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and many others, "up the street" and paid them a regular fee to perform. During the early 1970s, the upstairs featured mostly "retreads" and "has-been" acts, with the occasional group on the rise. Most of the time, drink sales determined which bands would return. The bands would start out downstairs
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On March 4, 1977, looking for an unprepossessing venue to record in, The
Rolling Stones played the first of two performances at the club (the second one occurring on March 5, 1977), billing themselves pseudonymously as "The Cockroaches". It was their first live club date in 14 years. Their opening
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In later configurations of the establishment, musical acts appeared on separate stages located on the main and second floor of the building. By the 1960s, Adam Schuy owned the venue which, by then, featured music appealing to
Toronto's Hungarian, Irish, and Portuguese communities. A German dance
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Apocryphally, the original building at 462 Spadina had been a music venue since 1850 and was first used as a haven for escaped slaves. The current building was built in 1910 and housed a dry goods store, a barbershop, and restaurants in its first three decades.
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In 2001, El
Mocambo was bought by Abbas Jahangiri, who renovated both floors and tried to turn the upstairs into a dance studio. The club was in this period a venue to all genres of music, from
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nightclub. In the club's original incarnation, which officially opened on March 23, 1948, the main floor was converted into a dining hall with a dance floor on the second floor that featured
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The club was expected to close after a last show on
November 6, 2014. However, on the eve of its impending closure, it was announced that the club had been purchased for $ 3.8 million by
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and others. In 2012, he sold El
Mocambo in order to focus on his missionary work. The new owners had difficulty in booking the venue and put it up for sale in the fall of 2014.
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and John
Paolucci owned and ran the club from 1986 until it closed in 1989. The two had purchased the business, the name and logo from Michael Baird and Tom Kristenbrun.
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With the passage of the Liquor
Licence Act of 1946, which allowed the sale of liquor in taverns and restaurants in the province for the first time since
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equipment brought by the Stones to record their own show for a live album as well. A standalone live album of these Stones performances, entitled
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at the time), the venue became a popular place for students living nearby. Throughout the 1970s, the club was known as a bastion of the
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and if the revenue they generated increased, they would sometimes graduate to upstairs. Up and coming performers such as
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Jahangiri became a missionary and used the club to host numerous charity events, with fundraisers for
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1177:"Toronto's El Mocambo conditionally sold, last show could be played in November at legendary venue"
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Changes in the record industry's touring practices, a failure to update the venue, and a deal with
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Wood removed from the stage and rafters of El
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Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
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The business and building were bought in 1972 by
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scene. Dan Burke became the club's booker in 1998 and made it into a venue for
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1284:"Queens of the Stone Age - Concert Review - El Mocambo, Toronto - May 9, 2008"
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and convert their property at 464 Spadina into one of the city's first
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50 Licks: Myths and
Stories from Half a Century of the Rolling Stones
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Live recordings made by other bands/performers at the venue include:
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had a surprise concert at El Mocambo as part of their Canadian tour.
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concert album. In its heyday, the venue also hosted performances by
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Any Night of the Week: A D.I.Y. History of Toronto Music, 1957-2001
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1242:"CBC News - Canada - Toronto's landmark El Mocambo closes"
1198:"Dragons’ Den cast member Michael Wekerle buys El Mocambo"
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also internationally famous jazz performers, including
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On May 9, 2008, the acclaimed American hard-rock band
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Live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Canada
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1048:"A Brief History of the Legendary El Mocambo"
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1244:. CBC.ca. November 5, 2001
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189:1948 (as the El Mocambo)
1340:Music venues in Toronto
759:Queens of the Stone Age
718:Queens of the Stone Age
127:43.657487°N 79.400177°W
984:Live at The El Mocambo
965:Live at the El Mocambo
894:Live at the El Mocambo
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838:Live at the El Mocambo
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654:John Cougar Mellencamp
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575:Event space at Level 1
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478:Music stage in Level 3
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74:The El Mocambo in 2023
1345:Nightclubs in Toronto
1056:, September 23, 2014.
854:MacLean & MacLean
622:Grover Washington Jr.
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515:Amnesty International
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366:(which was housed in
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132:43.657487; -79.400177
1179:. September 17, 2014
1136:. September 24, 2014
1009:Mocambo (restaurant)
951:Last Show @ The Elmo
875:Downchild Blues Band
364:George Brown College
320:Downchild Blues Band
297:Deutsches Tanz Lokal
1206:, November 6, 2014.
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1004:Mocambo (nightclub)
989:Wang Chung Live at
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905:Live at El Mocambo
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384:The Rolling Stones
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519:Free the Children
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1288:. Retrieved
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1225:. Retrieved
1223:. 2022-03-30
1221:Toronto Life
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971:Silverstein
867:Big Band —
686:Snakefinger
678:Eek A Mouse
658:Duran Duran
650:The Ramones
630:Al Di Meola
618:Dan Schafer
606:The Ramones
492:heavy metal
448:garage rock
414:the Ramones
400:Mick Jagger
285:Latin music
269:World War I
259:Early years
157:Music venue
130: /
105:Coordinates
1334:Categories
1290:2010-02-27
1269:2010-02-27
1248:2010-02-27
1227:2022-09-30
1053:Torontoist
1015:References
800:April Wine
734:April Wine
690:Bo Diddley
674:April Wine
638:Switchfoot
593:Major acts
527:Blank-Fest
460:Will Munro
388:April Wine
316:rock music
301:striptease
220:El Mocambo
118:79°24′01″W
115:43°39′27″N
706:Meat Loaf
511:War Child
488:orchestra
422:Joan Jett
333:Tom Waits
324:Buddy Guy
246:'s wife,
209:elmocambo
197:2015–2020
194:Renovated
1299:cite web
1203:CityNews
998:See also
947:Mainline
937:Zoobombs
845:The Cars
820:(1977),
786:— (1973)
738:Montreal
702:The Cars
456:Zoobombs
164:Capacity
99:, Canada
84:Location
901:Sheriff
826:(2022)
698:Blondie
500:hip hop
464:Peaches
410:Blondie
254:History
228:Ontario
224:Toronto
202:Website
97:Ontario
93:Toronto
41:updated
1103:
1076:
993:(2024)
986:(2022)
979:(2010)
967:(2010)
960:(2003)
953:(2001)
943:(2001)
933:(2001)
921:(1987)
907:(1983)
897:(1983)
887:&
881:(1982)
871:(1981)
860:(1980)
841:(1978)
808:(1977)
796:(1973)
780:(1973)
726:Sum 41
628:, and
587:Stairs
496:reggae
424:, and
362:, and
295:club,
186:Opened
790:Starz
380:disco
372:blues
312:blues
178:Built
143:Owner
1305:link
1185:2014
1142:2014
1101:ISBN
1074:ISBN
958:Live
925:Moxy
919:Gore
863:The
642:Moxy
616:and
504:jazz
502:and
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418:Devo
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211:.com
153:Type
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1134:NOW
930:Raw
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