Dan Mangan & Bells Larsen
October 11, 2025
Bronson Centre, Ottawa, ON
Dan Mangan brought the warmth of the lakeside to Ottawa’s Bronson Centre over the holiday weekend.
Surrounded by a scene straight from cottage country and performing his latest album, Natural Light, front to back, Mangan’s soft, acoustic presence brought the audience together in song and comfort. From the opening tracks, It Might Be Raining and Diminishing Returns, through to Hit the Wall, the album’s themes of respite resonated with concertgoers seeking an opportunity to sing and groove in today’s socially stormy world.
Mangan’s warmth also extended to conversations with the audience, who responded in kind by leading singalongs with multicoloured tealights and calling out requests when Mangan transitioned to his many hits from throughout the years. Deep love for songs such as Fool for Waiting was apparent from birthday girl Fiona, who was granted her wish of singing alongside Mangan. The audience choir was in full force for the closing Robots as Mangan was welcomed into the crowd.
Opening the night of music was singer-songwriter Bells Larsen, who joined Mangan’s cross-Canada tour after news broke that Larsen had been forced to cancel a scheduled U.S. tour due to trans-exclusionary visa changes. Larsen was promoting his latest LP, Blurring Time, a beautiful documentation of his gender transition from its earliest stages onward.
With its strong sense of inclusion and healing, Mangan and Larsen’s acoustic evening was exactly what Ottawa music fans needed.