There’s a kind of magic on Granville Street; it’s truly where Vancouver’s big city energy really comes through. The place where most of the photos get taken is where the big Vogue theatre sign can be seen. What an aesthetically pleasing sign it is. And the venue itself is ICONIC. For over 100 years, it’s been one of the city’s most beloved performance theatres. Vancouver is a city that moves on and moves on fast. It’s not a sentimental city, doesn’t hold on to its past too tightly, yet Vogue has stood the test of time. It hosts everything from indie, alternative to rock artists.
It’s crazy how alive the space still feels; those red velvet curtains don’t make the space look old, no, they add to the grandeur. The ceiling arches high, and the curtains set the tone of true cinema about to take place. It’s an experience.
The venue has seen it ALL. It used to be a moviehouse and the street was called TheatreRow, and now it is one of the last remaining theatres there. Those theatre walls must have seen over 10,000 shows. I mean, it did open in the 40s. But that history always remains in a space; those echoes are still in the walls. You know how places can have certain energies, and the Vogue is no different. It contains that history, that talent that has passed through. You can almost see the layers in the place. There’s been renovation, new touches, yet the foundation remains the same. And the Vogue hasn’t just faded into an old building sitting on this new block. No, it kept itself as an integral part of the city. Many emerging artists and rising stars today perform there. Indie rock bands like Peach Pit have recently played their shows there along with bigger artists like Lights, drawing young people who might not even normally know what the theatre is used for.
There’s something so electric yet intimate about the Vogue. The space isn’t too big, with only a 1200-seat capacity, but it’s not too crammed either. The sound seems to come at you from every direction, and you feel close to the music and, in turn, the artist. That connection is so necessary, especially for local artists who are starting.
Vancouver doesn’t have many buildings that have a past, nor has it had just one identity. It’s a city that plays New York and sometimes LA in movies, or sometimes Seattle, so you already know each corner of the city has its own vibe. But buildings like the Vogue that stay a staple despite time passing on, are a reminder of Vancouver as always, an arts and creative city first.
The Vogue is proof that venues can be more than stages. They themselves can be storytellers, carrying decades of music, memories, and community.