Dear Mod Club - A Farewell Letter
Well. When I made my first few posts on this blog, the last thing I expected was a worldwide pandemic hitting and obliterating the live-music and entertainment scene well into the foreseeable future. I had so many concerts lined up for 2020 (eighteen, to be exact), a trip to Montreal for Festival D’Ete de Quebec, and a New York City adventure to see Kesha in the glittering lights of Manhattan’s Pier 17. You can guess how that all worked out. In retrospect, perhaps it was too fabulous of a coincidence for me to see both Imagine Dragons and Halsey in one weekend. A girl can dream.
COVID-19 slammed us all in the face, shoved us into the crevices of our homes, and left us reeling in the dust. My last concert was February 20th – Saint Motel, in the same Phoenix venue as my last post for Cold War Kids a few weeks prior. I am not going to get into details of how I’ve been coping utterly concert-less for the better part of the year (hint: not well), as that deserves its own full article. All I hope is that February 20th was not the last time that I stepped foot in the Phoenix Concert Theatre, because February 17th 2020 was the last time I had the privilege to sing my heart out at The Mod Club.
On November 6th, I received one of the worst news I’ve gotten since the pandemic’s inception – and that is saying a lot considering 2020 has been filled with an overwhelming amount of negativity. On this day it was announced that The Mod Club Theatre, located on College Street in Toronto, has been permanently shut down effective immediately. The venue has been a staple in the city’s music scene since 2002, and has opened its doors to many great artists throughout the years – likes of the Weeknd, Lana Del Rey, The Killers, Amy Winehouse, among many, many other talented artists.
Needless to say, I was crushed. The Mod Club was genuinely my favourite concert venue in the city – and I’ve been to my fair share of venues in Toronto. Why? Many reasons.
The location was fantastic, closer to the west end rather than the city’s core. It was a 20-minute walk from work, a quick streetcar ride, and had a great parking lot available for those late-night pickups.
The security guards were funny and often joked around and were not the stone-cold vultures I was used to. I could have sworn that one of them began to recognize me after 4-6 subsequent shows for which I’d show up earlier than necessary.
Another selling point was the fact that it was the only venue which gave you the option of seating close to the stage. The couches on the venue’s side – who have certainly seen better days, they were no doubt crumbling apart – provided a welcome break to rest your feet and back while still being able to enjoy the show from relatively close by. For someone who spent many hours a month standing in GA shows, it was nice to have the option to watch some shows from the cushioned sidelines.
The Mod Club was a good size, had solid acoustics, and two floors in case you got fed up with the group of 6”3 guys who inevitably found their way to blocking your view.
Most importantly, The Mod Club was my favourite because of all of the once-in-a-lifetime memories which it gifted me, that I now hold tighter to my heart than before. In November 2017, I decided to go Alex Clare’s Tail of Lion’s tour instead of finishing my history espionage term paper on the Cambridge Five which was due the following day. This was a huge deal for me, since I’ve always been a neurotic perfectionist who prioritized schoolwork over it all, but this time I simply wanted to break away from my comfortable norms for an evening – and it was one of best decisions I’ve made. Did I end up nearly tanking my essay? Oh, you bet. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. Yelling the lyrics to “Too Close” while enjoying vodka cranberries with my mom at the Mod’s balcony was a memory worth more than any 90% grade.
In October 2019, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that lovelytheband was scheduled to play at the club on my birthday – of all days in the year! On May 2nd, my best friend and I made our way to a dinner at Il Gatto Nero (also sadly closed thanks to the pandemic in May 2020), and were discussing the anticipated setlist in between bites of pizza. Everything was going great, until our waitress brought over both the bill and the news that the band was allegedly stuck at the Canada-USA border and was very likely postponing the show. Although I was a bit bummed, I still had a memorable birthday – and got to see lovelytheband just a few months later, in the same beloved venue.
Sidenote: In the restaurant, we also happened to be seated next to the up-and-coming band Flora Cash, who were the scheduled opener for the show. Both of us ended up eating our garlic bread, pizza, and going home. I’ve never seen anything more rock ‘n’ roll.
Some other honourable mentions who I’ve seen at The Mod over the years include IAMX, Missio, and Echosmith – my last show at the venue in February 2020.
Enter Shikari - October 2019
Echosmith - February 2020
lovelytheband - July 2019
Missio - April 2019
The closure of the Mod Club triggers a discussion about the future of music and entertainment venues in the city. With the COVID-19 pandemic still pillaging the city, the return of live music events is unthinkable at this point in time. Although the city announced certain tax breaks for businesses that lost profits due to the pandemic, this barely makes a dent in their lost revenue. Unlike restaurants and pubs which were able to pivot to an alternate business model and offer takeout through delivery services to earn back a percentage of their lost revenue, live entertainment venues cannot offer anything but their empty real-estate space.
As a matter of fact, venues are at high risk of being transformed into condominiums or other corporate buildings given the fact that they’re often found in lucrative central downtown locations. The Matador Ballroom, another well-known Toronto entertainment venue has met similar fate. Although the building was sold to a developer a decade ago, news this week announced that it will be demolished in favour of condos despite its status as a Heritage Site. If this trend continues, Toronto stands to lose a lot of its interesting historical charm in favour of cold, carbon copy corporate spaces.
Time is ticking, the lights are dimming, and the bills are stacking up. How much longer can the buildings stand without the presence of artists and audiences holding up their foundations?
With all of this being said, I wanted to take the time to write out a proper farewell note to the Mod Club, because it is the least it deserves. Thank you, for being the place that brought my boyfriend and I together, for granting me so many great memories, and hosting so many of my favourite artists. There is no point in dwelling in the sadness of your legacy ending, if it can be kept alive through remembrance. My story is only one of hundreds of fellow music lovers whose lives were impacted by the memories you provided. You were the place where others enjoyed the magic of their first live show, their first kiss, or hell – even their first ~trip~.
You had a pretty long run, had some famous feet dance on your stage, and lit up the life of otherwise quiet Little Italy. It is never easy to say goodbye to something that gave you so much joy, but we can be thankful for having the chance to know you.
I will hold out hope for your fellow Toronto venues, who have been standing lost and empty this past year. Your story may have finished, but perhaps we can squeeze in a few more chapters for the others.
With love and rock ‘n’ roll,
Karolina