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| - I am quite flabbergasted at the fact I have never gotten around to reviewing this famous Toronto hall, especially when taking into consideration I have been attending concerts regularly since I was old enough to afford tickets on my own, since roughly... 1998?!?!?
Wow. I am getting old.
Alright, back in the day, I began by purchasing season tickets for the TSO, which is to say you would buy a package and then you would pick your own concerts a la carte. As far as that is concerned, nothing has changed, except for the price.
I digress, back to the venue. First and foremost, I must admit, I am not a huge fan of 1970's Brutalism, which this entire building seems to be an embodiment of. Seriously, could they have not picked ANY other architectural style? Guess not, since they broke ground on this thing in '78 and that is what all the cool architects were into back then.
I get the arts are short on cash but it would really add a lot to the experience if they added a few more decor touches throughout. Also, I remember the venue before the renovations which DID improve the acoustics back in 2002, adding a bunch of wood paneling in order to make sound resonate better. That was a great thing.
The actual inside of the hall aside, the circular design is fairly different however overall if a little pedestrian during intermissions although the VIP lounge, although small, adds a badly needed sense of personality. The store in the premises is almost like it was and is an afterthought which, now that I think about it, I have blocked out of mind. I am not even sure if it is there anymore. Wow.
All in all, I RATHER much have RTH than not have the venue at all. So I take the good with the MEH bad anyway.
I am a happy customer, even with the brutalist design. Whether I like it or not, it gives it character.
You should drop by for a concert or two.
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