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Hold the alcohol, bring on opera — three local music clubs reveal what worked for them in 2024

December 19, 2024

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Three of Ottawa’s most popular music venues have noticed some interesting trends in what has been a busy 2024. Stacie Sivyer, who runs The Rainbow Bistro, said business this year has been “smooth sailing,” citing great concerts and sold-out shows. However, Sivyer said she has had to shift the types of drinks she serves to help keep sales up. “People aren’t drinking as much as they used to, particularly since before COVID. We have diversified our selection of non-alcoholic beers and mocktails to also accommodate people who aren’t drinking,” she said. Geoff Cass, owner of Red Bird, said everything has gone well this year, from the concerts to community programming and the club’s music school. He said more than 95 per cent of concerts at his venue were sold out. “We’re not big, we have 80 seats, but when we put on a show, the communities respond really well,” he said. But despite selling out many shows, Cass said Red Bird has had to raise ticket prices. “We aren’t trying to push alcohol sales, because it’s not the kind of atmosphere we want. The disadvantage when bar sales aren’t awesome is we’ve had to adjust our ticket prices to accommodate. We’ve also changed up our menu so we have more bar snacks and non-alcoholic options,” Cass said. Jon Evenchick, owner of Live! On Elgin, said 2024 has been one of the fullest calendars to date, but he’s noticed that sales are down after the initial post-pandemic excitement around going out. “I think people are starting to feel more of the economic crunch, not going out as often, not spending as much when they’re out on weeknights. The calendar is still full, and we’re grateful for that, but we could definitely use some more seats filled in the room,” Evenchick said.

Opera, indie and folk, oh my!

Sivyer said that, while The Rainbow Bistro shows up as a jazz and blues bar on Google, it’s acts in other genres that pull the biggest crowds. “Indie rock is probably our No. 1, it’s definitely what Ottawa likes. One of our most successful nights we’ve consistently had in 2024 was actually our opera night, the Operatic Revelry. They’re professional opera singers who are just in on a night off, maybe working on songs that they’ve not actually performed yet. It’s pretty neat,” Sivyer said. Meanwhile, Cass said Red Bird hasn’t had much luck with jazz, but that its bread-and-butter lies in folk, bluegrass and Americana music. “We’ve had some wonderful (jazz) performers come through, but maybe it’s that our reach isn’t into that community. Yet we do really well with folk and a lot of music from the east coast,” Cass said.

Venue operators excited to see what nightlife council will do

Earlier this year, Mathieu Grondin was appointed Ottawa’s first nightlife commissioner, choosing 12 members of the public to sit on his nightlife council in an effort to revitalize the city’s nighttime culture and economy. While it remains to be seen what Grondin and his council will do when they begin in the new year, the venue operators hope he will be able to make experiences easier for Ottawans after dark. “I think the biggest thing the city could be doing to help facilitate a nightlife scene is to have better and more reliable transit in the evening and until midnight,” Sivyer said. “If the City of Ottawa figured out reliable buses to get people home at the end of shows so people aren’t worried about drinking and driving. They’re not worried about being stranded or stuck waiting on Rideau Street for a bus that’s not coming.” Evenchick said he would love to see things get easier for hosting events into the wee hours of the morning. “It depends how much red tape they’re able to clear in terms of creating after-hours events. That’s Ottawa’s biggest challenge, not being able to host things after 2 a.m. without jumping through a lot of hoops,” he said. Cass said he isn’t sure what kind of impact the nightlife council will have on his business but he’s excited to find out. “I get the impression the new nightlife commissioner is quite focused on the (ByWard) Market, which I think is great because it needs it, but we meet that boring Ottawa stereotype where we start early and finish early. It’s quite calm and collected, there’s not a lot of alcohol being served,” he said.

Another great year ahead for music in Ottawa

Turning to what can be expected in 2025, Cass said music lovers can look forward to more community programming and, hopefully, three outdoor concerts in the summer. “I’ve been really surprised and pleased with how responsive people have been by going to concerts. It just seems there’s a really strong music community in Ottawa,” Cass said. Evenchick said Live! On Elgin has a “pretty full calendar” until next summer, filled with events like Mod Night, a 1960s rock and soul dance party, and Distortion, a ‘90s and 2000s grunge rock variety night, as well as returning concerts by Bruce Springsteen cover band Duke Street Kings, and alternative band Look Upon The Heart. “We’re still doing lots of shows with various promoters around town, but the biggest thing is just having a full calendar so you can show up on any night and expect to see something good,” he said. Sivyer said there are a few release parties, fundraisers, LGBTQ events, and events with student associations from Carleton University on the docket for the new year, with the schedule “booked right until mid-June.” “We are thankful for the community, the local music scene, and the support of organizations like OMIC (Ottawa Music Industry Coalition) and the Canadian Live Music Association. Since COVID, they have really realized the importance of small and medium-sized venues to the music scene and they have helped us become part of the conversation.”