Toronto is not only a world class music city due to its many successful exports, but over the decades has been a must-visit destination for any artist looking to grow their audience. Countless big name bands from around the world have credited Toronto as a prominent spot where they developed their career. Of course, in their earlier days they were not quite as big and may have had to play a smaller venue, which there was no shortage of in the city.
Larry’s Hideaway was infamous for getting a little wild at times, but was a key location for punk and new wave bands that were gaining popularity at the time. R.E.M’s first Toronto show was here in 1983 and was recorded by CFNY staff upon the recommendation of program director David Marsden, who had a feeling “they were gonna be big.” That live show was included in a future release of their album Murmur. Larry’s was irreparably damaged by a fire in the early 90s and demolished. The area is now a dog park.
The Guvernment & Koolhaus were a hotspot for electronic musicians and DJs, hosting shows from people like Armin Van Buren, Moby and David Guetta. These two venues were big with young partiers even when bands or DJs weren’t playing, with hundreds often seen lined up on Queen’s Quay on weekend nights. With the city developing the waterfront that complex shuttered in 2015 and the block was transformed into condos and businesses.
The Silver Dollar Room was a historic venue that opened in 1959 and closed in 2017 and was the setting for several Hollywood movies including Police Academy and Adventures in Babysitting. While some parts of the structure still intact due to their heritage status, the building has been transformed into a boutiqe luxury rental development. The spirit of the Silver Dollar Room lives on however through the new music venue Dina’s Tavern on the ground floor.
The Big Bop was famous for its trio of venues: Kathedral, The Reverb, and Holy Joe’s, and was a major hub for rock and punk bands including Billy Talent and Alexisonfire. It closed in 2010.
Maple Leaf Gardens was a little bigger than these other venues and was also predominately a sports arena but some of the biggest artists in modern music history played here, including the Beatles, Bob Marley, Oasis, Nirvana and ABBA. Once the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) opened, Maple Leaf Gardens wound down operations as an entertainment venue and the final concert there was Oasis in April of 2000. The building is still fully operational, but is now a university athletic centre and grocery store.
The remaining five venues are in our video rundown, check it out to find out what they were from Edge Time Machine host Dusty Lalas and special guest Liz aka millennial.ca on social media.
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