On the way to the show I was humming The Bare Naked Ladies song about Brian Wilson. Aside from the…read moresong being as catchy as Brian Wilson's own material, it summed up everything about Brian in just a single sentence of a catchy chorus. Over the years I've been aware of Brian's questionable mental state, some of which was depicted in last year's bio pic Love & Mercy. Even if Brian himself was unaware of where he was during the show I still felt that I should at least be in the same room as the song writing legend, who has had more hits than McCartney, before he permanently lays in bed. The show started 10 minutes earlier than scheduled in true Brian Wilson fashion. He just walked on stage with the house lights still on and started playing piano without the band. The band rushed the stage a few bars in as people were frantically filing in. The lobby of the theatre was repeatedly and urgently warning people that the show had begun. He opened up with California Girls. I wondered during the show if this was Brian's way of quilting the audience for not filing in fast enough even though he took everyone off guard, including his own technical staff. He even semi scolded the audience by saying, "You can take your seats now anytime." It's hard for me to tell if he was joking or was having one of his signature senior moments. Either way it provided some unintentional entertainment. It wasn't the first of the evening. The 2.5 hours was divided into 3 segments: A few early hits, Pet Sounds in full (which this tour was celebrating) and a few other hits. Everyone came and got what they wanted to hear and more. The whole time I was actually tapping my feet like a metronome. It was also the first time in months that I watched an entire show without checking my phone. The bulk of the enjoyment of the show was more for the band than Brian. Most of the band members have touring history with the original and different incarnations of the Beach Boys including founding member Al Jardin who, along with the rest of the band, did all the heavy lifting. Brian sang 40% of the time, most of which was during the Pet Sounds portion. Brian was just an honorary ornament with an extraordinary band. The band played tight and made certain songs sound better than the original recordings. One of the best live touring bands that I've seen in decades with a long resume of who's who in music (that went under appreciated with most of the audience). One moment that put a smirk on my face was when Brian suddenly stopped playing the piano during Sail On, Sailor. He waddled off stage and went to the bathroom leaving his band behind in confusion. There was a forced extended guitar solo until the band were able to figure out what was going on. The intermission before the Pet Sounds portion was supposed to be 25 minutes, however, Brian wandered on stage 9 minutes into the intermission with no band, no lights and a sound delay as some of his technical crew were still in the bathroom. The band were ear shot away so they were able to get their shit together two bars in. Half the audience were still in the lobby getting drinks. Pretty much most of us missed the first two songs of Pet Sounds. Another memorable Brian Wilson moment. The majority of the audience were under 25 to whom Pet Sounds actually matters to, therefore, missing the first two songs was more of annoyance for them than the older crowd. At the time of the initial release Pet Sounds did very poorly and the label wanted to shelve it completely. Hard core Beach Boys fans still dismiss it all together. There's something charmingly ambitious about the album. It was fun audience watching to see how the material got lost on the older fans and embraced, in admiration for Brian, by the young hipster kids. Pet Sounds has sold more copies in the past 10 years by people under 30 than it did 50 years ago that it had to have two 180g vinyl re-issues. The album has influenced a lot of new bands like The Shins, Zola, The Flaming Lips and Tame Impala. If you're one of those music fans that shits on new music you can blame Brian Wilson for being ahead of his time influencing what is being played on iTunes today. During the Pet Sounds portion of the show I had to listen with my eyes closed to appreciate and understand some of the mathematical calculations and awkward time signatures. For the rest of the show it was beneficial that I had a balcony seat with a birds eye view so that I could see what the band were actually playing. I wanted to understand the technicalities of what made the blue print of his material. The sound mix was beyond amazing, the members played well that it proved that you really don't need backing tracks at any show if the band has their shit together. They did a technical band introduction to the audience which you rarely see bands acknowledge by name. It was well appreciated and earned. During the greatest hits portion everyone was on their feet. The crowning moment wa

Had a great night at The Improv Centre on Granville Island with my kids, ages 12 to 17. Everyone…read morehad a blast. The TheatreSports format is fast and easy to follow. The performers were the best part. Super funny and quick on their feet, making stuff up on the spot that had us laughing the whole time. Good pick for families too. The content stayed pretty clean, nothing really inappropriate for a 12 year old, not that a typical 12 year old hasn't heard worse. They've got one intermission, free water, and a bar with snacks, popcorn, and drinks. The seats have cup holders so you can enjoy your tasty beverage while watching the show. Three people from the audience get picked to judge each scene from 1 to 5. They get chosen randomly before the show. Need to be at the tables at the front or in the first or second row to get picked, I think. Would totally recommend for a family outing especially if you have kids interested in comedy, high school drama class, SNL or similar. And Granville Island area is so nice to walk around it makes for a nice evening. Just keep in mind that the market closes at 7pm so arrive to island by at least 6:30pm to buy and eat your dinner, and then walk the 4 minutes to the Improv Centre. Or else skip dinner and eat Snickers bars and popcorn at the Improv Centre. Bought my tickets only the morning of the show. Easy to do.

