色色啦

The club, with a capacity of 600, is where such international bands as Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana made their 色色啦 debuts. It鈥檚 also where dozens of Canadian artists, including the Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace and the Barenaked Ladies, built their audiences before moving up to bigger venues. If that鈥檚 not enough of a legacy, the space has been featured in major movies: the Tom Cruise film 鈥淐ocktail鈥� shot a scene in the upstairs Dance Cave, and 鈥淪cott Pilgrim vs. the World鈥� recreated the interior on a sound stage.

Those who dismiss the place as a dump miss the point. 鈥淭he room has a darkness that starts with the paint job, but the music esthetic leans toward a rough sound,鈥� says veteran 色色啦 music promoter Derek Andrews.

But, really, Lee鈥檚 is not concerned with esthetics. Rather, its raison d’锚tre is as an incubator and an ecosystem for artists. As Mark DiPietro, who worked at the bar throughout the 1990s and is now head of marketing and a partner at Lee鈥檚 Palace and Modo Live聽鈥� one of the country鈥檚 largest concert promoters聽鈥斅爏ays, 鈥淲ithout Lee鈥檚 I wouldn鈥檛 have a career in music.鈥�

Modo Live acquired the venue in December 2023 from Jeff Cohen (majority owner of the Horseshoe Tavern, who bought Lee鈥檚 in 2001 after Lee died). Keanu Reeves鈥檚 band Dogstar headlined the first show. Throughout 2025, the venue鈥檚 40th anniversary is being celebrated with a series of concerts sponsored by Billboard Canada, including Canadian bands like Death From Above 1979 and the Rural Alberta Advantage, along with international acts like Russia’s Pussy Riot and Australian punk band the Chats. More anniversary shows are on tap with P鈥檛it Belliveau (Sept. 27), Hayden (Oct. 5), Moneen (Oct. 29) and the Dears (Nov. 28).聽

鈥淟ee鈥檚 40th is a celebration of the past and the history of Lee鈥檚, but for us, this moment is just as much about the future,鈥� says Travis Newman, president and CEO of Modo Live and a partner at Lee鈥檚 Palace. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our job to make sure that the next 40 years are even better than the last. People often look back at the big acts that have played Lee鈥檚 and say, 鈥業 wish I could have been there for Nirvana, Oasis, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers.’ I want to tell them that you can be there today for the acts that will be legendary 20 years from now.鈥�

To mark the venue鈥檚 milestone, the Star asked artists, promoters and other industry folks to share their favourite memories of Lee鈥檚.

Elliott Lefko

Vice-president, Goldenvoice Concerts; promoted many shows at Lee鈥檚 Palace early in his career, including Nirvana on April 16, 1990

As a promoter, one always worries about how many people will come to your shows and whether that will be enough to break even, or God forbid, make a profit. But what if no one shows up? Here is a story about that scary night.

The show was at Lee鈥檚 Palace, probably in the early 鈥�90s, and the band was called Allgood, and they were from Georgia. They were a jam band in the style of Dave Matthews Band or Phish. They were popular in those circles, so I took a chance.

The night of the show I had sold no advance tickets. By 7 p.m., as I sat at the door, I wondered if it was going to be a dreaded shutout where no one would show. I called my friend (radio personality) Dave Bookman to come by Lee鈥檚 because I was feeling bad and needed company. We sat there making funereal jokes at the situation. Finally, around 9 p.m., four people came in off the street and bought tickets. We headed to the bar for drinks, and the band took the stage. Disaster averted. We had a show!

Kurt Swinghammer

色色啦 singer-songwriter and visual artist

In the late 1980s, Mr. Lee hired some artists to copy a 鈥淨ueen West鈥� vibe and spruce up the joint. Runt (Alex Currie) created the brilliant exterior wall, and Fiona Smyth and I painted the Dance Cave upstairs. In 鈥淐ocktail鈥� there鈥檚 a shot with Tom Cruise mixing drinks and my mural in the background, so I poetically brag I鈥檓 in a scene with him. I also designed the Lee鈥檚 logo for the stage wall, which ended up in the snaps of a lot of cool bands that played there, so I rightfully quip that I鈥檝e been on stage with Nirvana.

