Danforth Music Hall gets more concert-friendly

The Danforth Music Hall is set to be revamped by owner/operator Impresario Inc. They've switched up the seating to make the Hall easily convertible from general admission (holding about 1400 people) to soft seating (a little over 1100). Could this be a sign of better things to come for the near century-old venue?

The Music Hall has seen it's fair share of trouble. In 2004 it closed down for over a year and a half, left to deteriorate almost beyond repair. It was bought up by new owners and, after massive renovations, stayed open until 2010 when it was once again shuttered on account of back rent. It then reopened this past December under new ownership, though the bookings weren't exactly as robust as the operators must have hoped for. With this new renovation, the historic theatre seems set to continue its comeback.

More renovations are rumoured to be in the works, and it should be exciting to see what comes of the changes. Bottom line: the new seating options mean much more live music is in store for this beautiful building. And yet, given their convertibility, there should still be plenty of opportunity to host events better suited to a theatre-like setting. Upcoming events include Swedish sister-act First Aid Kit, DJ Shadow and his instrumental hip hop, and a lecture by author, inventor, mad genius Ray Kurzwell on October 18th. Visit their site for more listings.

Correction notice: An earlier version of this article misstated the general admission capacity of the venue and attributed the renovation effort to Embrace Presents. This information has been updated.

Photo courtesy of Impresario Inc.