By Ben Boddez
The multidisciplinary creative blends simple storytelling and complex artistry, evoking a sense of childlike awe.
Can the live music industry catch up with all the cancelled dates, tour suspensions and belated ticket refunds that struck fans and festivals in 2020? With overawing events such as Primavera Sound or Coachella skipping their 2021 edition, plus loads of fans still clenching their teeth to get reimbursed for the total value of a show that should’ve happened a year ago, it seems like there’s no way to make up for the mess. But if there’s a person who believes he can restore live music to the state it was, it’s Drake.
The ubiquitous Toronto rapper has already laid the foundation to get us there, teaming up with Live Nation Canada to inaugurate History, a new live entertainment venue in Toronto. History aims to provide a curated “premiere entertainment experience,” and will open its doors later this year. According to Drake, History will try to emulate the alluring feeling of small, intimate music venues. “Some of my most memorable shows,” Drizzy said on a press release, “were played in smaller rooms like History,” said Drake. However, History is no CBCG: this new venue will pack an impressive 2,500 fans and plans to host 200 concerts and events annually.
Drake and Live Nation Canada have been working on 6ix’s new venue for some years now: History has been in development for more than three years, and construction will end this summer. The venue is located in Toronto’s east end, in the heart of The Beaches neighbourhood at 1663 Queen Street East.
Two hundred gigs in any given year seem like an ambitious — if welcome — target. History’s shows, events, and further details will be announced in the coming months. In the meantime, Toronto knows for sure that there’s an incoming influx of close-quarters live music.
By Ben Boddez
The multidisciplinary creative blends simple storytelling and complex artistry, evoking a sense of childlike awe.
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