Stephen Stanley

Founding (and former) guitarist of 色色啦 alt-rockers Lowest of the Low, who play Lee’s on Dec. 5

In 1993, Lowest of the Low was pretty much at the top of its game. We had two nights booked at Lee鈥檚 Palace and we were to be joined for both nights by an Australian band we revered called Weddings Parties Anything. The first night coincided with my 30th birthday, and my bandmates got it in their heads this was going to be a precarious night and I was likely heading for an onstage meltdown. I remember thinking, 鈥淥h, should I be freaked out about this?鈥� I wasn鈥檛, and the shows were brilliant. We played a Weddings song in our set, and they did one of ours in their set. Lee鈥檚 was a giant ball of seething energy as it often was in those days and was my second home.

Steve Kane

Former president of Warner Music Canada

First memory: Ryan Adams, when Elton John came out and did a few songs. We had presented Elton with an award after his show at the Air Canada Centre (now Scotiabank Arena) the previous night. As we were chatting, I mentioned that Ryan was playing at Lee鈥檚 the following night. Elton turned to his minder and said, 鈥淪ort it!鈥�

The next night, I鈥檓 standing at the back of Lee鈥檚 when I hear a commotion. I turn to see a group coming in, surrounding a short fellow who waddled like a penguin. Elton was in the building.

Another night, I sat next to Bob Dylan when he wandered in unannounced to a UIC show.

One other story involves the Counting Crows and Cracker. The Counting Crows were just starting to break big with their first single, 鈥淢r. Jones.鈥� Lee鈥檚 was sold out weeks in advance. About three hours before showtime, Crows lead singer Adam Duritz took ill. I was working at Virgin Records and Cracker had just released 鈥淜erosene Hat.鈥� The promoter wanted to cancel the show, but we convinced them to go ahead. (Radio station) CFNY were great partners at the time and really went hard on convincing people to come to the show anyway. The band absolutely killed and played like their lives depended on it. I don鈥檛 think anyone missed the Counting Crows. It really established the band in the city, and 色色啦 remains one of their strongest live markets, which I saw when Cracker played Lee鈥檚 about a month ago.

Shannon Whibbs

Music writer

In the mid 1990s, Lee鈥檚 Palace put on quite a few all-ages shows, which was amazing for me because I was cool enough to want to go to see bands in clubs, but not cool enough to know how to get a good fake ID.

They鈥檇 start around 4 p.m. and let out around 7. I鈥檇 be inside the dark club yelling and moshing and then outside blinking in the sunshine and heading home in time for dinner. The first time I saw Hayden was at a show like that probably around 1995. He opened for the Killjoys and Grasshopper, but I can鈥檛 remember who headlined. The bands would do it all again for the drinking crowd later that same night. Soul Asylum also did one of those all-ages shows. Those are formative memories for me. I turned 19 in 1996 and never looked back, but I was grateful for the bands who鈥檇 pull double duty for the kids.

Howard Druckman

Editor-in-chief, SOCAN; longtime Polaris Prize jury member

Red Hot Chili Peppers wearing nothing but socks on their c—ks for their encore. Ryan Adams singing 鈥淩ocket Man鈥� with Elton John. Lucinda Williams playing her first 色色啦 show. Sin茅ad O鈥機onnor holding an afternoon press conference and deftly, but politely, putting a 鈥渞eporter鈥� in his place for stupidly calling her 鈥渟nippy.鈥� First hearing Rusty play 鈥淕et Out of My Way鈥澛犫�� what a perfect rock 鈥檔鈥� roll song聽鈥� live. The Nerve magazine show in the late 鈥�80s, with my beloved Deja Voodoo tearing it up. And finally, up till 4 a.m. with the late, great James Gray leading a final after-hours jam-session night of NXNE.