# The Show Must Go

The Show Must Go is the third studio album by Canadian pop rock group Hedley. It is the first album by the band that drops their pop-punk / emo sound for more of a Pop rock sound, It was released on November 17, 2009, in Canada. The album was successful, producing three top 20 singles, with the lead track, "Cha-Ching", and eighth track, "Perfect" both hitting the top 10. The album was later released in the US on December 7, 2010.

## Background

The group worked with producers David Bendeth, John Feldmann, Dave Genn and Brian Howes. Hoggard began writing songs for The Show Must Go as the band was wrapping up their Famous Last Words tour. The group wrote 45 songs over the course of three months before choosing the 11 tracks for the album. Songs from the album were inspired from "the collapse of several relationships — both romantic and platonic." Whereas Hedley and Famous Last Words were more pop punk and alternative rock influenced, this album was inspired by hip-hop music and electro beats. Hoggard stated, "I don't know if the album as a whole has anything to do with me liking Dizzee Rascal or Method Man. There are some songs that might lend to the production elements of urban music, but we still wanted the album to sound as acoustic as possible." In an interview with MuchMusic, Hoggard described The Show Must Go as a more "personal album" and that the band pushed themselves to create an honest record. The album's concept comes from "remembering that your whole life is not a show and you can't just always be performing."
In 2010, the band signed an American record deal with Island Records.

## Release

"Cha-Ching" was released to radio in Canada on August 17, 2009, as the lead single from the album. The song was released internationally the following day. "Don't Talk to Strangers" was released as the second single from the album on October 27, 2009. The album's third single "Perfect" was released on February 8, 2010, through Universal Music Canada. "Hands Up" was released on June 29, 2010, as the fourth single from the album. "Sweater Song" was released as the album's fifth single in December 2010.
The Show Must Go was released in the United States on December 7, 2010 via Island Records. The album features a different album cover, altered track listing and the songs "I Do (Wanna Love You)" and "Color Outside The Lines" in place of "Young and Stupid" and "9 Shades of Red". "Perfect" was released as the album's first single in the US on August 10, 2010.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| MuchMusic | |
| New Music Reviews | (Mixed) |
| PressPlus1 | |
The Show Must Go was met with positive reviews from music critics. Alexey Eremenko of AllMusic stated that the album features, "simple, straightforward guitar licks and a vocal delivery that teeters on the brink of larger-than-life emoting." He complimented the album for its catchiness, however criticized the record for its "cheesy hard rock of yesteryear." Sydney of MuchMusic called the album their best effort yet. She described the album's ninth track "Sweater Song" as the standout track, as well as praising "Amazing", calling the track, "a classic Hedley ballad." However, she stated that "Young & Stupid" is a skip. Max Specht of PressPlus1 remarked, "Hedley has made a great album that won’t pigeonhole them, and although the first two singles might try to write them off as a novelty, there is a lot of quality to be found here in songs like 'Sweater Song' and 'Friends'."

## Personnel

Credits for The Show Must Go adapted from AllMusic.

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for The Show Must Go :
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref(s) |
| 2010 | Juno Awards | Pop Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Juno Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 160,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

List of release dates, showing region, release format, label catalog number, and reference :
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Catalog No. |
| Canada | November 17, 2009 | CD digital download | Universal Music Canada | B002SXPK9S |
| Uruguay | April 6, 2010 | CD | Universal Music Canada | — |
| Worldwide | April 16, 2010 | CD | Universal Music Canada | — |
| United States | December 7, 2010 | CD digital download | Island Records | B003ZYJS7Y |
| United Kingdom | March 11, 2011 | CD | Phantom Sound & Vision | B002SXPK9S |

## Tours
### The Show Must Go... on the Road Tour

Hedley announced a tour across Canada in support of the album. Fefe Dobson and Stereos were supporting acts for the entire tour, while Boys Like Girls supported the dates from March 28 to April 10, and Faber Drive supported the other eight dates. A live album called Go With the Show was released in a CD/DVD pack on November 9, 2010. The CD contains tracks from the three final destinations of the tour from the first leg, as well as a documentary and bonus features on the DVD.
A second leg was announced on May 25, 2010. The opening acts touring with the band are San Sebastian, These Kids Wear Crowns, and Lights.

#### Setlist

* "Cha-Ching"
* "On My Own"
* "Shelter"
* "She's So Sorry"
* "Perfect"
* "Old School"
* "Amazing"
* "Saturday"
* "Gunnin'"
* "Don't Talk to Strangers"
* "Friends"
* "Beautiful"
* "321"
* "Never Too Late"
Encore:
* "For the Nights I Can't Remember"
* "Trip"

#### Tour dates

| Date | City | Venue |
| First leg |||
| March 22, 2010 | Penticton | South Okanagan Events Centre |
| March 23, 2010 | Victoria | Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre |
| March 25, 2010 | Prince George | CN Centre |
| March 26, 2010 | Dawson Creek | EnCana Events Centre |
| March 28, 2010 | Calgary | The Corral |
| March 29, 2010 | Edmonton | Shaw Conference Centre |
| March 30, 2010 | Regina | Brandt Centre |
| March 31, 2010 | Winnipeg | MTS Centre |
| April 3, 2010 | Kitchener | Memorial Auditorium Complex |
| April 4, 2010 | London | John Labatt Centre |
| April 5, 2010 | Toronto | Air Canada Centre |
| April 7, 2010 | Montreal | Bell Centre |
| April 8, 2010 | Kingston | K-Rock Centre |
| April 9, 2010 | Ottawa | Urbandale Centre |
| April 10, 2010 | Quebec City | Pavillon de la Jeunesse |
| April 12, 2010 | Sudbury | Sudbury Arena |
| April 15, 2010 | Moncton | Moncton Coliseum |
| April 16, 2010 | Halifax | Halifax Metro Centre |
| April 20, 2010 | St. John's | Mile One Centre |
| Second leg |||
| June 30, 2010 | Bala | The Kee to Bala |
| July 1, 2010 | Bala | The Kee to Bala |
| July 2, 2010 | Fort Erie, Ontario | Friendship Festival |
| July 3, 2010 | Owen Sound | Big Music Fest |
| July 10, 2010 | Alma | Festivalma |
| August 6, 2010 | Rouyn-Noranda | Osisko en lumière |
| September 11, 2010 | Burnaby | Deer Lake Park |
| September 13, 2010 | Kamloops | Interior Savings Centre |
| September 14, 2010 | Kelowna | Prospera Place |
| September 16, 2010 | Red Deer | ENMAX Centrium Arena |
| September 17, 2010 | Medicine Hat | Medicine Hat Arena |
| September 19, 2010 | Brandon | Keystone Centre |
| September 22, 2010 | Sault Ste. Marie | Essar Centre |
| September 23, 2010 | Oshawa | General Motors Centre |
| September 25, 2010 | Windsor | Windsor Family Credit Union Centre |
| September 27, 2010 | Cornwall | Cornwall Civic Complex |
| September 28, 2010 | Barrie | Barrie Molson Centre |
| September 30, 2010 | Guelph | Sleeman Centre |
| October 1, 2010 | Peterborough | Peterborough Memorial Centre |
| October 2, 2010 | Mississauga | Hershey Centre |