When Ocie Elliott, the Juno-nominated folk duo from Victoria, B.C., arrive in Toronto for their headlining show at the Massey Hall on Thursday, they won’t be staying at a hotel but instead will be sleeping on a tour bus — for the first time in their career.
Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy, who make up the group, are performing in the city just as global superstar Taylor Swift brings her “Eras Tour” here, and they wanted to avoid the headache of finding a hotel.
For the next week and a half, Swift will not be the only game in town, though it may feel that way. Ocie Elliott is just one of the many artists playing shows at smaller venues who have to contend with the issues that come with Swift’s unprecedented run of six dates at the Rogers Centre.
Ocie Elliott said they know very well how difficult it is to find a place to stay in Toronto and were aware of the high hotel costs during the period Swift would be in town — a price surge that has concerned some Swifties who are still seeking accommodations.
This will be the group’s third trip to Toronto on a headlining tour, but their first playing the iconic Massey Hall. And their Thursday show won’t be the first time they performed in the same town on the same night as Swift.
For their concert in Stockholm last May, they had to stay in a hotel about 45 minutes out of town due to the few available accommodations, adding that the hotel still felt “overpopulated” despite the distance.
As Swift mania follows Ocie Elliott, the two have shown an appreciation for the “Shake It Off” singer, with Lundy once covering her earlier work and Middleton admitting he likes her “Folklore” album. They said they feel “humbled” that their fans support them in the face of a simultaneous flashy stadium tour and expect a “pretty full” house at their show.
Local punk band the OBGMs will be headlining the Velvet Underground on Queen Street West on Friday, the same night as Swift’s second concert, to celebrate the release of their new album, “Sorry, It’s Over.”
Lead guitarist and singer Denz McFarlane wasn’t aware of Swift’s six-night run when his team booked the Toronto show and said it wouldn’t even have been a concern for a band at their level, though he did admit that hotel fees linked to the Swift shows have prevented some ODGMs fans from travelling in from other areas.
“Toronto itself, just in general, isn’t that cheap for hotels anyway, right? Especially for musicians,” he said, adding that nonlocal artists currently on tour here are “screwed.”
“I get to go home at night to Toronto, so it doesn’t impact me,” McFarlane said. “And for the few people that unfortunately couldn’t come because of hotel prices, we’ll make sure that we can take care of them at a later date.”
Singer-songwriter Justin Nozuka will perform at the Opera House this Friday, the final stop of the North American leg of his “Chlorine” tour, which heads to Europe later this month.
Like McFarlane, Nozuka lives in the city and says that after his show he will be relaxing on “his couch and in his bed.” He’s not particularly worried about traffic, either.
“The venue is on the east end and it’s kind of away (from the Rogers Centre), so I’m not too concerned, but you never know,” Nozuka said. “If traffic is crazy, maybe it might hold people up from getting to the show.”
Ocie Elliott also expressed concern that fans could experience traffic jams and transit delays on the way to their concert, while McFarlane said he’s optimistic that the Velvet Underground’s location, two kilometres from Rogers Centre, could save his gig from being “tremendously affected.”
Meanwhile, another big concert in the downtown core on Thursday night, Houston rapper Don Toliver’s sold-out show at the Scotiabank Arena, is expected to attract large crowds and add another layer of traffic congestion.
McFarlane said he is thankful for fans who choose to come out to see the OBGMs on Friday.
“I gotta be honest, I would ‘shake it off’ too,” he said with a laugh. “I won’t blame you, but you definitely should come see us instead. We’re from here.”
While Nozuka is not a Swiftie, he said he has “respect for her grind,” noting that both he and Swift came up around the same time. And he remembers once reading in an article that the singer was listening to one of his albums, which he said “is pretty cool.”
Still, he’s happy for the excitement she’s bringing to Toronto. “I’m sure that we’ll feel something in the city,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll see a bunch of decorated cars and lot of young folks out there. It should be pretty festive.”
