Historic live music venue is closing after 25 years in Toronto

Even before the pandemic, live music venues in Toronto were closing, so it's especially sad to see one that's been around for a quarter-century shutting down now.

The Orbit Room announced on social media on July 16 that they would not be reopening in their Little Italy space. The space could be spotted by its mosaic signage that made up part of the eccentric patchwork of College Street.

View this post on Instagram

Dear fans of the Orbit Room and live music, it has been 4 months since all live music shows and venues were closed due to the pandemic. It pains me to have to announce that the club at 580a College St will remain closed. This doesn't mean that we are out of the live music business, it just means that our shows will no longer be at that address. For 22 of the last 25 years, we have had a band play every night of the week. Like everyone else, we will have to wait and see how the business reopens and what it will look like before we can make any plans for the future. Apparently, the people that make those decisions have no idea what sort of timeline we are looking at. I want to thank everyone who ever came to the club to see the best musicians in the country. I want to thank the hundreds of musicians who graced our tiny stage and gave the club the reputation of offering the best live music experience in the city. You lot really were the Orbit Room. I want to thank Tim Wilson and all the people who worked behind that bar. I'll make announcements about future shows so please stay tuned. Thanks and stay safe, Tim Notter

A post shared by The Orbit Room (@orbitroomto) on Jul 16, 2020 at 1:03pm PDT

"It has been 4 months since all live music shows and venues were closed due to the pandemic," reads the announcement. "It pains me to have to announce that the club at 580a College St will remain closed. This doesn't mean that we are out of the live music business, it just means that our shows will no longer be at that address."

Hundreds of comments on the announcement post express the heartbreak and sadness the Toronto music community is feeling at this "awful news," as one person put it.

Written by Tim Notter, the announcement goes on to describe how the Orbit Room had hosted nightly shows such as the LMT Connection for over 20 years and thank the fans, musicians and staff that all made the place what it was.

He also says he'll be making announcements about future shows in what could be a new space, so stay tuned.

by Amy Carlberg via blogTO