Was here for SLAYER and had an amazing time. Was my first time in Canada/Vancouver/BC so I was definitely adjusting to a lot of things on the drive over. Overall the venue was great! CANADIANS ARE SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR METAL! The venue was super packed on a Wednesday night and not a Justin Beiber T-Shirt in sight. Sometimes, Americans metalheads wear them or a lot of pop artists tour shirts to show to be ironic, I think, and the merch tables will take jabs at him but I didn't see that at all tonight. Anyway, fans were sweet and the crowd was legit! Show was all general admission and you could either stand or pick a chair and sit. Sound was loud, loud and loud. PERFECT! I think one of my favorite parts of this venue was that you really get a great view no matter where you are. Its kind of weird for some of the seats because you will be looking at the stage at an angle so just stretch your neck every once in a while and you'll be fine. Only issue I would say was the weird stair situation. Some of the stairs change once you get closer to the floor and I saw a lot of adults, intoxicated and not, missing the step and falling. Some of the stairs go from the same depth to about 2 mini steps per 1 large/normal step. Hopefully that is remedied. That's all. Would love to come back and hope there are a lot more metal shows here! read more

No visit to the PNE is complete without a visit to the Forum. For the uninitiated, think of this as Infomercialand. Many of the products pitched here are "as seen on TV". It looks like quality of the products sold has gone done over the years, as there are now many places hawking cheapo nightmarket-type stuff such as cell phone covers. But they still have classics, such as Sweepas and Shamwows. Just make sure this is the last stop when you hit up PNE, as you don't want to lug around a bunch of stuff all day. read more

There used to be three parts to the PNE forum and now its only 2. basically the PNE forum houses the many as seen on tv items. Yes. All there is lot of things for sale. The forum is located at the front entrance when entering PNE. I feel like every year during the PNE fair they sell the same things over and over again. read more

Fun spot all the people I met at the laserface show were so polite, drinks were good and water was priced well. vancouver you have a great music scene. I came here for laserface which was sold out. The lay out was interesting with a large open floor with bleachers on two opposing sides. They had separate bathrooms and a bank of porta potties as well. Well needed with the amount of people out there. For worn, when the show is over get the hell out cause security starts sweeping right away. read more

Last night was Portishead. It was the perfect warm up music for Halloween if you ask me, because her voice wavers on the sound of someone crying and then changes and is suddenly oozing with sex. Ok enough about the show, let's talk about this venue. It's a barn. That's what it feels like on the inside anyways. Concrete floors, slanted rooftop, murky smell.... not exactly the kind of place you'd go to see a band, unless it was an indie band. The sound wasn't that bad, but I tend to situate myself in front of the sound booth, cuz those guys measure that shit as per how good it sounds to them, so that's usually the sweet spot. When we first arrived, there was a fat lineup around the corner, but luckily for our frozen toes it moved quickly. Once inside we had our tickets scanned and so began the bag search and pat down of all attendees. Honestly, the security girl who was like five foot nothing who patted me down was pretty freakin thorough. She actually goosed my hair roll. Yes, she squeazed it to see if I was hiding anything in it. Seriously? If you turned me sideways you'd be able to see right through it, I don't think there's any way to hide anything in there. She was acting like I had razor blades in my wallet and even proceeded to open the tiny change purse! Listen lady, if I *had* razorblades in my wallet, it would only be to slit my wrists to Portishead. This is NOT a rock show, we aren't here to get blasted, wtf is wrong with you? When I was finished getting raped, and the security guard gave up because I had nothing on me, we wandered over to the beer garden. They had MGD, Bud, and some sugary bitch pop (coolers) so I ended up going thirsty, which is probably a good thing because you had to stay in the fenced off beer garden if you wanted to have a drink, so you can't even sit in the bleachers and get drunk if you wanted to. My friends grabbed a pop and some cold stale popcorn, which just enticed me to make some fresh popcorn at home after the show. I guess this wouldn't really be my first pick for a venue, but there are some bonuses. The capacity is larger than the Commodore Ballroom, but obviously less glamorous, though both are general admission, which is really the only way to see a concert in my books. They have a large ladies bathroom, sorry guys they set up port-o-potties for you, so now you know what its like for us to wait in line forever. There is no coat check, which could be a situation in the summer when its warm out, but in the middle of what feels like winter, its not a big deal. Meh, if the show is good enough, I'd return to the barn, but I might not curl my bangs. read more

