My wild weekend at The JUNOs
That was quite the party Hamilton just hosted – wild, scrappy, and completely alive, says music writer Dylan Hudecki. Check out his whirlwind weekend of musical memories!
When The JUNO Awards of 2026 landed in Hamilton, it felt less like a single event and more like a weekend full-body experience for me. Sure, the spotlight was aimed at the main ceremony, but the real energy was moving through the streets. JUNOfest turned the downtown core into something alive, music firing in every direction, every doorway offering a new sound, a new moment.
Here’s one humbled, honoured person’s journey through the chapters of the weekend that lay unread and unlived.
FRIDAY started at The Music Hall. I caught a set from Dundas’ Superstar Crush, full of charm, energy, and twitchy art-rock vibes that nodded toward Talking Heads without feeling like a throwback. Followed by a spirited, fun set by a first of many unknowns for me, Lia Pappas Kemps. From there, it was a blur. I bounced to Bridgeworks for the Sonic Unyon JUNOS party where Hamilton’s own Born in the Eighties had the place packed and rocked. It felt like a coming-out party for the venue for all of the out-of-town industry folks everywhere who were new to the space. Intermixed with managers, booking agents and promoters were some musicians like Jim Cuddy, Jill Barber, Andrew Cash, Elliott Brood, Lisa SQ, Cuff the Duke just to name a few, all just hanging, taking it in.
Before too long I was back downtown, at The Underground where I squeezed in a set by the charming Bells Larsen. It ended up being one of the most memorable and simplistic performances of the weekend. There was something deeply human about it, stories of identity, transitioning, and literally finding a new voice, delivered with humour and total vulnerability. Bells mentioned the big noteworthy, unique part of his breakout record Blurring Time, is that he recorded it during his transition, including his original vocal takes (as a woman). Once he went through his hormone therapy, he sang all the vocals again, this time recording with his newly acquired male voice. So, a unique and one-of-a-kind recording. (Side note: if you want to hear that for yourself, check out 514-415 to hear such a beautiful duet with him/herself).
That’s the thing about JUNOfest. It’s not always about headliners. It’s about discovery. Plans fall apart. You catch half a set, hear something incredible, then run to the next room. It’s chaos, but the good kind, the kind where every wrong turn leads to something better. Case in point, I ran into pals at the newly opened venue Ridiculous and saw two wild, eccentric, provocative sets by Mauvey and SadBoi that weren’t on my dancecard. We were all watching something world class that’d you’d see in Toronto, LA or NY, and we stood on the pulse of the new Canadian music scene, thumping and happening right in front of our smoked out eyes.
Home at a respectable 2 a.m. Well done Hamilton!
SATURDAY evening, I posted up at Corktown for a while with some visiting Toronto friends from Exclaim! Magazine, Polaris Music Prize, and Wavelength Music, a Toronto non-profit arts platform. Downstairs, Burs delivered a hazy, melodic set that felt somewhere between Big Thief and Alvvays. Upstairs, GRAE brought a more introspective, indie-pop energy, intimate but fuzzed out and sharp. Back down for the rocker Amelia Maxwell followed by the ever-so-artsy and theatrically performative Annie-Claude Deschenes, feeding people music and feeding audience members desserts as performance art. Hers was the kind of set that makes you stop moving, even in the middle of a festival built on constant motion, just to process what you’re taking-in in real time.
Later, I made my way back to The Music Hall for Junkhouse. At this point, because of my personal history with Tom (Wilson) and the band, they’re more than a rock band from Hamilton, they’re part of the foundation of the city’s culture and music scene. Watching them still blow the roof off the old church felt like I was tapping into something bigger than the weekend itself. A reminder of where this city’s sound comes from.
By 1 a.m., I should go home right? Wrong! Sleep can wait. There’s lots more music to ingest.
I followed the whispers to the Sheraton Hotel of all places. Down in the basement, something incredibly special was happening. If you could get past the well-dressed security of ex-NHLer Brad Dalgarno, you’re in for a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I also had the privilege to absorb in my bones in this very room for the 2015 JUNOS. It’s a private party with the Canrock elite, doing – you guessed it – playing music! Every JUNO weekend that he attends, Blue Rodeo’s very own Jim Cuddy (along with Starfish Entertainment) quietly sets up an after-hours hang, called Jim Cuddy’s Jam Suite Afterparty. It’s part jam, part singalong, part get together, completely unstructured and unmic’d. Magic. And did I mention an open bar? Musicians drifted in, guitars appeared, and suddenly you’re all in the middle of something that felt timeless. Folklore being written on the spot.
At one point, nominee Begonia walked up to Ron Sexsmith, introduced herself and asked him to sing his hit song “Secret Heart” with her. He said yes, of course. The room went silent. Goosebumps. Boom! Another highlight. Another core memory. Later, Tom Wilson and Dave Rave ripped into Teenage Head covers. Tom Cochrane’s singing along, Michael Johnston on the accordion, there’s a fiddle getting unzipped, next a banjo, is that a mandolin?
