The El Mocambo, Toronto live recordings and venue details
Still operating as a club today, with its distinctive palm tree sign, the El Mocambo was one of the first cocktail bars in Toronto after the passage of the Liquor Licence Act of 1946. It is most famous, though, for the 1977 Rolling Stones surprise show, complete with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's wife, Margaret Trudeau.
Historic timeline
- The building along the west side of Spadina was built in the 1880s with the whole block full of dry goods and shoe stores originally.
- March 23rd, 1948 - El Mocambo opens as an 'ultra-modern' tavern serving lunch, dinner, after-theatre snacks, as well as a cocktail lounge.
- The music initially included a wide range of acts and genres popular in the 1950's and 1960's.
- In 1972 the new owners redecorated and focused on rock, with some jazz, soul, reggae, even bluegrass and country acts.
- The opening act of the updated El Mocambo in 1972 was the band A Foot in Cold Water from Toronto.
- The most famous concert at the Elmo was on March 4th, 1977 when the Rolling Stones played a suprise gig there, four songs from that night their live album 'Love You Live'
Additional websites
- Wikipedia page for the El Mocambo
- Corporate webpage for the El Mocambo
- Historic photos of the El Mocambo
- History of the El Mocambo (from Toronto Journey 416)
The El Mocambo location
Located in Chinatown (Spadina Avenue) neighborhood at:
464 Spadina Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 2G8
CA
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 2G8
CA
GPS: 43.657730788387006, -79.39988936686652
Concerts at The El Mocambo
Concerts by date
- 1977 - Dance Little Sister - Rolling Stones 1977 El Mocambo Gigs - What It Looked Like
- 1978 - Devo - Live at The El Mocambo - October 25, 1978
- 1980 - Lene Lovich Concert - The El Mocambo, Toronto - 1980
- 1982 - Rheostatics live at the The El Mocambo Toronto Spring 1982
- 1985 - Plasterscene Replicas, live at The El Mocambo, November 7 1985
- 1990 - The Dead Milkmen El Mocambo Toronto Nov 9 1990
- 1991 - Steve Wynn Live at El Mocambo on 1991-04-29
- 1991 - Throwing Muses Live at El Mocambo on 1991-05-01
- 2003 - Howie Day Live at El Mocambo on 2003-10-07
- 2007 - Rocky Votolato Live at El Mocambo on 2007-09-29
- 2007 - Matt Nathanson Live at El Mocambo on 2007-10-08
- 2009 - So Many Dynamos Live at El Mocambo on 2009-06-07
- 2022 - ABC Live at El Mocambo, Toronto, 4th July 2022
- 2024 - The Brghtlights: Live at the El Mocambo - 04/27/24
Concerts by artist
- ABC on Monday July 4th 2022
- The Brghtlights on Saturday April 27th 2024
- The Dead Milkmen on Friday November 9th 1990
- Devo on Wednesday October 25th 1978
- Howie Day on Tuesday October 7th 2003
- Lene Lovich on Friday February 29th 1980
- Matt Nathanson on Monday October 8th 2007
- Plasterscene Replicas, on Thursday November 7th 1985
- Rheostatics on Monday November 30th 1981
- Rocky Votolato on Saturday September 29th 2007
- The Rolling Stones on Friday March 4th 1977
- So Many Dynamos on Sunday June 7th 2009
- Steve Wynn on Monday April 29th 1991
- Throwing Muses on Wednesday May 1st 1991
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(Follow these links to the full list of venues and concerts by band name or concerts by year. We also have more details on some artists, here. Live music vault website design and original text copyright 2026 Wholemap. Videos and recordings and the details provided, are owned by the respective copyright holders.)