Yesterday I discussed one of the smaller live music venues in town. Today, I thought I’d discuss one of the bigger ones The Commodore Ballroom.

The Commodore Ballroom is located on Granville Street in the heart of the entertainment district. The venue hosts live music from all genres and events such as graduations, banquets, parties, stand up comedy and other events. The venue is fairly large and holds about a thousand people (pre COVID capacity). A large floor takes up most of the venue and there are some tables and seating off to the side. The building was designed for live music so the sound is always good but the drinks are quite expensive.

The Commodore was built in 1929 in the Art Deco style. Inside, the venue still holds its early twentieth century charm. You can easily picture yourself going there to see Sammy Davis Jr. in the forties. Its history adds to the allure of the venue. Some legendary acts have played there such as Sammy Davis Jr., BB King, The Clash, The Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre and David Bowie just to name a few. In March of 2017 I saw the Japandroids preform at the Commodore. Drummer David Prowse, who grew up in Vancouver, spoke about how cool it was to be playing at the Commodore. I could truly tell how touched he was to be playing at such a historic venue in the city he grew up in. Recently the commodore has hosted a few live stream events. Peach Pit played a live stream show there back in September and next month in September they will host a live stream drag show.

While live streams during the pandemic make sense, I am stating the obvious by saying I hope we can get back to proper live shows soon. The Commodore Ballroom is a historic great venue. Check it out.