I've only been to the PNE forum once, but it seems to be one of those what you see is what you get places. I couldn't see anyone having a super shitty time here, but you probably won't think this place is super amazing unless you've never been to another venue this size and have no frame of reference. It's cold in the winter, and i agree with Nicole F that it does smell a bit like animals. And if you are wondering, yes, it actually used to be a hockey rink. My boyfriend's band played here so i got to hang out in the backstage area... and it was EXACTLY like the changing rooms in an ice arena. The only thing they bothered to do was take out the squishy ice skate floor mats, but aside from that it was all wooden benches and shelves along the wall. Buuuuut... it isn't a bad place. The sound was decent enough, the stage was big, and if you're feeling lazy there are bleachers on the sides of the crowds to sit in. There isn't too much to complain about, but not too much to rave about either i guess! read more

I'll admit that I haven't been here in years but have loved it each time I've seen live bands here. Seating is first come, first serve and every ticket is general admission. The first time was for Arcade Fire in 2005 and was blown away. Of course the band took full credit for that but what amazed me was how good it actually sounded in this barn. They completely filled the room with amazing sound. Breathtaking. The next time was when I took my daughter to her first concert ever: Wolfmother in 2007. She was 11 and in rock n' roll heaven. Recently she went there on her own to see Skrillex. Oh how times have changed. Anyway, it was still a great place to see a concert, even with a child. I prefer going here to the actual Pacific Coliseum which is really too big for my taste but I'll go if I really LOVE the band and just HAVE to see them. read more

The Forum smells funny. Like animals and beer. I probably don't need to inform you all that this is because it is a barn during the PNE. Portishead was the second show I've been to at the Forum. I've heard for years that the sound here is awful but I've honestly never noticed a problem. The sound was 100% perfect in my opinion, and now I am comfortable assuring anyone that there is no problem with the sound here. I thought it was kind of odd that there were 2 washrooms for ladies and the men had to use porta-potties, but I was also happy because it made our line move faster, and we all know how scary the women's washroom lineups can be at concerts. The beer garden seemed like a confusing mess from the outside because we couldn't see a lineup, just a ton of people standing around in the gated area because it was an all ages show. (boo all ages shows) I'd come back for a show at the Forum anytime! read more

Kind of a strange venue! Saw Portishead here tonight. I have heard for a long time that the acoustics are terrible in the Forum. However, I thought they sounded pretty good. It wasn't as echo-y as I had heard, nor was it harsh. It looks like a big barn on the inside and isn't exactly modern, the yshould really replace the limited seating that it has. Hard wooden benches aren't very good. 'Concession stand' is a misnomer, they had hot dogs, chips some things like M&Ms, and water/pop. Thats it, for 2 or 3 thousand people! Giant meh. Wouldn't go back here unless a band that I just HAD to see was playing here only. read more

I was here recently to watch Roller Derby (which was a blast, by the way). I thought it was great for this sort of event, but couldn't imagine seeing a concert in a location like this (as a previous reviewer mentioned, it does look a bit like a high school gym). Bench/bleacher style seating (not very comfortable). read more

Now called the Garden Auditorium - It's a good location for small exhibits or shows. The Magical History Tour: A Beatles Memorabilia Exhibition is currently showing. While the collection is rather small, it packs a big punch for fans. The building is self is an older one with seating just like any stadium and a centre stage. the ventilation is bad and the dark musty feeling inside might creep you out. read more

I was here in 2007 for the closing date of the Arctic Monkeys tour. The venue needs a lot of work on the interior. It looks like a giant high school gym. The sound system suffered because the venue clearly was not built for concerts. There was also a brand new sign that the employees placed on the center of the floor. Apparently, a kid had died about a week before from being crushed. I think they said it was a Smashing Pumpkins reunion show but I can't really remember. One thing I did like was the walk back to the car. There was a cool little walk way with lit up trees. But, that didn't help the concert experience at all. I am not from Vancouver but is there not a more suitable venue available for bands? read more

Nice, big venue with lots of parking around. I think the art deco style is pretty cool too!

