Places, Everyone! …..Venue #21/25: The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Commodore Ballroom is often viewed as being one of the premiere live music venues anywhere in the world. It was built in the late 1920s and features Art Deco stylings that were so en vogue at the time. Much like the Savoy Ballroom was in Harlem, New York City, the Commodore Ballroom is located in a prime part of the city of Vancouver and has acted as a source of civic pride for Vancouverites ever since it opened its doors. The building was designed with space for retail outlets along the outer frontage, as well as a full bowling alley located below ground. The upper level of the Commodore Ballroom is where the performance space is located. The interior of the Commodore Ballroom consists of a large open floor that actually had movement and bounce built into it. Around the perimeter there is room for tables and limited seating. 

Built during the Roaring Twenties, the Commodore Ballroom was originally called the Commodore Cabaret and was designed with orchestras in mind. Famous band leaders of the day such as Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie, along with velvet-throated singers such as Rudy Vallee and Sammy Davis Jr. all performed for adoring audiences there. In between visits by traveling stars, the Commodore Cabaret featured an in-house orchestra that would have their performances recorded on the weekend for public radio broadcasts. The Commodore Cabaret shone like a new dime for several decades. But with the arrival of rock n’ roll during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the venue fell out of step with the times. Other smaller nightclubs swept in and welcomed this new genre of music, hosting the likes of The Inkspots, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Chuck Berry and so many of the most popular entertainers of the day. As a result of this switch in musical tastes among the music loving public, the Commodore Cabaret went into a period of neglect and decline.

Like many music venues around the world, ownership of the Commodore Cabaret changed hands many times. As the 1960s drew to a close, a man named Drew Burns purchased the building and, in doing so, breathed new life into it. Burns renovated and redecorated the interior performance space. When that work was done, he rebranded the space as the Commodore Ballroom. Starting in the 1970s with bands such as KISS, the Village People and the Police, along with a range of artists such as Tina Turner, Patti Smith and David Bowie among others, the Commodore Ballroom regained its place as one of the must-play destinations for touring musicians and singers. Located on the western-most point of Canada, Vancouver often serves as the starting or stopping point for musical acts when they engage in cross-country or cross-continent tours. Thus, the rebranding and modernization of the new Commodore Ballroom put Vancouver back on the musical map in North America. After a few dark years when it looked like the Commodore Cabaret might actually go out of business, the music scene across the whole city went into a bit of a funk. But with the newly renovated Commodore Ballroom rising from the ashes of the old Commodore Cabaret, Vancouver became a hotbed of musical happenings once again. In fact, when punk music began sweeping the UK and those bands decided to cross the pond and experience life in North America, the Commodore Ballroom was usually a place they all came to play. In fact, the very first North American concert ever given by The Clash was at the Commodore Ballroom in 1979. That show was quickly followed up with appearances by Blondie and Devo, too. Even today, many modern stars such as Katy Perry, Snoop Dog and Lady Gaga have all performed on the Commodore Ballroom stage. It is truly a magical place.

But for me, the draw of that stage is not because of the acoustics or the decor or the bouncy floor. The reason that the Commodore Ballroom holds a special place in my heart is because of love. There are two separate but related performances that took place on the stage of the Commodore Ballroom that both touched my heart in a very deep and personal way. The first performance happened in 2016. You may have heard about it. It was the final live concert given by Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip. The actual concert took place in Kingston, Ontario, the hometown of the band. However, out of that concert came a music video that was recorded for Maclean’s Magazine in Canada. This video was shot at locations all across Canada and showed the various emotions on display as The Hip played their final song “Ahead by a Century”. One of the locations that was featured prominently in the Maclean’s video is the Commodore Ballroom. In most cities and towns across the country, people gathered to share in the communal expression of love and grief that this final concert provided for us all. I always found the scenes from the Commodore Ballroom memorable because of two women who were there that evening. One woman, a short peppy blonde in white stands near the front of the crowd. She is a whirlwind of perpetual motion. It is obvious that she is treating the occasion as the celebration it was partially meant to be. She is having the time of her life. It is clear that there is no other place that she would rather be. In stark contrast, almost directly behind this woman and her friends stands a second woman in black. This other woman is standing stock still. She is sobbing freely. She is deeply grieving the impending loss of this brave soul known as Gord Downie. Both women reacted in ways that must have reflected their personalities. I have always been drawn to the second lady for that is how I felt and continue to feel to this day. I have watched this video from Macleans almost one hundred times and I have bawled one hundred times as well. While I stood under a tree in the park, alongside several hundred people in my hometown of Cobourg, Ontario, those two women shared that beautiful moment with me from within the confines of the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. Who knew that a rock band could so completely unify a nation? But that is what the Tragically Hip did that night.

