Vancouver will play host to the best of the best in Canadian music in just a few days.
The Juno Awards will return to Canada's west coast this weekend – the first time the show has been hosted in B.C. in nine years.
A-list Canucks will walk the red carpet into Rogers Arena ahead of the event which starts Saturday at 5 p.m.
Hometown host Michael Buble will lead the audience through performances including Arcade Fire, Arkells, Diana Krall, Lights, and eight-time Juno winners Barenaked Ladies. Geddy Lee, lead vocalist and bassist for Rush, will induct BNL into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
"We work so closely with the artists and they tell us what they want to see and how they want to perform," said showrunner Lindsay Cox of Insight Productions.
But the show is not without controversy.
Last year, the awards had to deal with controversial off-script comments made by host Russell Peters.
This year, the drama began off-stage and weeks before the event, when B.C.-based band Hedley was dropped from the show lineup amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Police in Ontario have since confirmed a sex crimes unit is investigating frontman Jacob Hoggard, though officers would not comment on the specifics of the allegations.
None of the claims have been proven in court, and Hoggard has denied engaging in non-consensual sex.
"It's a shocking situation to walk into," according to Allan Reid, CEO and president of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the non-profit behind the Junos.
The long-time music executive said the decision for Hedley to step away from the show, and their three award nominations, was mutual.
"Those are serious allegations. Obviously we take them very seriously. I hope the guys take some time off and reflect," Reid said.
Cox said there's a lot of pressure on those involved in putting on the awards show, especially because it all happens in two hours.
"You only get one chance," she said.
But while the show itself is only a matter of hours, those driving out of Vancouver will be affected long before the show goes to air.
Organizers plan to turn the Georgia Viaduct into a red carpet, shutting down the major downtown artery for more than two days. The closure starts at 9:30 p.m. Friday, and the Dunsmuir viaduct will remain open, meaning drivers will still be able to use that route into downtown.
