A last-minute change saw the Algonquin Commons Theatre advertising, via tweets, that the Alvvays concert would not be happening in that venue, as originally stated.
The account first tweeted out the information of a venue change on Oct. 13, two days before the show. The concert was instead moved into The Observatory, maintaining its Oct. 15 date and 8 p.m. start time.
Ken MacLeod, manager of theatre operations and hospitality services, explained that this was due to the show’s promoter, Live Nation, allowing Alvvays to play Beau’s Oktoberfest the first weekend of October. He explained that they knew this would affect the show’s ticket sales.
However, MacLeod said that it still took time to make the final arrangements before the news could be tweeted out regarding the change of venue.
“There was a lot of back and forth, a lot of people involved,” said MacLeod.
He also said that the benefits to having both venues on site is the option to move events if the attendance will allow for it. Since the show had under 300 tickets sold, topping off around 280 guests, the concert made more sense to be hosted in the Observatory.
“At the end of the day, it made for a better show overall,” said MacLeod.
Despite the change of venue, Alvvays had the crowd loving them. Students bobbed their heads and danced to the band’s upbeat, indie rock rhythms.
And the band was not disappointed by the size of the crowd, expressing their appreciation multiple times throughout their show.
“Thanks for giving us a nice night,” said Molly Rankin, lead singer of Alvvays, to the audience.
She also thanked the crowd for being supportive and respectful, despite the bar setting.
“You’re not raging drunk either,” said Rankin, laughing.
Taylor Knox, a Toronto-based musician, opened the show to an audience of just under 100. The crowd more than doubled by the time Alvvays took the stage.