If Gord Downie had an extra spring in his step — some extra swagger in his leather pants — on February 6, that’s because he was celebrating his 51st birthday while playing to a packed Rogers Arena on their Fully Completely tour. After over 30 years, The Hip have still got it, and they know how to put on an impressive rock ‘n’ roll show.

Upon entering Rogers Arena, I was greeted with clouds of smoke – everyone was on their feet and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Downie shuffled across the stage, shimmying and shaking in his signature dance style as he belted out classics like “My Music at Work” and “The Lonely End of the Rink.”

Downie’s fancy footwork with the mic stand and theatrics like pretending the microphone was a fishing rod added a bit of quirky charm to their performance, and it was clear that this band is still having tons of fun with their stage show.

The energy in the arena when they played “In View” was electric, as the audience chanted “phone rings once, phone rings twice, phone rings three times” along with the band. Seeing this song performed live made me love it even more.

He opened the show wearing a black bowler hat, but after a brief break, the band returned to the stage and Downie was in a white cowboy hat. This matched the change in tone to some of their earlier work.

Sheer video screens surrounded the stage, and many of the songs were accompanied by footage that set the tone. For example, “At the Hundredth Meridian” had video of wild horses and buffalo running across the prairies, fitting song lyrics such as, “where the great plains begin.”

For “Locked in the Trunk of a Car,” there was a great video of driving down a long stretch of remote highway. Singing lines like this song’s “You could say I became chronologically fucked up,” The Hip showed off their lyrical genius as well. “We’ll Go Too” is another lyrical tour de force that had everyone singing along to the lines: “What can you do, they’ve all gone, we’ll go too.”

Although I was a kid when The Hip released a lot of their material, it was still a treat to see them play classics like “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan),” “Bobcaygeon,” and “Poets.” These songs don’t sound outdated at all.

As black and white hockey footage played in the background, they sang “the last goal he ever scored won the Leafs the Cup” from “50 Mission Cap” to many boos at the mention of the Leafs. “Wheat Kings,” one of their most emotional songs, brought out everyone’s lighters (or cellphone lights) as they swayed along singing, “Let’s just see what the morning brings.”

They came back for a long encore including the chilling “Scared” and they ended on “Blow at High Dough.” Downie and the rest of the group showed why The Hip are one of Canada’s seminal rock bands, and I was very impressed by their smooth moves and genuine rock ‘n’ roll showmanship.

At the turn of the millennium, the Backstreet Boys were one of the biggest bands on the planet. They sold millions of albums, toured non-stop, and broke record after record. A lot has changed since then, and this documentary shows the Backstreet Boys at their most vulnerable. It’s a personal, intimate portrayal that gives an inside look into the formation of the group, their individual struggles, and where they are now.

After Kevin Richardson re-joined the group in 2012 (he had quit in 2006), they went to London to write and record their first independent album, 2013’s In a World Like This, and they brought the film crew with them. It was a treat to be let in on their writing and recording process, and to see their personal relationships with each other.

Chronicling their story from the early days of the band and how they were formed by Lou Pearlman up to the present day, the film is a mix of old and new footage that gives a comprehensive overview of their story.

They visit the warehouse in Orlando where it all began — where the group would rehearse for long hours and dream of making it big. The footage of these early rehearsals and their high school performances is peppered with interviews and each of them sharing their thoughts and feelings about those days. It’s funny to hear them admit that when they played a free high school show and girls screamed, they thought they were rock stars.

Reflecting on their pasts and their bonds with each other, the film follows the members as they make trips to each other’s hometowns to learn a bit more about where they all came from. They all admit that, though they spent years together, there were many things left unsaid and they didn’t always share their pasts or family lives with the group.

Kevin takes them to his family home Kentucky, a camp where he grew up, and he recounts the difficult experience of returning home to see his father’s final days. Brian takes the group to the church where he used to sing his heart out; Nick shows them his childhood home in Tampa and visits his elementary school; A.J. visits the church where he used to perform and practice his acting monologues. Back in Orlando, they visit Howie’s family home, where they used to hang out together before they made it big.

The guys also talk a lot about manager Lou Pearlman’s betrayals. He not only formed their number one competition, N’Sync, but he swindled them out of millions of dollars. Now that he is out of their lives, they describe the immense freedom of being able to make a record on their own terms and create music that they can be proud of for themselves and their fans. This film is a perfect mix of past and present, with plenty of nostalgia for fans of this enduring boy band.

Show ’Em What You’re Made Of is now playing in select theatres and is available on VOD and itunes. For more information, visit backstreetboys.com.

Alanna Mitchell is a journalist who discovered that the big story behind climate change can be found in the world’s oceans. Based on her book of the same name, this powerful piece of theatre shows us what is happening to our oceans, and how this tells us about the dangers that our planet facea.

Spurred by an insatiable curiosity, Mitchell began a quest to find out what was happening to the world’s oceans. She followed renowned scientists on their research expeditions whenever they would let her tag along. She has always been inspired by Charles Darwin, who was an important figure in her household headed by her father, a biologist, and mother, a painter. Mitchell said her parents’ careers taught her that “science gives us knowledge, but art gives us meaning.”

Her personal tale of scientific discovery is bold and brave — she admitted that she is not an actor, and never thought she would find herself on stage at an arts festival. She shared intimate stories from her childhood and her journeys to some of the most remote areas of our oceans. She described the water, which has been deoxidized, acidified, and warmed by excess CO2, as “warm, breathless, and sour.”

Using a large chalkboard to draw a few diagrams, she explained what pH means, and how a small change in that number translates into a huge change in the ocean’s chemistry and ability to support life. To demonstrate, she dropped a piece of chalk into a pitcher of vinegar. In a matter of seconds, the chalk dissolved. Mitchell explained that this is the effect that ocean acidification has on sea shells and the bones of all marine animals.

Mitchell shared the heartbreaking story of her trip to see a coral spawning event, but only half of the corals actually released their reproductive materials into the water. The warmer water caused them to die off in vast quantities, and they are unable to properly reproduce.

Realizing that we are setting ourselves up for the next mass extinction, Mitchell fell into a deep depression. As she pulled herself out of bed to check her email one morning, she recieved a reply to her request from three years earlier to join an expedition travelling 3000 feet below the surface of the ocean in a submersible. She described this journey as a very transformative one, and ended the show with her idea that forgiveness is the key to being able to move forward and take action on this issue.

This is a brave, bold, and necessary show that I hope has a chance to reach many more people. We need to hear it for our own good.

Sea Sick was presented as part of the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival February 3 and 4 at the Roundhouse Community Centre. For more information, visit alannamitchell.com.