Commodore Ballroom

i come to here to see mac del marco on halloween with grand son (girl). she like him a lot and i buy her the ticket and the salad day t shirt for her birthday. very loud. alot of smoking cigarettes i have trouble brething. used to smoke for 30 year but now i stop. we are almost atfront rowe. very busy. i was pushed a lot but my grand son (girl) didnot mind. mr del marco cum on stage with the red horn man sar wars costume. very scarey i say. good relaxing music tho. he seem very nice and his gap teeth nice. adds lots of character. good venue. excelent shirly timples. make me feel hip and young again. i will cum again.

I went here for DragonForce, Steel Panther and Skinny Puppy. It was fun to go to these two concerts, DragonForce was great, and the co-​headliner one of the guitarist stood on one of the tables and perform it was cool, Steel Panther was great too, it was a LOT of adult humour, it was funny and as a parody band i liked it but actually the set list was limited tho, and Skinny Puppy I went with prize tix and these goths/​dressed up in black these gents/​gals were consuming their jig way too much and they were throwing themselves and plopped onto the floor, helped that guy. Hope he’s ok!

One of the best, if not the best live decently-​sized music venue in Vancouver. The iconic venue has been around for most of Vancouver’s history, and offers great acoustics, cabaret seating with a balcony. If you want a drink, it can be faster to order from the bars on the side. Try to get there earlier to grab a table or reserve one.

The Commodore has stolen my heart.
Seeing the eminently entertaining «Leon Bridges» show made me realize I have yet to review this venue.
If you want to go early and stand you can belly up to the stage and use it as a coaster until the show begins. Anywhere provides a good view (and excellent acoustics). There is an upper level with tables and chairs and these can be found on the sides of the stage level as well.
Drinks are a bit pricey but are good. Splurge for «tall», or choose from a variety of brews.
I love the layout and it is one of my favorite places to see shows in Canada. One of my friends saw Lady Gaga here. The next time Gaga visited she played GM Place; so it is a great place to get up close and personal with acts that may move onto less intimate venues.
There multitudinous eating choices close-​by. I have yet to eat on-​site.
Vancouver has fabulous music appreciation. My heartstrings were strummed by everyone dancing their hearts out & playing nice this week.
I was dehydrated and moved to the outside towards the end of the show. Someone fetched water for me and then I happily joined a dancing group of people I had never before met.
Commodore = Great Space + Quality Sound + Good Times

The Commodore essentially ruined our trip from the island to see the Mavericks… We bought tickets through Ticketmaster which had seat numbers on them, so we assumed we had seats and a table. The doors opened at 7, so we were killing time sitting on a restaurant patio across from the Commodore. We wondered why there was an ever growing line-​up because our tickets had seat numbers, and wandered over to the line going around the block at 6:45. When we got inside, there were no seats to be had, so we had to stand for almost 3 hours until the Mavericks began! Commodore staff said only the first 200 people get seats and a table and the capacity is 1000. They also said we could have reserved a table, but that information is hard to find on their website (I eventually found a reference to that under the Q&A).
I was so mad about the no seats I could have happily left before the Mavericks began, but we were with friends, so I stuck it out — had to go outside for the last ¾ of an hour though, knowing I would not be allowed back in — the dance floor was so jammed with people standing, you could barely move.
Next problem — once you’re inside, you can’t leave and come back in (fire regulations they said, which doesn’t really make sense because people were smoking in the washrooms), and being a smoker I was practically catatonic after 3 hours of waiting for the Mavericks to start…
So, I will NEVER go to the Commodore again — their website should be clearer about the seating for the first 200 people only, and if Ticketmaster is incorrectly showing seat numbers on tickets (which Commodore staff said they had told them not to do because it’s General Admission) they need to fix it or clarify their policy on the Commodore website.
So we wasted $ 1,000 (ferries, accommodation, etc) for what would have been an excellent concert if the Commodore had their act together.

What: Echo & The Bunnymen
Where: Commodore Ballroom
When: August 6, 2014
Status: undersold
Rating: 2 out of 5
I was mildly disappointed in the show. This is why I didn’t jump on the $ 45 ticket the minute they went on sale. It had nothing to do with Echo and The Bunnymen not being one of my favorite acts but more to do with the fact that there was no magic in the set.
Their songs still hold up for me, however, you can’t teach someone a feeling. It was two original guys and the rest were hired hands. They played the notes as instructed, however, you either have a style or you don’t. It’s like having a Smith’s reunion without Johnny Marr.
The stage lighting was very simple. They took a lamp from their hotel room and placed it in the corner. That was the extent of their attempt at adding any sort of element to the show.
Ian for the most part sang really well and was into the show, everyone else just punched in the clock. There was 0 chemistry between each other on stage. The lack of chemistry was very obvious during the major hits.
The audience were into it to some degree, however, most looked bored while other’s tried way too hard to get into it to either justify the ticket cost or to convince themselves that this was a great show. I found myself clock watching more than I normally do.
It didn’t help that the sound mix was way off. Bass was too high, guitar wasn’t balanced and the keyboards were washed away in the background, which for most of the hits, are the backbone of the melody.
I knew this coming into the show which is why I was very adamant on scoring a ticket for cheap. I don’t feel that it was a waste of time but I did walk out with a sense of confirmation that some bands are just better in the studio than live.

We went to the Commodore to see the Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer.
Overall it was a good show and we liked the Commodore. A couple of quibbles though.
The first is a problem common to this sort of place, the music was too loud, and at times distorted. Too much base sound as well. We have this complaint about most similar events, so this is mostly personal preference
The second minor negative is that the Commodore has a really poor selection of beers available. There were only four when we were there, and none were craft beers.

