Hedley singer wants to deliver bang for buck on arena tour

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This article was published 30/03/2010 (5680 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jacob Hoggard wasn’t sure Hedley was big enough for an arena tour.

His Vancouver-based pop-rock group has sold out theatres from coast-to-coast, but filling arenas is a whole different game.

"I was actually really nervous about doing it," he says. "I had some serious calls with my manager: ‘Are you sure we should be doing it?’ I was nervous about setting a goal that was not attainable, but we took the necessary steps to ensure it works. It’s a big jump and it’s kind of intimidating, but it’s an acceptable challenge."

The band has been working towards arena-rock supremacy since forming in the wake of Hoggard’s self-imposed ouster from Canadian Idol in 2004. (He was voted off the show after urging his fans not to vote for him so he could avoid being tied down to the contract winners are forced to sign.)

After leaving the contest (eventually won by Kalan Porter), he hired a new group of musicians to back him in a re-formed version of his pop-punk band Hedley and inked a deal with Universal. The band’s 2005 self-titled debut went on to sell 200,000 copies.

Since then, the quartet — Hoggard, guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin — has played to sold-out theatres across Canada, opened for Bon Jovi and Simple Plan on their arena tours and released two more albums.

The band is touring the country in support of their third release, The Show Must Go. They play the MTS Centre Wednesday with Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson.

"This is the first time we get the big font," Hoggard says. "There’s a lot of added pressure in that we’re the ones, in part, making sure the ticket buyers get the most bang for their buck. One of the main things we did is look how we spent the money and budgeted the tour so it looked as good as it could."

The Show Must Go finds the group building on its sophomore album, Famous Last Words, with personal ballads and even a slight flirtation with electronic sounds. They even used four different producers to achieve everything they wanted.

"We thought we would mix it up and add an element with different characters," the 25-year-old says. "We thought some songs worked with some producers and we wanted to work with as many as possible. It really helped develop the dynamic of the record."

Hip-hop is one of Hoggard’s favourite musical styles, but only now is he starting to look at incorporating it into some of Hedley’s music. With three successful albums and a solid fan base, the group can take some chances, although ultimately the fans have the last say, he says.

"I definitely think we’ve come a long way. I think we’ve grown musically and creatively," he says. "I think we’ve taken some long strides. If there’s a band or a person that’s screwed up, it’s me. The pitfalls have been varied and many, and it’s our ability to get up and learn things by taking steps forward. It’s been a whirlwind, for lack of a better word. It feels like yesterday it started and, having gone through some life changes, developing my skills has been an incredible journey."

rob.williams@freepress.mb.ca