The second performance of note for me is even more personal than that, if you can believe it?! When my wife and I were married and had our first dance, we refused to follow tradition and simply spin in circles for five minutes while everyone watched. Instead, we wanted to share the moment with those we loved most. For that reason, we chose one of the most energetic and loved of Canadian bar songs as our first dance song. We went with “Home For a Rest” by Vancouver band Spirit of the West. “Home For a Rest” is a song that always gets everyone up and dancing whenever it is played in a bar, at a dance or at a party. It is easily one of the most popular songs in our national music canon. It holds a special place in our hearts. Whenever we hear it on the radio or wherever we happen to be, it immediately brings us back to that first official dance as a married couple. It makes us smile. Well, just before Gord Downie passed away, the lead singer of Spirit of the West, John Mann, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. As Canada was mourning the impending loss of Gord Downie, the energetic singer of Spirit of the West was slowly forgetting who he was, who his bandmates were, as well as the words to the band’s most famous songs, including “Home For a Rest”. Alzheimers is a rotten disease that slowly robs its victims of every memory they hold dear. When first diagnosed, The band knew that their careers were coming to an end. John Mann pledged to continue as front man for as long as was possible. So the band played on. While The Hip were mounting their final tour, Spirit of the West was still performing, too. However, as time went on, it became harder and harder for Mann to hold up his end of his responsibilities. So the band gave him a tablet with the lyrics on it so that he could follow along if he lost his way during a song. That progressed to band members singing into the microphones alongside of him so that he could hear them singing the words and hopefully remember what they were and how the melody went. Eventually, John Mann lost the ability to sing his most famous songs altogether. While not as well known a figure as Gord Downie, nonetheless John Mann was a beloved figure from the Canadian music community. It was decided that Spirit of the West would put on three final shows as a way of saying goodbye to their fans. It was also an opportunity for members of other bands to share the stage with John Mann one last time. These final three shows were staged at the hometown venue of note for the band, the Commodore Ballroom. Just like the Macleans video for The Tragically Hip’s final song, a video was made of the final song Spirit of the West ever performed. On that stage in the Commodore Ballroom were gathered many of Canada’s most popular and successful singers such The Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Blue Rodeo, Colin James and many more. Speeches were made thanking everyone for a life well spent and a career thoroughly enjoyed. And then, Spirit of the West launched into their final song. “Home For a Rest” erupted out of the silence. John Mann, smiled knowingly and twirled in circles with delight. The audience sang their hearts out. As often happens, I cried my own heart out. The love! Oh, the love! And it all happened at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.

We go to venues, big and small, grand and intimate, all because we love music. For almost a century, the people of Vancouver have been incredibly lucky to have been able to make their musical memories in a venue as cool as the Commodore Ballroom. The pageantry of live music is fun to bear witness to but, when all is said and done, it is those moments that touch our hearts that are the ones we take with us when the venue doors close and we head for our homes. The iconic venue known as Massey Hall in Toronto is every bit as wondrous in its history and decor as the Commodore Ballroom and is much closer, geographically speaking to where I live. But, if my favourite artist was giving shows in both locations and I could go to whichever one my heart desired, I would take that opportunity to fly to Vancouver and go to the Commodore Ballroom. That is no slight to Massey Hall. It is just that several of my most cherished musical memories have happened within the Art Deco shaped walls of the Commodore Ballroom. If I am ever in a position to make one final musical pilgrimage in my lifetime, it will be to Granville Street in Vancouver so I, too, can bounce on the floor of the Commodore Ballroom and sing my heart out and shed my tears if so moved, too. We all have our churches. The Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver is mine.

The link to the official website for the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada can be found here.

The link to the video from Macleans Magazine showing how Canadians reacted to the final song ever being played by The Tragically Hip, including the two women at the Commodore Ballroom, can be found here.

The link to the video for the song “Home For a Rest” as played by Spirit of the West and many of their closest friends at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here. ***If you don’t know, John Mann is the bald man in the white shirt who is spinning in circles.

The link to a video of the making of the movie Hard Core Logo, which features concert scenes filmed at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here. *A previously written post about Hard Core Logo can be found here.

The link to the video for the song “One Day” by 54-40 shot live at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here.

The link to the video for the song “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” by Randy Bachman shot live at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here.

The link to the song “Race Riot” by Vancouver’s own punk legends D.O.A. as shot at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here.

The link to an audio-only concert given by Nirvana recorded live at the Commodore Ballroom can be found here.

The link to a full concert at the Commodore Ballroom in 1993 by P.J. Harvey can be found here.

***There are literally hundreds and hundreds of concert videos that you can access by going to YouTube and searching for “Live at the Commodore Ballroom”. The videos listed above are merely the tip of the iceberg. Have fun down that rabbit hole! 

The link to the official website for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada can be found here.

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