The Commodore celebrates 90 years as Vancouver’s premier live music venue

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Generations have bounced on its famous dance floor while countless musical acts of every genre have graced its iconic stage. The fabulous Commodore Ballroom is celebrating 90 years as Vancouver’s live music venue of record.

“There have been so many benchmark concerts there,” notes Aaron Chapman, historian and author of Live at the Commodore: The Story of Vancouver’s Historic Commodore Ballroom. “From Captain Beefheart in 1973, the New York Dolls in 1974, KISS in 1975, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1978, the Clash in 1979, U2 in `81.”

The iconic Commodore Ballroom is turning 90 on December 3rd, 2020 and I'm so thrilled to announce that me and my band will be helping them celebrate with 2 livestream concerts. Tickets are available to purchase now at https://t.co/3Y4bOFObZI! #thecommodoreballroom #colinjames pic.twitter.com/J18Z0Hr69i

— Colin James (@ColinJamesMusic) November 2, 2020

He admits it’s been tough to see the venue closed since March due to the pandemic. “It’s so weird to walk down Granville Street and see that door closed at night, but I’m hoping that the New Year will be different and there will be a lot more history to write about.”

Spoke with @jackermann about the 90th Anniversary of the of the @commodorevcr & @ColinJamesMusic's livestream show tonight. Tune into @NEWS1130 this afternoon to hear some clips of our conversation, & some thoughts and stories from my book #LiveAtTheCommodore #CommodoreHistory pic.twitter.com/wGnzXh4Nwd

— Aaron Chapman (@TheAaronChapman) December 3, 2020

Chapman knows, perhaps better than anyone else, that the Commodore has weathered tough times before. “When it first opened, in the wake of the Great Depression, it had to close and stayed closed for about four months and then reopened,” he points out. “Vancouverites of a certain age, if you were around, you might recall back in 1997 when the Commodore closed, it closed for three years.”

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NEWS 1130’s John Ackermann spoke with Aaron Chapman by phone on Thursday.

John Ackermann: What comes to mind when you think of the Commodore ballroom?

Aaron Chapman: Well, first off, it’s just amazing that any building in Vancouver has a 90th anniversary. You know the city has changed so much and it’s amazing that the Commodore has been here as long as it has. I can’t imagine, when the Commodore opened in December 1930, if they could imagine 90 years later, people would still be going there. The music back then was big band music era. Could they have imagined slam-dancing and pogoing would be the dances of the day so many years and decades later? But that’s what’s so special about the Commodore, how it’s seen every kind of music and every kind of genre of music and entertainment that’s ever been it seems. And there’s been so many benchmark concerts there, from Captain Beefheart in 1973, the New York Dolls in 1974, KISS in 1975, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1978, the Clash in 1979, U2 `81. It’s still staying the course as the place to see bands on the way up – or sometimes on the way down. It’s a very special room.

Happy 90th birthday to the fabulous Commodore Ballroom! I’ve seen so many shows there I’ve lost count, but I’ll never forget the time I appeared on stage with the JACK Roadies last year. https://t.co/RpDvcvXSTb pic.twitter.com/bqw8gf2Nw3

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) December 3, 2020

Ackermann: Do you find the celebrations of this anniversary are a little more wistful knowing that we can’t go to shows at the moment?

Chapman: Well, of course. So many clubs, not just your small, favourite bar on the corner but every nightclub and every establishment has been affected this year by the pandemic. Places like the Commodore have been closed since March, so it’s been a very tough business. But, you know, the Commodore has faced these challenges before. Right when the Commodore first opened, in the wake of the Great Depression, it had to close. And it stayed close for about four months and then reopened. Vancouverites of a certain age, if you were around, you might recall back in 1997 when the Commodore closed for three years and didn’t reopen until 1999. And in those three years, it was a real low point in the city, where a lot of shows, especially touring acts, would be coming up on the West Coast, play San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, [and] they would just turn around. They wouldn’t come to Vancouver because there wasn’t really a place suitable for them to play of its size [with the] right production, the right PA, and light system that can feasibly stage concerts like that. So, we get a little bit spoiled in Vancouver because the Commodore has been here for so long and maybe we don’t think about it so much. But, it’s a really important place, a really important venue in the city, and across the country, and internationally.