Year in Review: The Best Concert Photos of 2016

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Emmett Robinson Smith
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Artist: Father John Misty  
Venue: NXNE 
City: Toronto 
Date: June 18
Photographer: Katrina Lat 

Father John Misty writes with a gleeful nihilism, best exemplified in songs like “I Love You, Honeybear,” in which the chorus goes, “Everything is doomed / And nothing will be spared / But I love you, Honeybear.” The theatricality of this photo mirrors the glorious melodrama that pervades much of his music.

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Artist: Chance The Rapper   
Venue: Echo Beach 
City: Toronto 
Date: September 28
Photographer: Shahnoor Ijaz 

Chance upped the spiritual ante on his latest project Coloring Book. His music often strives to transcend, to uplift (and always succeeds). The beams of light in this photo illuminate his joyful countenance, giving the impression that it all was just kind of meant to happen.

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Artist: Kanye West 
Venue: The Forum  
City: Los Angeles  
Date: October 26
Photographer: Andrew Gomez 

The set for Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour will go down as one of the most visually striking designs in history. The connotations of the design are obvious, with West positioned above the “masses”. It’s extravagant, flagrant, undeniable – all the things that make him great.

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Artist: Flying Lotus 
Venue: Levitation Music Festival   
City: Vancouver 
Date: June 18
Photographer: Timothy Nguyen 

Flying Lotus’s music evokes vast spectra of colour and texture. This photo looks like what listening to his work sounds like.

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Artist: YG
Venue: The Phoenix Concert Theatre 
City: Toronto 
Date: October 21
Photographer: Charito Yap 

You can tell here that YG was just killing it onstage at that moment, probably in the middle of “Twist My Fingaz” or “Gimmie Got Shot”. In this photo, the man is dripping charisma.