My friend and I went to see Echo and the Bunnymen
It was the final stop in a series of beverage adventures and it was most excellent
Great crowd, and of course the show was awesome
Bouncers could have used a little more tact in shutting it all down for the night
But otherwise, had a great time
Going back with my friend to see Johnny Marr, and can’t wait

Love this venue for seeing live music. Always a great time and atmosphere!!! Only dissapointment is no in an outs during shows.

An iconic venue and well deserved at that. I saw Interpol on their El Pintor Fall Tour 2014 and it was unbelievable. The sound, the security and staff — even the crowd, ambiance and everything else was just spot on. Plenty of bars all over the place for a quick trip to grab another drink without missing a single note — my expectations were high but far exceeded.
A damn fine place to see a band play live.

First time here in 20 years. Came for FoxSeeds event. Nice venue. Well organized. For an OLD venue, the latest renovations keep it up to date, clean and very comfortable. It’s amazing when you see the list of performers that have played here over the last 50+ years and now I can add my son to the list. When you play here your a somebody! Keep up the good work Live Nation, the Commodore still rocks!

Vancouver’s best downtown live venue!
This old ballroom has had some of the finest international & local musicians for decades rock this stage over and over. The Ballroom walls could share many stories of music legends night after night who’ve cranked there Marshall stack to «11» to watch a sea of kids bounce the floor boards in hysteria to the beats of Cheap Trick, Loverboy, Marilyn Manson and even Kid Rock.
I salute you!

Best live music venue in Vancouver!
There really isn’t much more to say.
If there is a band you like and they’re playing here, you owe it to yourself to see them here!

Sorry

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here: If the developers that wiped out the Ridge and the Waldorf even cast a casual glance at the Commodore, I’ll go unibomber.
This place has been an active part of Vancouver’s entertainment scene since WWII! Seriously! And has been home to the BEST shows Vancouver has to offer consistently since.
I had the honour of playing here several times myself in the 90s but even that doesn’t trump the positive experiences I’ve had here as a patron seeing almost every band that I’ve ever care for here (on their rise up or down). The list is too massive or I’d include it.
Despite the management changes, the renos and upgrades have always been to re-​beautify this amazing room (though I do miss the glowing bubbly posts circa 80s 90s).
I never recall any bad issues with staff, but note it is a «venue» so not going to have an extensive beer menu or such.

Turkey Club is absolutely freaking awesooooome! Also, this is the best sounding venue in the city!
There’s nothing better than great sound, great staff and amazing shows. This place is consistently bringing choice acts to Vancouver and I’m yet to see a bad show here! Their selection of drinks is great, and more importantly the food is incredible.
Looking forward to my next visit!

My favourite place for concerts in van. Just a great venue and the staff has always been courteous and professional

Easily my favorite venue. Great food drinks, seating if that’s what you want. Clean bathrooms.

Historic landmark venue in the heart of Vancouver. I love the Commodore. I remember listening to The Fox as a young teenager and remember wishing I could go see a show on the «bouncy floor of the Commodore». Now that I am an adult, I have seen a lot of shows here. And every time I fall in love again.
The renos done a while back are spectacular. It is a classy venue, with great sound, and packs a lot of people without feeling too crowded. There’s space to sit, if you prefer, or room in front of the stage where you can get so close the sweat from the band might fall on you.
Despite being in Vancouver, on Granville, the prices inside are not as high as I expected. Sure, I’m paying $ 6.75 for a highball, but where am I not paying that much? Also, coat check for $ 3 may seem high, but the darlings behind the counter let my friend and I double up our coats instead of making us pay per item. No one lets you do that any more. Kudos for not being jerks.
It says a lot about the legacy of a venue when the performer gushes about how thrilled he is to be playing there, and talks about memories of attending shows years ago, and how special it was to go for the very first time.
Oh, and a note to spectators — please leave the playing of instruments to the band. That’s right, Mr. Harmonica, playing along (poorly) to the encore. Shut it.

Der Commodore Ballroom ist eine hammer Location für Livekonzerte aller Art, ich war ein paar mal darin und wirklich nie enttäuscht. Beleuchtung Top, Sound Top, Booking Top, Publikum immer ok bis begeisterungsfähig. Man kann beim Ticket bestellen auch nen Tisch buchen wenn man das möchte, würde ich aber nicht empfehlen, da man wirklich besser vor der Bühne aufgehoben ist. Angenehm ist auch, dass die Bar wirklich getrennt von der Tanz– bzw Stehfläche ist! Die Preise sind für Canada ganz normal. Falls mal was dort sein sollte was ihr gerne sehen wollt, freut euch euren Act in einem super Konzertsaal zu erleben!

Came here for a Christmas party.
Even though the ballroom isn’t as large or as grand as the new Convention centres in town, there is just something special about this place. An older style of elegance. Something in the air that just spells «classy».
There’s no parking on Granville Mall on Friday and Saturday nights, so your best bet is Pacific Centre.
As I always go to the same Christmas party every year, I can’t say what the food is like for other events. What I CAN say though is that the sushi they have at this even never fails to impress. Today they even had ahi tuna. That stuff vapourized in seconds.
With a ballroom, it’s all about the entertainment. Today I had the honour of hearing THE Dal Richards and his band perform. The sound was set up quite nicely. It was a bit on the loud side, but at least it wasn’t ear-​splitting loud (which is my pet peeve with many nightclubs). The sound travels quite well here, and isn’t echoey either.
As for the bar, it was a bit disappointing in terms of selection. What kind of bar doesn’t have Malibu? I decided to use my drink tickets on «simpler» drinks such as screwdrivers. They don’t flood the cup with ice, which was nice.
The washrooms smelled kinda gross, but guess there isn’t too much you can do.
Overall, always a good time here.