Check out Concordia students’ favourite music venues and their backstory!
From arenas to theatres, all the way to bar settings, Montreal is abundant in locations for artists to perform their latest projects. Montreal fans are one solid pack of passionate beings and always wish for their favourite artists to pass by when on tour.
Compared to our neighbours in the States, Canada doesn’t see as many visits from artists. Nonetheless, Montreal has been a hub for music lovers and everyone can find their ideal cocoon to experience live music and its communities. Some locals—and in our case, Concordia students—shared with us their favourite and not-so-favourite venues when it comes to experiencing live shows.
Whether speaking to local Concordia students or international students, it was no surprise to hear how much people love attending concerts right here in Montreal. The biggest takeaway from these conversations was that the majority of folks prefer a smaller venue.
Le Petit Campus is one of the city’s underrated locations—as many people I talked to expressed—despite its intimacy and great sound quality. This space is part of the larger Le Café Campus, which can turn into a bar, nightclub, live show theatre, or even a workspace.
Le Petit Campus is widely loved because it brings out a special and closer bond between the artist on stage and the crowd versus a huge arena like the Bell Centre. As Tourisme Montréal states, the multi-purpose arena “is a prime venue for entertainment and sports events” and can host over 21,000 fans.
Place Bell, a venue open since 2017, also turns out to be a people’s favourite due to its ambiance giving the perfect blend of a large arena and theatre experience. People from outside Montreal—notably Laval—genuinely appreciate having a venue hosting bigger artists closer to them. Folks enjoy the larger community aspect of meeting others and hanging out after the show.
A venue that is well-loved by most is the Corona Theatre, now called the Beanfield Theatre. Named after the Beanfield Metroconnect telecommunications company in Toronto, it recently became a partner of this performance hall this summer. Almost unchanged since 1912, the theatre’s excellent architecture has helped it gather a lot of popularity such as with its painting ceiling and red brocade curtains. This change and new partnership, according to Le Devoir, “demonstrates Beanfield’s commitment to the community and cultural landscape of Montreal.” The Corona Theatre neon sign will however stay in place and even be illuminated again!
Visit The Concordian’s podcast to hear more of our interviews with students and to know more about their picks!