| While the question has been put forth for years over the tables of local watering holes and typed into instant messaging windows while looking at Pollstar listings for other cities, it bears exploring given the upswing in shows over the past 12 months or so: why the hell does Calgary get so few of the mid-level types of shows that Vancouverites take for granted?
The first obvious answer is geography. For bands to hit Calgary, they need to devote at least two days of travel time for just one show. But the second answer, which has plagued Calgary for years, is the lack of an appropriate venue. While the city lacks venues the size of, say, Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom, it has several venues that seat around 1,000 people, though they’re not devoted to live music, nor do they cater to the hipster crowd. But Cowboys and The Whiskey, coupled with the MacEwan Hall Ballroom and MacEwan Hall, offer a variety of options for bands that can draw that size of crowd.
The hole lies in rooms slightly smaller (and, to a point, larger) than those that have hosted bands ranging from the Pixies to Vince Neil.
"We have a few 1,000 person venues around," explains local promoter Greg Curtis, who runs Tooth Blackner Presents. "There’s a huge gap at the five to 600 person level. The Warehouse is trying their best to meet it, but in the case of that venue so much is left up to the promoter, it sometimes gets too expensive."
According to Curtis there is no lack of desire among those with the means to make it happen, but the obstacles to creating such a space are large.
"Bands at that level are a bit more flexible – travelling in a van rather than a bus – but (the venue itself) probably won’t bring bands here unless it works with their schedule."
At the same time, Curtis acknowledges that the lack of venues this size is unique to this city.
"Edmonton has a dearth of these venues – New City, The Sidetrack and so on – though with Red’s closing they don’t have a big room. But Calgary has nothing that size. Clubs that do exist that are that size don’t want to give up their Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights."
Unfortunately the outlook is bleak. And on top of the lack of venues that could attract many of the acts that hipsters thirst for, there is also the gap that would address the bigger acts.
"There’s a vacuum between MacEwan Hall and the Corral," agrees Curtis.
And until either of those holes are filled – something that seems unlikely despite the influx of people and boom times we live in – Calgarians will have to cope with trips to Vancouver and occasionally Edmonton when a promoter there takes the financial risk to fly an act in. Perhaps the smart and well-heeled music fan will invest in Westjet, while the rest of us are left to sit sullenly around pints wondering just how many trips we can afford. |
Copyright ©2006 FFWD. All rights reserved.