The Commodore Ballroom. 1950 (Photo Art Jones, Vancouver Public Library, 83192

Since opening its doors in 1929, the legendary award-winning Commodore Ballroom has hosted music legends, from slick jazz singer, Sammy Davis Jr to grudge icon, Nirvana. Since then, this historic venue continues to open its doors to world-famous musicians and local indie bands. Located on The Granville strip, this venue has seen its difficulties but keeps marching on.

Built by the infamous bootleggers Reifel family (the Canadian version of Bugsy Malone), it opened on a cold winter day in December 1929 to a sellout crowd, who wanted to see Wendell Dorey and his orchestra. They were forced to close temporarily because of the Great Depression, but it reopened a year later. When the Commodore reopened on Dec 3rd, 1930, it made headlines for its English-style ballroom and sprung dance floor, which was the first in the city.

Commodore Dance Floor. 1930. Photographer Stuart Thomson.

They also featured a house band, meals, and alcoholic drinks. During prohibition, The Vancouver Police would routinely raid the venue looking for alcohol and intoxicated patrons. Luckily by the time the police entered from the street, the Doorman would signal a buzzer, notifying the band to play “Roll out the barrel”, a warning song to let the audiences hide their drinks.

Drew Burns. Bc Entertainment Hall Of Fame

In the summer of 1969, The Commodore changed hands to Drew Burns (1969 to 1996); he shifted away from its jazz roots and embraced the new rock sounds. Since that change in direction, he brought in bands such as The Ramones, David Bowie, and The Pixies.

During the 1990s, The Commodore fell into a legal dispute with the owners of the building when Burn’s lease ended. Burns wanted to sell the Commodore and retire, but the owner’s lawyer filed an injunction and the matter went to Provincial Court. Judge Wally Oppal, who was presiding over the case, was sympathetic to Burns’s situation, but could not legally rule in his favour. The closure was detrimental to Vancouver’s music scene because there were no comparable venues of its size in Vancouver. Many tours just skipped Vancouver. The Commodore stayed closed for over three

After three years of renovations by the new owners (Live Nation), on Nov 12th, 1999, The Commodore was back and has since remained one of the country’s most important live music venues. In 2011, Billboard Magazine ranked the Commodore, alongside Chicago’s Metro, Los Angeles’s Troubadour, and San Francisco’s Fillmore, as one of the most influential concert venues in North America.

Today, however, The Commodore is temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the venue is adding new acts for next year, such as The Flaming Lips (January 28th) and The Zombies (June 24th). For more information, please go to http://www.commodoreballroom.com/