influences that run the gamut from prog rock to calypso, reggae and ska, Maná are the most successful Latin American band of all time having sold over 45 million albums. Fun fact: in November 2025, the band will break the record for most arena shows performed in Los Angeles history with a total of 44 concerts (previously held by Bruce Springsteen at 42 concerts). Their Vivir Sin Aire Tour fires up the Bell Centre on October 3. 

A living Legend 

It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since John Legend blew onto the R&B scene with a sophisticated mix of neo-soul, hip-hop and pop on his debut album, Get Lifted. The recording garnered eight Grammy nominations and won three Grammy Awards. Now, backed by his full band, Legend’s Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour will showcase a setlist celebrating the entirety of the album as well as other career-spanning hits. Take in this legend-in-the-making when he warms up Place Bell, Laval on November 14.