Live at the CommodoreLive at the Commodore

The Commodore Ballroom, located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, remains one of the best-loved music venues in Canada, if not the world; it's played host to a who's who of music greats: the Police, the Clash, Blondie, Talking Heads, Nirvana, New York Dolls, U2, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, and the White Stripes, among others. The Commodore's history extends back to 1930, when it was built in the splendour of art deco style. Through World War II and into the 1950s, the Commodore was where Vancouverites went to hear swing orchestras and dance into the late hours. Beginning in the 1970s, the Commodore became a full-on music club, a must-stop for breakout bands and other music acts before they became arena headliners. Vancouverites soon filled the place on a nightly basis, not only to hear the latest in punk, new wave, blues, heavy metal, and rock, but also to dance on its legendary bouncy sprung floor. Now regarded as a music landmark, "the nightclub for all seasons" continues to attract the hottest musicians on tour, defying and outlasting other cultural venues that have vanished as a result of gentrification and the pandemic. First published in 2014, Live at the Commodore was a BC bestseller and won the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award at the BC Book Prizes. Author Aaron Chapman delves into the Commodore's archives to reveal stories about the club over the last ninety-plus years, as well as startling and outrageous anecdotes about the legendary acts that have graced its stage. Filled with never-before-published photographs, posters, and paraphernalia, Live at the Commodore is a visceral, energetic portrait of one of the world's great rock venues. This new edition includes a new chapter and several new photographs and posters.