Toronto Woodbine Racetrack Ancillary Facilities Building | 14.5m | 2s | Woodbine Ent | DIALOG

Huh, that seemed to slip under the radar. Wouldn't there be some groundbreaking ceremony for something as large as this?
 
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I had forgotten about this. The last things I had read, from April 2018, say the entertainment venue will be 4200 seats. I think it's going to be in the top left part of the picture above, so it looks like not much of it has been built yet.
There's already a TTC 927 bus to and from the Bloor subway that has its first stop after the express part of its northbound Hwy 427 route near there for the mall, about a 15 minute walk away, actually closer than where the new GO Train station will be on the wrong (south) side of the property, though I'd assume there will likely be some kind of local shuttle bus.
Michael Ianni said:
Venue like this should be able to take a lot of the Casino Rama and Niagara Falls acts ... my parents are one that got excited by this since they won't have go all the way to Rama anymore.
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I could see how this and the new 5000-seat theatre that should be opening at Fallsview in a few months could leave Rama having trouble attracting shows.
 
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Anyone know if Durham Live has an entertainment space as well? I drove by that one on the 401 on Saturday and there is an absolutely massive parking garage that has been built along the highway.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Anyone know if Durham Live has an entertainment space as well?..
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For something that's apparently already in an advanced stage of construction, there doesn't seem to be much information available.
http://dlive.ca/
From 2014, this mentions "6,000 seat outdoor amphitheater with 16,000 person total capacity", but also a presumably separate "Performing Arts venue".
 
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Richard White said:
I doubt Massey Hall or Meridian Hall will have issues filling seats. The problem with Rama is that it is in the boonies with limited access.
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Probably a different mix of clientele/acts as well - casino/entertainment mix seems to be aimed at an older (and aging fast) demographic.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Probably a different mix of clientele/acts as well - casino/entertainment mix seems to be aimed at an older (and aging fast) demographic.

AoD
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At Meridian Hall you get the performing arts, at Massey Hall you get a mix of new and old performers looking for an intimate venue.

With casinos you get bands like Saga, Ace of Base, Gowan, etc that are past their prime and looking for somewhere to play. The last time I recall someone going to a show at Rama it was for a 1970s rock group and it was my 52 year old parents. The fact I cannot remember who was even playing is testament to the fact they were not really an a-list band.
 
Richard White said:
At Meridian Hall you get the performing arts, at Massey Hall you get a mix of new and old performers looking for an intimate venue.

With casinos you get bands like Saga, Ace of Base, Gowan, etc that are past their prime and looking for somewhere to play. The last time I recall someone going to a show at Rama it was for a 1970s rock group and it was my 52 year old parents. The fact I cannot remember who was even playing is testament to the fact they were not really an a-list band.
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I got 1 out of 3 on your list without googling - I consider that a win (like Ace of Base is still around? What's next - Danish grandma and daddy singing Barbie Girl at Rama? The horror). Anyways, I don't think the Meridian Hall/Massey divide is so cut and dry - I find myself going to the former, which seem to host more "niche" performances.

AoD
 
Richard White said:
At Meridian Hall you get the performing arts, at Massey Hall you get a mix of new and old performers looking for an intimate venue.

With casinos you get bands like Saga, Ace of Base, Gowan, etc that are past their prime and looking for somewhere to play. The last time I recall someone going to a show at Rama it was for a 1970s rock group and it was my 52 year old parents. The fact I cannot remember who was even playing is testament to the fact they were not really an a-list band.
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Yes, but there was a time all those bands would seek-out an urban venue. Even the ageing non-A listers.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
I got 1 out of 3 on your list without googling - I consider that a win (like Ace of Base is still around? What's next - Danish grandma and daddy singing Barbie Girl at Rama? The horror). Anyways, I don't think the Meridian Hall/Massey divide is so cut and dry - I find myself going to the former, which seem to host more "niche" performances.

AoD
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True. I once saw Brit Floyd there.
 
JasonParis said:
Yes, but there was a time all those bands would seek-out an urban venue. Even the ageing non-A listers.
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By the 1990s those type of acts were playing in grubby warehouses in Toronto, so it wasn't difficult to see why they abandoned the city for Fallsview and Rama when those became the much better choice for them and their audiences. The Bandshell during the CNE and rarely some venue like Flato Markham Theatre or Rose Theatre Brampton are as close as they get in recent years. Or maybe 2 or 3 of the type of acts that would usually play Rama might tour together and be at Budweiser Stage.
 
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