L'Équipe Spectra partners with Telus to revamp Metropolis
Telus has committed to an investment of more than $5 million over the next 10 years.
Bill Brownstein, Montreal Gazette
Say hey to M Telus. That's what the popular concert venue Metropolis will become known as in May.
L'Équipe Spectra, which has operated Metropolis since 1997, had been looking for a partner with deep pockets to help refurbish the building, and announced Thursday that it has found one in the Canadian telecommunications giant Telus. Hence the name change.
Telus has committed to an investment of more than $5 million over the next 10 years to modernize the venue. Work is to begin in the next few weeks, and much of it will be completed by the spring. All work is expected to be finished in three years. Meanwhile, it will be business as usual at the club.
The Ste-Catherine St. E. location, a stone's throw from the Main, has lived many lives since its beginnings in 1884. It has been a skating rink, a playhouse, a mainstream movie theatre, an X-rated film house, a disco and, for close to 20 years, a venue dedicated to live shows.
After 132 years, the site is feeling its age and is in need of a facelift. There's no problem with the solid sightlines inside the 2,300-capacity club, but the interior could still use a serious spruce-up.
L'Équipe Spectra president and director general Jacques-André Dupont announced seven weeks ago the search was on for a partner to help modernize the venue. He was thrilled to report Thursday the mission was accomplished in getting Telus to come on board.
"Surveys have shown that it's the favourite concert venue of Montrealers," Dupont said. "Pollstar has rated it the No. 1 venue in its category in Canada and 13th on the list of the 200 best concert clubs in the world.
"Our goal is to heighten the concert experience both for fans and technicians working there, to ensure that it continues to enjoy that same popularity in the years to come."
François Gratton of Telus, left, and L'Équipe Spectra's Jacques-André Dupont announce a partnership at Metropolis on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. Telus will invest more than $5 million in the venue, which will be renamed M Telus. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
François Gratton, Telus executive vice-president and Telus Québec president, said the partnership is a perfect fit. "There is a strong cultural momentum sweeping Montreal, and we wanted to be part of this and to invest in this cultural project as the city is set to celebrate its 375th anniversary.
"Music is so important to our culture," he added, noting that Telus has been supporting Quebec artists for the last 15 years by including them in the company's advertising campaigns. "Music unites us and reunites us. And Montreal is such a major player on the international music scene."
Among the changes will be a modernization of the lighting and sound systems, as well as a refurbishing of the lobby, loges and Ste-Catherine St. façade.
A who's who of rock and pop luminaries have performed at Metropolis: Prince, David Bowie, Radiohead, Beck, Green Day, the White Stripes, Björk, Ben Harper, Patrick Watson, Coldplay, Pixies, Les Cowboys Fringants, Pet Shop Boys, Arcade Fire, Marilyn Manson, Jean Leloup (who holds the record for the most concerts at the venue) — the list goes on.
It has also played host to some memorable Just for Laughs shows by Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Patton Oswalt and Amy Schumer, and has become the home for Mike Ward's Nasty Show series.
The founder/operator of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, FrancoFolies and Montréal en lumière, L'Équipe Spectra was bought three years ago by Groupe CH, which also owns the Montreal Canadiens.
Metropolis needs a facelift, Spectra says
Metropolis's Ste-Catherine St. E. façade will be upgraded as part of a three-year modernization plan. Pierre Obendrauf / Montreal Gazette
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