PARTNER CONTENT
Lee's Palace is entering a new era.
The iconic Toronto music venue is turning 40, and it's celebrating with a year-long concert series that will celebrate its history and launch it into the future.
Presented by Billboard Canada, Lee's Palace's 40th anniversary series begins this Wednesday (Jan. 22) with a show by eccentric hip-hop legend Kool Keith.
Other concerts in the series will include both Canadian and international acts, including Australian punks The Chats, Russian feminist protest project Pussy Riot, buzzy indie rockers Pom Pom Squad, Brooklyn dance-punk band Model/Actriz, Ontario metal legends Protest The Hero, Calgary new wave/post-punk band Preoccupations and many more.
Other acts include: ACTORS, FACS, Klangphonics, Last Dinosaurs, Papooz, ASAL, Adrian Younge, P'Tit Belliveau, Freak Heat Waves and more. Find the lineup (with more to be announced) in the poster below:
Lee's Palace was bought by independent Canadian promoters/venue operators MODO-LIVE last year, which has been reinvigorating the well-loved Toronto venue with upgraded sound, infrastructure and other updates, aiming to make it look and sound as good as its glory days.
That includes the upstairs venue, The Dance Cave, which MODO is aiming to restore as a community spot for subcultural dance parties (goth, post-punk, what's now called indie sleaze) while also booking multiple shows a week there as well.
“Toronto has one of the most remarkable, diverse and impactful music histories of any city in the world and over the past 40 years, Lee’s Palace has played an integral part in telling that amazing story," says MODO-LIVE CEO Justin Kwan. "We...intend to carry on its rich history to a new generation of music fans for another 40 years and beyond.”
MODO's COO Travis Newman points to the rich history of the venue, which has hosted legendary shows by some of the most storied bands of the '80s and '90s. That includes The Tragically Hip and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in their early years in 1986, the Toronto debuts of Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins in 1991 and Oasis playing their smash Definitely Maybe in 1994.
As it evolved in the 2000s, it became a hub of queer and underground culture through local legends like Will Munro and Peaches. In the early 2010s, it was immortalized on film in a concert and fight scene in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World . Not just known for rock, Lee's has also hosted many important hip-hop shows, which explains why Kool Keith is opening the 40th anniversary series.
“It is a strange and wonderful feeling to own a venue that has hosted many of my all-time favourite bands," Newman says. "But as we look back on the history of Lee’s Palace and remember shows from legendary bands like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins, the most important thing to remember is that the legendary bands of tomorrow are playing at Lee’s Palace today."
MODO-LIVE is one of a rare few independent promoters and venue operators in Canada, and taking over Lee's Palace represents a part of its fast expansion. Founded in 2021, the company owns The Pearl in Vancouver and holds an equity stake in the music venue/roller rink in Brooklyn. The company books concerts all over Canada and in the U.S.
While mega arena and stadium tours often get the big international headlines, mid-size venues like Lee's Palace (with capacities of 500 and 250 upstairs) represent an important place in the live music industry. A crucial part of the touring network, it's a spot for acts to cement their place. It's often a tipping point, where musicians play right before they explode.
Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene calls it "the quintessential auditorium of sound and faces before the ceilings get bigger," while Canadian promoter Elliott Lefko (now a major international promoter for AEG and Goldenvoiice) says "some people get their education at fine universities. I got mine in a dank basement with pipes dripping on my head. But hey it made me a better person.” Hayden remembers one of his standout shows at the venue in 1998, while Chris Murphy of Sloan boasts that his hands make a cameo playing guitar for the character Stephen Stills in close-ups in Scott Pilgrim.
Over the course of this 40th anniversary year, Lee's Palace will celebrate that history while thriving to be the same spot for the next generation of bands.
Lee's Palace will also announce a special concert for its official 40th birthday on September 5, 2025. Find a full list of announced shows at the Lee's Palace website.
