April Wine

April Wine plays The Arena, 888 Durham Live Avenue in Pickering, on February 21, 2026. Formed in Halifax in 1969 before settling in Montreal, the band shaped a blend of melodic hard rock, FM‑friendly hooks and electric ballads built on harmonized guitars and tight choruses. Early releases like April Wine (1971), On Record (1972) and Electric Jewels (1973) laid the groundwork, followed by Stand Back (1975) and First Glance (1978) as the group toured across North America.

The early 1980s sharpened the contrast between punchier riffs and slower cuts with The Nature of the Beast (1981) and Power Play (1982), and songs such as Just Between You and Me, I Like to Rock and Sign of the Gypsy Queen became central in their repertoire. After a late‑’80s pause, April Wine returned to the studio with Attitude (1993) and Frigate (1994), then focused largely on the stage with a lineup that has evolved over time. The show draws on a broad catalogue, balancing grit and melody across decades of Canadian rock at The Arena in Pickering, Canada.