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Music

Live Nation wants to turn Champions Greenwood into a live venue

Toronto has a shortage of mid-sized concert theatres, but that could change if the city approves Live Nation’s request to turn an east-end off-track betting facility into a live performance venue.

In May, the concert promoter filed a development application with the city to renovate two-thirds of the existing theatre inside Champions Greenwood at 1661 Queen East and turn it into a 2,700-capacity entertainment venue. (Its current capacity is 2,500 people.)

The proposal includes building a second-floor mezzanine, and Live Nation expects to host 150 live performances a year.

The application notes that the venue is ideal because it’s located in a mixed-use neighbourhood, on a main street, accessible by public transit and “substantially separated from nearby residential areas.”

A new mid-range concert theatre would likely encourage promoters to book acts that might otherwise skip Toronto. The city’s other seated concert theatre options are good ones, but the Sony Centre at 3,100-capacity is too big for many artists, while historic Massey Hall – undergoing a seven-year, $135 million reno – might be too pricey to book for others.

music@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

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