Going to gigs is one of my favourite things to do. Over the past few years I’ve seen countless local bands, some great touring bands and even a few stadium concerts. I am sad to say, I haven’t seen a show since I saw local band Either/Or at Avant Garden, a very small venue in Chinatown, back in January. I’m starting to really miss live music. I hope that soon we can all enjoy live music safely and without trepidation.

Not only do I miss the music itself, I miss a goodnight out at Vancouver’s music venues. One of the best venues in town to see a show is The Rickshaw Theatre.

Located on East Hastings just east on Main. The Rickshaw Theatre is an old Chinese movie theatre from 1971 that was transformed into a venue in 2009. The venue pays homage to its history. The first thing you notice is it’s beautiful neon sign. Once you go inside there is a small area where you can buy tickets and drinks before going through the doors into the theatre itself. Right after the stage, there is a large floor. Behind the floor they have theatre seats and they even have balcony seating if you want to watch from above. The drinks are fairly priced but the line up at the bar can get crowded.

I’ve seen about a dozen shows at Rickshaw in the last number of years. The sound is always great and the atmosphere is usually pretty rowdy. The last show I saw there was Dune Rats in November of 2019. Dune Rats had great energy and the show was a lot of fun. If you’ve never seen a show at the Rickshaw I would strongly recommend you check it out. Hopefully I will get back to the Rickshaw soon.