With unsung hero Sam Polley, Jim Cuddy’s son, leading the way playing cover after cover. The songs only stop for the musicians to discuss what songs to play next. A tap is opened all the way up. Music lovers in a collective celebration of song, by the musicians and the crowd alike. At some point, someone started “Ahead by a Century.” Next it was “Landslide.” No setlist. No plan. Just music happening in real time. Total joy to witness and to be a part of. Humbled and honoured.
In bed at 3 a.m. Day well lived.
SUNDAY was the main event. I found myself backstage-adjacent, bouncing between the media room and the edges of the action. It’s a strange way to watch an awards show, but it had its perks. Cookies, TVs, brief run-ins with Rush, Kardinal Offishall, Billy Talent, and more.
The show itself reflected the current state of the Canadian music scene. Diverse, global, and evolving. The absent Tate McRae dominated the awards gala the night before, taking home four big ones. The Beaches continued their run, while Cameron Whitcomb broke through in a big way. Daniel Caesar, Sarah McLachlan, Aysanabee, and Arkells all had their moments, while legends like Joni Mitchell and Nelly Furtado were rightfully celebrated.
Post awards show, it was time to head back to The Music Hall for a rapid-fire official after party showcase. Bands rotating every couple songs, no downtime, just pure momentum. At one point, members of Billy Talent went up and played a cover of Toronto pop-rock darlings The Beaches. Total chaos ensued as The Beaches were actually there and bum-rushed the stage and sang their hearts out to some of their idols playing THEIR song. Total joy and electricity. Terra Lightfoot popped up with the house band and rocked "Cinnamon Girl.” Tom Wilson is up on that stage again, this time playing Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown.” The Trews are here, alongside Jim Cuddy and his two sons, Dirty Nil, Aysanabee. Faces everywhere. I lost track.
My phone died halfway through the evening, which somehow made this all the better. It held me present.
The only picture I took from this final eclectic concert was one I snapped using Loel Campbell’s (Wintersleep) phone before he got behind the kit for Billy Talent.
(Editor's note: I managed to show some photos)
By the time I drifted back toward the Sheraton for one last late-night hang, to Jim Cuddy’s Jam Suite Afterparty Night 3 it all started to blur together, music, friends, chance encounters, the kind of moments you can’t plan. That’s the real magic of a JUNO weekend. Not the awards, not the industry, but the collisions. This time in that magical basement room that usually lays silent and dormant, was the final afterparty here. The last waltz. There were new and old faces in the crowd and new musicians to sing, like Luke Bentham of Dirty Nil, The Damn Truth, Devin Cuddy, Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet from Whitehorse, fresh off the award show TD stage having just played the finale in Sarah Mclachlan’s band celebrating Joni Mitchell …. (and no to answer your question, there was no Joni or Sarah appearance this time). Ben from Billy Talent sang, and so so so many more folks. Song after song after song after gin & tonic …
(OK, Dylan, it’s 3:45 a.m.. It’s OK to leave now. You sucked the marrow dry)
So that’s that.
I went into the weekend trying to see everything. I left reminded that you never can. And that’s the point.
Hamilton showed up, loud, scrappy, and completely alive.
EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm just going to add a few honourable mentions to Dylan's rundown that I experienced this JUNOS weekend. The Redhill Valleys did Hamilton proud at the JUNOS Kickoff Concert on Thursday night, alongside fellow country performers Kalsey Kulyk, Sacha, Robyn Ottolini and James Barker Band. Four-time JUNO nominee Welland native Shawnee Kish practically blew the roof off The Music Hall the next night at JUNOfest. Wow, what a voice. (She also killed Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" at the JUNOS After Party on the same stage.) We then checked out Ridiculous, a super-cool spot where we saw Jordan Astra, whose smooth sound blends R&B and funk, and the smoky soul sound of Katie Tupper.
Saturday night, we stayed at the Underground, where we witnessed the great storytelling of Hamilton's Mattie Leon and then Nicolette & The Nobodies, also Hamiltonians, deliver a fun and fresh country set. The highlight of the night that also included Ten Minute Detour, and Great Lake Swimmers, was Calgary's Mariel Buckley, who came right to the venue from winning a JUNO for Contemporary Root Album. She was mesmerizing.
Sunday, was my first time on a red carpet – in this case the Skip Orange Carpet set up on Bay Street. It was a fascinating experience, full of up-close experiences with musicians I have long admired. Talk about a mad scramble to get the attention of publicists accompanying celebrities down the media gauntlet. They are mostly interested in the TV cameras, but we did get time with Jim Cuddy, William Prince, Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet of Whitehorse, Tom Wilson, Ron Sexsmith, Naomi Cowan, winner of Reggae Recording of the Year, and two-time 2026 JUNO winner Aysanabee. We got Hamilton shout-outs from Jully Black, Dave Baksh and Jason "Cone" McCaslin from Sum 41, four-time nominees Crown Lands, and two-time 2026 JUNO winner Cameron Whitcomb.
The JUNOS After Party was a blast and a reminder just how deep the catalogue of great Canadian music goes.
– Meredith MacLeod
