Power 97 is thrilled to welcome Rockin’ Thunder featuring Def Leppard, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foreigner and Toque to Princess Auto Stadium on July 9th, 2025 as part of the Thunder Stadium Concert Series!
The Winnipeg Football Club (WFC) and True North Sports + Entertainment are teaming up to bring a new annual summer music festival to Winnipeg. The Thunder Stadium Concert Series presented by Trans Canada Brewing Company (TCB) brings two days of incredible live music and unforgettable experiences to Princess Auto Stadium this July with headliners Def Leppard – July 9 – and Jason Aldean – July 10 – who both sold out Canada Life Centre upon their last visits to Winnipeg.
“Our vision is to make the Thunder Stadium Concert Series an annual Winnipeg musical summer tradition and a destination that brings in fans from out of market,” said Wade Miller, Winnipeg Football Club President and CEO. “It’s been almost eight years since Winnipeggers have been treated to a stadium show, and we are excited to host this new festival at Princess Auto Stadium.”
In collaboration with Saskatchewan festival Craven Country Thunder, True North and the WFC have curated a new Canadian stadium circuit to bring top talent to the prairies and western Canada following an extended absence of large-scale outdoor shows in the region.
“Led by mega act Def Leppard and Jason Aldean, who’s had more Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart than any other artist since 2005, these star-studded rock and country lineups will mark an explosive and long-overdue musical return to Princess Auto Stadium,” said Kevin Donnelly, True North’s Sr. Vice President of Venues + Entertainment. “Stadium shows and festivals are quickly becoming summer’s hottest entertainment ticket across North America, and we are excited to create the blueprint to bring a unique festival experience to Manitoba’s backyard.”
Heralded as the world’s greatest live rock band, Def Leppard will bring an arsenal of hits to a spectacular stage show, joined by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and the multi-platinum Foreigner, responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems, including the worldwide No. 1 hit I Want To Know What Love Is. Canadian super group Toque will set the tone as the opening act and includes local ties with Winnipeg native Brent Fitz, formerly of Slash, on bass and keyboards.
Fresh off his sold-out U.S. Highway Desperado tour, ACM Artist of the Decade and three-time ACM Artist of the Year Jason Aldean will be joined by Tyler Hubbard, formerly half of acclaimed duo Florida Georgia Line, who followed his first solo single 5 foot 9 – the first-ever country song to receive the Diamond certification – with his self-titled debut album in 2023. Up-and-comers Nate Smith, Billboard’s Rookie of the Year and Amazon’s Breakthrough Artist for 2024, and Platinum-certified No. 1 songwriter poised for breakout, Canadian Madeline Merlo will warm up the crowd.
Single event tickets or “Thunder Passes” for both shows are available, including two VIP options, standing and seated, which provide exclusive front-of-stage viewing and private hospitality services, along with upgraded amenities and access including early entry, express service at merchandise kiosks and private, elevated restroom amenities.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Valour FC, Winnipeg Jets and Manitoba Moose season ticket members will have access to an exclusive pre-sale beginning Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. Wednesday, Feb. 5 will mark the artists’ pre-sale with access also provided to WFC, Valour and True North (Jets, Moose, All Access) email subscribers beginning at 10 a.m. All pre-sales end at 9:59 a.m. Friday, Feb. 7 with the general on-sale starting Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.
About Def Leppard
With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame® inductees Def Leppard – Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) – continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. Def Leppard’s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums, including two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria— the former of which is now celebrating its 40th anniversary — capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic Leppard hits such as Rock of Ages, Pour Some Sugar on Me and Foolin’. Most recent additions to their catalog are their 2022 critically and commercially acclaimed 12th studio album, Diamond Star Halos which debuted at #1 on Apple and Amazone Music charts, and 2023’s Drastic Symphonies recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The band’s 2022-23 sold-out stadium tour sold more than 2.1 million tickets across 27 countries and five continents, and they continued to tour with Journey in 2024. defleppard.com
About Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Joan Jett grew up during a time when rock ‘n’ roll was off limits to girls and women, but as a teenager, she promptly blew the door to the boys’ club right off its hinges. After forming her band the Blackhearts in 1979, with whom Jett has become a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, she has had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics Bad Reputation, I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll, I Hate Myself For Loving You, and Crimson and Clover. With a career that has spanned music, film, television, Broadway, and humanitarianism, Joan Jett remains a potent force and inspiration to generations of fans worldwide. As a producer, she has overseen seminal albums by Bikini Kill, and the Germs’ LA punk masterpiece GI. Forty years in, Blackheart Records, founded by Jett and longtime producer and music partner Kenny Laguna, is a thriving entertainment company producing music, film and television, and continues to champion emerging bands. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts continue to tour the world with headlining shows and alongside fellow rock legends like The Who, Green Day, Heart, Foo Fighters and Alanis Morrissette. joanjett.com
About Foreigner
With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, Foreigner (founder Mick Jones, lead singer Kelly Hansen, Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson, Michael Bluestein on keyboards, guitarist Bruce Watson, Chris Frazier on drums and guitarist Luis Carlos Maldonado) is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems including Juke Box Hero, Cold As Ice, Hot Blooded, Waiting For A Girl Like You, Feels Like The First Time, Urgent, Head Games, Say You Will, Dirty White Boy, Long, Long Way From Home and the worldwide No. 1 hit, I Want To Know What Love Is, Foreigner still rocks the charts almost 50 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard album chart success and features strongly in every category in Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time” listing. foreigneronline.com
About Toque
Toque is a supergroup comprised of Todd Kerns, Brent Fitz, Shane Gaalaas and Cory Churko. All have made good on national and international stages playing with acts such as Shania Twain, Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Kelly Clarkson and Japanese legends, B’z. In 2012, Toque was formed after the boys played together at a cancer charity event in Winnipeg, Canada. The setlist was comprised of all the Canadian songs they cut their teeth on as kids. Four years later they released their first album, Give’R, an album of Canadian covers. Their 2019 follow up album, Never Enough, featured their first original tune, Never Enough For You, which has become an anthem at every show. toqueband.com
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