Dear Halifax,
I miss you. I knew I would, but I didn’t understand the many different ways. The ocean, of course, and Point Pleasent, and the Public Gardens, not to mention my dear friends. But do you want to know what I miss most? Your music scene. Yes, I miss the ability to walk out my door, and with 20 mins., be watching a live musician. There’s so much music going on, especially this time of year, it’s almost shameful. I wouldn’t begrudge you all that entertainment Halifax, you work too hard to make sure all those talented people want to play your venues. But maybe you could share a few secrets with other cities? Here in Ottawa, downtown kinda just sputters out at night. And there’s no handy-dandy guide to all the happenings about town. This Maritimer feels a little like a fish out of water.
When I next visit you Halifax, I hope we have time to enjoy some great music on the town. I can’t wait.
—Maritimer in the big city.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2009.
Downtown Halifax sputters and dies at night too, with a street or two that are busy, but the rest a wasteland. Well, downtown’s a wasteland during the day too…
Compared to other Canadian cities that I’ve been to, Halifax’s downtown is alive and vibrant during the day and evening (early and late). *Of course, it can always get better. I think we should work to maintain and improve our downtown.
Many downtowns – like Calgary – shut down almost 100% in the evening and weekends.
For a city of its size, on the whole Halifax does have quite a vibrant and active downtown. Comparing it to another city I’ve been to of approximately the same size, Victoria, BC, it is waaaaayyy better than that boring, over-rated craphole. Only homeless, junkies, and prostitutes in their downtown at night.
@qpmzwonxeibcruv (if that is your real name)
Maybe there’s another downtown in Halifax that I’m not familiar with? I think of the strip of Argyle and a couple spots along Barrington full of Axe-coated douchebags with popped collars going to get drunk to the sounds of oontz music? That’s an active downtown scene?
Sure there are a lot of live music events, but most of them involve Joel Plaskett, unless you’re really lucky.
I’m not saying Halifax is perfect, but like I said, for a city of its size, we do have a lot to offer here. It’s not just the immediate downtown either of course – check out Spring Garden Road, Agricola Street around Gus’s, there’s Bearly’s and Henry House on Barrington just south of downtown, parts of Quinpool, which is only getting better in my opinion, and even some parts of Gottingen Street nowadays too. That strip along Argyle is a hell of a lot better than most cities of similar size have. Ever been to downtown Victoria at night, or Saint John, New Brunswick? They fucking suck! Victoria is pretentious and bland while Saint John is just a stinking dump.
Calgary is such a disgrace when it comes to live music. Once a year, the local pop-crap radio station hosts a “talent show” and hands out big bucks to the winner, but in turn scores even bigger bucks from advertising and such. Really, this is the ONLY live music you’ll get from the city of Calgary. Unless you count the shit-sound that comes from any concert at the Saddledome. Anything promoted or hosted in Calgary is purely for the benefit of the promoters/host/bar/club, whatever. It’s reflected in the quality of music you get. Pretty much why I left. Being on EI right now gives me the fabulous opportunity to see live, GOOD music in Halifax every night of the week. So happy to be back home.
i miss halifax so much, for plenty of reasons and i’m supposedly living in the biggest city in canada?
wouldn’t that mean it has everything to offer?
halifax knows where it’s at.
Glad to have inspired a good debate here…but I’m telling ya(s), it’s a hell of a lot easier to find good entertainment in Halifax, when you want to, than in Ottawa. I can’t comment on other cities, cuz I’ve never lived in them, but even people here in O-Town comment that they’ve heard Halifax has a crazy-good music scene.
Sure, it’s not so good for the lovers of the more obscure, but really, you gotta know that if your fave genre of music is obscure, then there’s probably not going to be a lot of shows.
And what’s wrong with Joel Plaskett? One may not like his music, but he works DAMN hard to be successful, and he’s given a major helping hand to many small Maritime groups, that would otherwise not get anywhere.
For the record, I miss the Coast’s entertainment listings too. Ottawa’s XPress needs to get their shit together.