Experience Olivia Dean live at Bell Centre in Montreal on August 7, 2026, with a warm blend of soul, pop and R&B shaped by The Art of Loving. Ticket sales are underway, so plan your purchase and arrive in good time to catch opening artist Baby Rose live
Olivia Dean brings The Art of Loving Live to the Bell Centre
Olivia Dean is arriving in Montréal at a time when her career has outgrown club and theatre stages. The concert at the Bell Centre is part of The Art of Loving Live tour, the first major arena tour by the British singer-songwriter, whose blend of soul, pop and R&B has been embraced by critics and a broad audience over the past two years. The performance is scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2026, at 8:00 PM, and the venue doors open at 7:00 PM.
Baby Rose has been confirmed as the supporting act, an American soul singer known for her deep contralto and slower, emotionally dense arrangements. This choice gives the evening a clear musical trajectory: from Baby Rose's darker, cinematic soul to Olivia Dean's warmer and more melodically open sound.
Dean comes to the Bell Centre after two performances at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, before continuing to Boston, Baltimore and a series of concerts at Madison Square Garden. Montréal is therefore one of the key Canadian stops on the North American leg of the tour.
Ticket sales for this event are underway. Given the scale of the tour and the artist's current popularity, it is worth securing tickets in good time.
From the album Messy to a global breakthrough
Olivia Dean spent years building an audience before becoming one of the most recognizable new names in British pop. Her 2023 debut album Messy brought her wider critical attention and a place on the Mercury Prize shortlist. Songs such as "Dive", "The Hardest Part", "UFO" and the title track "Messy" demonstrated what has remained her greatest strength: a voice that does not force drama, but instead builds emotion through warmth, precise phrasing and a sense of conversation with the audience.
Her true international breakthrough came with her second album, The Art of Loving, released on September 26, 2025. The album expanded her sound beyond the boundaries of traditional neo-soul. Its arrangements feature pop and R&B, as well as bossa nova, soft 1970s rock, Motown, jazz-pop and elegant studio details reminiscent of older singer-songwriter records. Instead of grand vocal demonstrations, Dean often chooses restraint, clear melodies and lyrics that sound like personal notes about intimacy, insecurity and different forms of love.
"Man I Need" became the biggest single of this phase, with a light bossa nova rhythm and a chorus made for singing together. "Nice to Each Other" brings a relaxed groove, "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" offers a brighter cinematic melody, while songs such as "A Couple Minutes" and "Baby Steps" show how strongly the album relies on brass details, piano and layered harmonies.
This stage of her career has also been confirmed by awards. Olivia Dean won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2026, and at the 2026 BRIT Awards she was the most awarded artist of the evening. She received the Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Pop Act awards, while "Rein Me In", her collaboration with Sam Fender, won Song of the Year. In July 2026, The Art of Loving was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
Why her sound works in an arena
Although Olivia Dean sounds intimate and understated on recordings, the songs have clear choruses, rhythmic transitions and enough space for a full band and backing vocals. Quieter verses can retain their intimacy, while the finales fill the arena. Communication with the audience is also an important part of the performance: eye contact, humor and short stories replace reliance on effects.
What the audience can expect from the repertoire
The exact set list for Montréal has not been confirmed in advance and may change throughout the tour. Nevertheless, the concert that opened the arena leg of the tour in Glasgow provides a useful framework. The program drew heavily on The Art of Loving, but also included key songs from the album Messy and several earlier favorites.
Songs appearing at previous tour performances have included "Nice to Each Other", "Lady Lady", "So Easy (To Fall in Love)", "Let Alone the One You Love", "A Couple Minutes" and "Baby Steps". The earlier phase was represented by "Messy", "UFO", "The Hardest Part" and "Dive", while the final part of the concert was built around the songs the audience recognizes most quickly. At the opening tour concert in Glasgow, "Man I Need" was the final song of the evening, but that does not mean the order in Montréal will be identical.
Performances so far reveal several elements that are more important than the song order itself:
- the new album forms the center of the program, giving the concert a clear theme rather than the form of a greatest-hits collection;
- older songs receive arena arrangements with fuller rhythms and more prominent backing vocals;
- quieter moments alternate with songs intended for dancing and communal singing;
- Dean leads the performance with her voice and presence, without needing to turn every song into a production gimmick;
- the program may include a cover or changes compared with previous evenings, but nothing beyond confirmed performances should be treated as guaranteed for Montréal.
Long-time fans receive a cross-section of two albums in the largest production of her career. For a wider audience, the concert offers an accessible introduction to modern soul-pop, with enough R&B, jazz-pop and bossa nova detail for more demanding listeners.
Seats are disappearing quickly. It is particularly important to bear in mind that the experience differs between the floor, the lower stands and the highest levels of the venue, so when choosing a ticket it is worth considering whether the priority is to be closer to the band or to have a broader view of the entire stage.
Baby Rose opens the evening
Baby Rose was not chosen as the supporting act at random. Her voice and repertoire are a natural continuation of the soul side of Olivia Dean's music, while bringing a different emotional color. Whereas Dean often works with lighter rhythms and warmer pop melodies, Baby Rose sings in a deeper, rougher contralto and leans toward slower, more dramatic soul.