Just like the year before I bought a PNE pass for $40. I saw pretty much a concert each week = $3 per show compared to $16 each (regular entrance). Hypothetically speaking even if I did pay $16 each time to enter the PNE it still would've been a cheaper show than a casino or theater. The season pass also allowed me to divide my calories in effort to try some epic foods. The line-up for the shows this year weren't stellar, however, there was enough to get me to come back most nights to check out some bands out of curiosity. It was nice to go to a show and not have to smell pot smoke but rather the smoke from the hot dog stand being carried by the wind. Sadly the numbers for most shows were embarrassingly thin. The cool thing about the shows starting early is that you got to watch the sunset behind the stage turn the clouds into pink balls of cotton candy in the sky. This year it was sunny most days but not blazing. Even the few days that it did rain was tolerable. I tried my best to ignore the eliminations and substitutions compared to previous years and just went with it the best I could. Of course the veteran carnival goer couldn't help but notice some of the recognizable changes. One of my favorite sights of the PNE was watching the stressed out parents with two or more kids in tow carrying half deflated bags of cotton candy. The cotton candy always looks as though it's suffocating in the large bags from the children's tight grip. One of the disappointments of the PNE this year was the Market Place. To be honest I knew that this was slowly declining as the years passed, however, was shocked at how drastically this had gone downhill this year. The once addicting part of the PNE that made you buy crap that you didn't need or would ever use (but got 'cause of that awesome sales pitch)...was over. This year it looked like the poor replica of the Night Market. Of course I came in to see the Watkin's booth to expand my extract library but other than that it was a disappointment. What would've taken me an hour to do in previous years took me 20 minutes with a quick walk by at each booth. It's the one time of the year where my body is on a food vacation and calories don't count. Expect everything to be fried which is understandable considering that they are catering to a demand. Frying allows them to cook items faster thus turning a profit in a more productive way. Everything fried can be baked but what's the point? An Oreo is special on it's own. Dipped in batter and then fried tastes like heaven. Good luck trying to find a pic nic bench seat not absorbed by oil and sauces. My advice is to leave the fancy clothes at home or sit on a bag while eating. There is a spot behind the Juice In A Fruit stand that has pic nic benches that are stained/finished = less sauce absorption when sitting. Note for next year is that 95% of the food stalls are cash only and there is only 1 ATM on the grounds. Full disclaimer that I actually knew what the prize home was going to look like since I saw this being built during the 5 weeks U2 were here rehearsing (listening in on set list). It's a 1 floor that has a modern clean feel. Unlike the styles of other homes in the past this isn't going to age well. Craft Beer Festival was a big disappointment. The festival itself is only less than a block long in width. So what does $10 actually buy you? A 4Oz cup that is cool and a neat souvenir if the festival itself was worth remembering. The participating breweries were all the breweries that I have seen everywhere else at Farmer's Markets and other fests/stores. No real curveball booths. I didn't want to pay $42 each time on a ride pass, especially since I was only able to get 3 - 4 rides in after 6 pm (came to the PNE most days after work), therefore, I would just pay for someone's used ride wrist band for $10 on selected days to save $$. I did, however, make up for the cost in food that the PNE lost for not purchasing a ride pass every day of the festival. They recycled the wrist band colors every 3 days, therefore, on some days I rode for free (on an old wrist band). Both my best friend and I vomited at some point, his was more epic in the projectile department where as I won in the substance category. I did post my vomit pictures on my Facebook. There is sense of irony that always intrigues and humours me which is that before I get my meal I always have to meet my meat. Of course they're cute but I still want to eat their family. I am sure PETA fanatics are loving this (see separate PETA review). I love meeting the animals. Such beautiful creatures. I love the cows. I have one way conversations with the black sheep cause at least he understands where I am coming from. Most were reluctant to get their pictures taken while others were trained in the game. Best to go near the end of the evening when they're drowsy and docile. read more