Not gonna lie, this far exceeded my expectations. came in on a friday night for the early theatre…read moresports show, not sure what to expect I was thoroughly entertained not having laughed like that in a long time. actors were fully committed and nothing seemed forced. they had a deal where you could catch the second show for $20 and we happily did that for unhinged. Really the only difference I could tell is they added like a twist or extra rule (you can only use x number of words) to each game. I honestly preferred the regular theatre sports version as the extra added unnecessary confusion and I rather enjoyed watching the actors be creative vs. bending over backwards to adhere to a random rule. All in all, I had a great time and would definitely make an effort to come back whenever I'm in the area.

Vogue is an older theatre with some renovations. It seems the seats were most recently updated and…read morefor the worst. They reduced the size of the seats and the space between the rows of seating. I'm 5'6" and it is uncomfortable to sit through a 1 hour 30 min standup. If you're not sitting at the end you are likely going to bruise your shins walking through. Good luck trying to let someone pass without leaving the row. People have fallen flat on their faces trying to get out. It seems like a safety issue. As it's an older theatre, the floor is pretty flat. Not tiered like newer movie theatres. Recently went to a show where they posted no photos of the show were allowed. The security guards paced through the middle aisle throughout the show. It was pretty distracting. During concerts they remove about half the rows for standing room. Oftentimes though the balcony is closed off. Washrooms are on the second floor. Only 3 stalls in the women's washroom as one is forever out of order.

We had a wonderful time at the Vogue Theatre watching Maoli in concert. We stood in line for…read moregeneral admission, we got thru the metal detectors wands and got front row! Bathrooms were good, and always lines at concerts. We had drinks there and enjoyed ourselves.

He's a country star born and raised in Canada. There is a true country sound but the Canadian…read moreappeal makes it sound more humble even if the themes themselves are very country blue print. I will admit that I was a little drawn and magnetized by his charm and good looks. I did get into the songs. My favorite song is Country Girls which was cool to hear live.

Bought tickets to see a specific comedian and got Bate and switched with no real explanation no…read moreoption for refund as they told us after we ordered our mandatory 2 items minimum per person. The food was disappointing probably frozen Costco stuff. The venue was like a dinghy attic and comedians were basically the joke, 1/3 was ok. Over all walked out of there feeling ripped right off. Never again

I'm so lucky to have this fantastic vintage venue within walking distance of my home. A few years…read moreago, the most recent owners took on the gigantic project of restoring this 1920s era vaudeville/movie house to its former glory, while also adding modern sound and lighting and reconfiguring the seating into a dinner theatre style. The pictures don't lie - there are big red velvet drapes, chandeliers and exotic Moorish/Morroccan touches like columns and murals. Just a damn cool theatre to see a show in, and I've now been to a few, from burlesque shows to my comedy idols like Bruce McCulloch. Upstairs in the smaller, and less lavishly appointed room, is Lafflines, which is a great spot to see up and coming comedians while having a few glasses of sorrow-drowning liquids and a basket of chicken strips. Both upstairs and downstairs have the same basic menu, so if you can deal with Sleemans and nachos, you're laughing. The wine list is OK, and for girl-drink drunks, they've got some sweet throwback martinis. The servers are really nice, but there never seem to be enough of them, so be decisive when they come around, because they might not get back around to you for a while! I've noticed that for some of the shows in the theatre, they'll have maybe two or three working the entire venue. Upstairs, one or two depending on the night (I tend to go on Thursdays for amateur night, so it's not usually very full). For all the fanciness of the decor, it's not at all posh, just a laid-back place to go see a live show. If you don't like fun, well, stay home.

Soo fun here! Went on 2016 night on a Saturday and it was all vibes! Bar was pumping out amazing…read moredrinks super quick and it was so hype but also so safe. We're from the states so we're not used to night spaces feeling safe and fun so we're loved the atmosphere here and don't forget to rsvp for free admission!

Went with some friends to the Fortune sound club, pancake, and booze art show. It sounded like a…read morefun event with DJs and I guess I misunderstood what it was going to be like so while it wasn't my cup of tea, everyone who attended seem to enjoy it. There were lots of local artists, displaying their unique creations. There were paintings and drawings, sculptures, and then on another floor there were jewelry, nail artists, soap maker, etc. They were also giving away free pancakes, although you got one pancake at a time so that was a little disappointing. There was a bar where you could buy drinks.. My friend who is a creative person really enjoyed the event there. I did not end up buying anything although there were some nice products for sure. It looks like an old warehouse and it's not finished so it's really rough and rugged. Definitely a very casual place.

This is a 19+ venue…read more I like the size of the venue! Not huge and not too small. The sound is great! Audio quality is very clear, you can clearly hear everything whether you are closer to the bar or at the section in the front. If you don't wanna be standing way up by the stage, you could chill and have a drink by the bar. There is seating (some tables with chairs) on the sides if you choose not to stand. The only downside is that the location is on the Downtown East side, so there are a lot of sketchy people outside after your show ends. Definitely a dope venue though!

Great venue to see live music but not if you want to have a few drinks! I spent $45 on two beers…read moreand two vodka cranberry. INSANITY!!! That was more than I spent on the tickets. I'll go there again because it's a pretty cool space but definitely drinking beforehand. Oh and it's in crack town, drug addicts and hookers all over the sidewalk out front, that was scary.

My favourite venue I've been to, always have a great time. Sound and atmosphere are great, staff is…read morenice

Awesome venue and super nice staff! Was there for Willie Nile concert. Went downstairs for a drink…read morebefore the concert friendly staff there as well.