In the summer of 2026, Baby Rose released her third album, Yearnalism, a record focused on longing, emotional openness and different forms of intimacy. The material combines classic soul with modern, atmospheric arrangements, while her voice remains the main focal point of the songs. For an audience coming for Olivia Dean's warmth and lyrics, the opening performance could be more than a brief warm-up: this is an artist with a clear identity of her own and a current album.
The starting time of Baby Rose's performance has not been announced separately in the available information. Since the doors open at 7:00 PM, arriving before 8:00 PM reduces the risk of missing the supporting act and leaves enough time for security screening and finding one's seat.
The Bell Centre as a venue for The Art of Loving Live
The Bell Centre is one of Canada's leading sports and concert venues. It opened in 1996 and is located in downtown Montréal at 1909 avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal. It can accommodate more than 21,000 spectators for hockey games, while the typical full capacity for a large concert is approximately 15,000 seats, depending on the stage configuration.
The floor and lower stands offer more immediate contact with the artist and the band, while the upper levels provide a view of the lighting, stage design and the entire audience. The venue has 120 suites and numerous food and beverage points.
In 2024, the Bell Centre was ranked as the second-busiest large concert venue in Canada, according to Pollstar data cited by the venue. This experience with major tours is important for a concert in which accurate vocal reproduction and the balance between the band and the voice are crucial. Tourisme Montréal highlights the venue's technological equipment for different types of musical and entertainment programs.
Essential visitor information
- Artist: Olivia Dean
- Tour: The Art of Loving Live
- Supporting act: Baby Rose
- Venue: Bell Centre, Montréal, Canada
- Address: 1909 avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal
- Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
- Doors open: 7:00 PM
- Program begins: 8:00 PM
- The ticket is valid for one day
The exact performance duration, program end time and any possible intermissions have not been announced. Visitors who depend on the final public transport departures should check the current timetable on the day of the concert instead of planning their return according to the usual duration of other performances.
Arriving by public transport and car
The Bell Centre is located downtown and is connected to two nearby stations on the orange metro line: Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure. Lucien-L'Allier is particularly convenient because a commuter rail station is located next to the metro. Exo lists connections with the Vaudreuil-Hudson, Saint-Jérôme and Candiac lines, which may be useful for visitors arriving from the wider Montréal area.
Bonaventure is connected to the city's underground pedestrian network. For travelers staying downtown, walking can often be simpler than driving, especially when the stands and garages empty simultaneously after the concert.
The Bell Centre has an indoor parking facility, but the number of spaces and traffic around the venue depend on the event. Arriving by car requires additional time because of congestion at garage entrances and possible delays downtown. A backup public transport plan is particularly useful for visitors unfamiliar with Montréal's one-way streets and roadworks.
Entry rules to check before departure
The Bell Centre conducts electronic security screening at its entrances. Backpacks, coolers and sports bags are not permitted, and the general bag policy limits them to approximately 15 x 10 x 4 centimeters. The venue also states that there is no cloakroom for leaving belongings, so arriving with a larger bag may mean having to return to one's accommodation or vehicle.
Smoking and the use of electronic cigarettes are prohibited inside the venue. Rules may be updated or adapted for a specific event, so they should be checked again immediately before the concert. The simplest choice is a small bag, a charged phone with the ticket accessible and only essential personal belongings.
The Bell Centre has specially designated places for wheelchair users and their companions, as well as elevators between levels. Visitors who require an accessible route should check the appropriate entrance and public transport connection in advance, as not all underground access points are equally convenient.
How to plan a concert evening in Montréal
The Bell Centre is downtown, close to hotels, restaurants and major commercial streets. Sainte-Catherine Street is located in the wider central area, while Old Montréal and the waterfront are accessible by metro or a short ride. Most of the concert day can therefore be organized on foot and by public transport.
For a more relaxed entry, it is reasonable to be in the area around the venue before the doors open. The time between 7:00 PM and the beginning of the program allows visitors to pass through security, explore the level where their seat is located and arrive at Baby Rose's performance without rushing. Those who want to buy food or drinks inside the venue should expect queues immediately before the beginning of the main performance.
The atmosphere will probably bring together two types of audience: listeners who have followed Olivia Dean since Messy and those who discovered her through "Man I Need", The Art of Loving, the Grammys and the BRIT Awards. This combination often creates the liveliest arena evenings - some know the details of the older songs, while others bring the energy of the major singles.
Tickets for this event are in demand. For travelers booking transport or accommodation alongside the concert, it is useful to coordinate all the details before arrival and leave enough time to enter the venue.
Sources:
- evenko - confirmation of the date, time, door opening, location and supporting act Baby Rose
- Olivia Dean - information about the album The Art of Loving and the current phase of her career
- Grammy Awards - confirmation of the 2026 Best New Artist award and the performance of the song "Man I Need"
- BRIT Awards - overview of the awards Olivia Dean won in 2026
- The Guardian - critical description of the sound of the album The Art of Loving, its influences and the current Mercury Prize context
- Pitchfork - analysis of the album's pop, R&B, Motown and singer-songwriter elements
- NME - report from the opening of the arena tour in Glasgow and the repertoire of that performance
- Bell Centre - concert configuration capacity, venue history, security rules, accessibility and arrival information
- STM and Exo - information about Lucien-L'Allier and Bonaventure stations and commuter rail connections
- Tourisme Montréal - the Bell Centre's location and concert function, as well as the context of downtown Montréal
- Baby Rose - confirmation of the Montréal performance and the current album Yearnalism