Live Nation’s Riley O’Connor Honored At Junos

 Nation Canada chairman Riley O’Connor walked onstage to Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio,” arms in the air in a little Rocky Balboa victory moment, to accept the 2025 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the Juno Awards Gala dinner in Vancouver March 29. 

He later quoted lyrics to the song to cap his acceptance speech. That sums up the man who has spent close to 50 years in the live music business, helping artists achieve their touring goals.

As artist manager Bruce Allen (Michael Bublé) said in the tribute video, “You know what I think guides Riley in what he does? It’s his heart. If he believes in it, he’s going for it. His legacy in the end will be putting Canadian artists first.” 

Live Nation Entertainment president and CEO Michael Rapino said, “I can’t think of anyone who’s championed Canadian music more than you have.”

O’Connor, profiled earlier this year in Pollstar, has produced and promoted such Canadian acts as Rush, Blue Rodeo, The Tragically Hip, Michael Bublé, Bryan Adams, The Guess Who, Nickelback, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and brought in dozens of major international names like AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, Elton John and others. 

The Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award — named for one of the co-founders of the Juno Awards, Canada’s Grammy equivalent — recognizes individuals whose work has significantly impacted the growth and development of the Canadian music industry. 

“He’s made an unbelievably unique contribution to Canadian culture,” said Erik Hoffman, president – music, Live Music Canada, in the video.

Only the fourth promoter to receive the honor from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (CARAS), O’Connor was presented with the trophy from 15-time Juno-winner Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, a folk-rock band going strong 40 years in Canada and now on a Canadian postage stamp.

“I can tell you that you won’t find a better partner than Riley when you tour,” Cuddy said, “He has the experience and savvy to guide you through the wicked winters, breakdowns, cold venues, crowded buses, and just when it all seems too much, they’ll be a couple of bottles of beautiful wine in your dressing room to brighten your day.”

O’Connor said off the bat that he was “really nervous,” but it didn’t come across.

He thanked Cuddy, the industry, CARAS, his wife and kids, and went back to the beginning of his career 48 years ago, to when his brother-in-law Norman Perry “convinced me to leave my stage lighting career in the UK and come to Vancouver. Little did we appreciate how hard it would be to establish credibility in a very competitive market with five dominant promoters.”

He said their first tour was for The Stampeders, playing 13 markets throughout British Columbia. “I bet you can’t name 13 markets in this province,” he challenged, to laughter from the audience of industry members and nominees at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

“We became the promoters of the underdog, promoting punk bands and new wave,” he said, name-checking locals DOA, the Young Canadians, Pointed Sticks, and Images In Vogue. 

“With tenacity in building relationships, we caught the attention of local powerhouse and legends, Bruce Allen and Sam Feldman,” who both appeared in the tribute video. “I’m still promoting Sam and Bruce’s bands today.”

One key mark he made on the business is promoting show nationally, which doesn’t seem like a big deal today but did not exist back then when the country wasn’t threaded together by the industry. 

He named a bunch of Canadian acts they promoted coast to coast, adding to the aforementioned names The Headpins, April Wine, Triumph, Streetheart, Rough Trade, Tom Cochrane, Harlequin, Corey Hart, Glass Tiger and Jann Arden.

“Canadian music became a part of my DNA, the vision to create a sustainable ecosystem for our artists to earn a decent living. It meant building relationships with venues who agreed with the ethos of treating artists and fans with respect,” O’Connor continued. “I wanted the artists to be as important as the local hockey teams in arenas and the symphonies that played in the theatres. 

“Here we are decades later, and fellow Canadians Michael Rapino and Arthur Fogel hand me the keys to run Live Nation Canada, with one caveat, grow the business. Well, maybe two caveats: don’t fuck up,” he joked.

“Our Canadian venues are gathering places to celebrate live music, the experience of what our music is all about, a reflection of who we are, a touchstone to what our inner strength and resilience is. Above all, our compassion to welcome and share in our communities.

“This is not the time to retreat. This is an opportunity to showcase to our neighbors to the south and around the world the uniqueness of our artistic talent in production, innovation, entrepreneurship and music,” he said to claps. “Our Canadian music industry has grown, by and large, organically, to be a force on the international stage.”

He ended his speech with these parting lines from Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio” because they “reflect the love and character that I believe is part of our DNA.”

“One likes to believe in the freedom of music, but glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity, yeah.” He then skips to, “The words of the prophets were written on the studio wall.

“Now it’s time to turn up our Canadian volume. I can’t sing like Geddy Lee, but here it goes: [sings gravelly], ‘Concert hall!’