Massey Hall — Attraction in Toronto

Smashing IT! 🎶🎙️🎶

Massey Hall is Toronto's Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Massey Hall this splendid building, is more than just 4 walls and a roof, it's a place that we Canadian's hold dear to our heart as it has been centre stage for our very own most talented performers.

It's also been center stage for many world wide performers throughout the years.

This renowned concert hall was built in 1894 it was gifted to the people of Toronto by industrialist Hart Massey in memory of his son Charles Albert. A musician who passed away.

Massey Hall opened on June 14, 1894, with its first performance featuring Handel's Messiah, which included the Grand Festival Orchestral and it's 500 member chorus.

Massey Hall is well known for its exceptional acoustics, making it a favorite performance spot for many performers. Its intimate seating arrangement is always a very focal point in many all of it's performances so much more special and memorable.

Regarding the seating, the design of Massey Hall means that every seat, any seat, will not disappoint. The circular structure and each floor situated as one level up mean's that viewing of the center stage is perfect.

Now, mind you, it does get loud. So if you're anything like me, you may want to remember to bring ear plugs. Yes, I am that person who complains that the music is too loud when I go to concerts.

But regardless. Massey Hall is a must attend. Everyone should be offered the joy and gift of entering this fabulous and cultural historical site!

For more information about the history of Massey Hall and what concerts/venues are playing, just head on out to their website.

Grab yourself some tickets to watch a concert/show at Massey Hall! You owe it to yourself!

Also, before I leave you, I want to give mention to the great staff that work at Massey Hall from the ushers, to the house managers, box office people, and the security guards. They do such an amazing job at taking care of the patrons. Remember to say thank you to them when you're at...

An excellent venue overall. :) It definitely gives intimate concert vibes.

The sound quality here is excellent, as are the lights (maybe varies by event - but both concerts that we attended this week were top notch). The view from the 200/300s is great unless you're in an obstructed view section. You have to be careful when buying tickets for that reason, and can usually see whether they're obstructed in advance (and usually priced accordingly).

Seats are on the smaller side. If you're one who needs a bit more space for whatever reason or have long legs, you may be uncomfortable. The seats are stacked in a way where you get a good view even if someone is sitting in front of you, but this definitely makes it easier to be kneed/butted in the head when people walk by behind you because the folks behind you don't have a whole lot of leg room either.

Facilities are improved. The new bar/bathroom area through the long hallway is an excellent addition. It's less busy and cleaner than the ground/basement area, and the bar staff are awesome.

Security: Depending on the show, security is either awesome or terrible. Gotta dock one star for that, because it can really give your evening a bad start if security doesn't have their act together.

For example - On Monday, security was friendly and efficient. No issues whatsoever. Meanwhile on Tuesday, it was neither of those things. The entrance lines were confusing and chaotic with the pop-up metal detectors, people were going in all different directions, and instruction wasn't clear on where to go from one security person to the next. This was extra confusing when one guard insisted I go over to a table and empty my tiny little purse so she could inspect it (lol), only to have a second guard cut in and redicule me for emptying it... So, that was fun. 😅

But, all was not lost, and it was still a great show! Just pack your patience with security because as with any venue - some of them...

We returned to Massey Hall for the Jann Arden concert. Jann was fantastic! And the refreshed Massey Hall was spectacular, with one exception …. the acoustics.

Massey Hall is where I heard the TSO before Roy Thomason Hall. Massey Hall was where I heard so many small ensemble groups (Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot) over decades. The acoustics then were perfect.

The new Massey Hall appears to depend upon an array of speakers mounted past the edge of the stage blasting sound into the auditorium to convey the performance to the audience. Rather than take advantage of the natural acoustics they throw speakers at it. This may suit the Scotiabank and Rogers Centres and other auditoriums that lack the natural acoustics of Massey Hall, but not this venue. And it may suit groups who intend to deliver their sound through speaker arrays, in that case their fans will be more than satisfied.

Our experience at Jann Arden’s concert was muddled as we were sitting to the sides and at the front of the stage. The speaker array was so far forward it was past us. For singer / songwriter and other more acoustic and intimate performances they need to take a step back and rely upon the natural acoustics of the hall.

Massey Hall needs to bring back the people who set up the audio from the 70’s and 80’s. The present stadium speaker array and dependence on amplification does this venue a great disservice for acoustic...