MODO

May 9, 2023

Modo Entertainment hopes The Pearl will add some shine to Vancouver's Granville Strip Back to video As early as January of this year, a staff report went to Vancouver City Council noting challenges facing downtown Granville Street and how to improve the area to make it welcoming, both for daytime and nighttime activity. Obviously, one way to improve the negative perception of the area is to see plywood come down and marquees light up again. Sunrise presented by Vancouver Sun Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday. Email Address Sign Up By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise presented by Vancouver Sun will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Article content The opening of The Pearl this weekend will hopefully shine some light on the beleaguered 800-block. Previously operating as Venue, the location at 881 Granville went up for sale in 2021. In business since 2009, the 8,000-sq.-ft.  space had a 365-person capacity and filled a much-needed mid-size venue niche for live music in the city. Now, Toronto-based Modo Live is making the room its first brick-and-mortar location. Company president, Justin Kwan, is pumped about the potential for the place to establish itself as a go-to for concerts from artists who may not have had anywhere to perform the past few years. Article content Article content “Modo came into being at the tale end of the pandemic when a bunch of people who had industry experience wanted an all-purpose, inclusive events company doing national touring in a way that other major players had been doing it,” said Kwan. “We want to provide a touring platform for artists that maybe don’t do arenas, but wanted a one-stop shop for national and international operation. Since founding, we’ve expanded into the U.S. and Europe.” Working with artists such as Vancouver K-Pop sensation Junny and the burgeoning African hip-hop of artists such as Nigerian rap duo Show Dem Camp are just a few examples of the artists Modo Live is booking. Show Dem Camp brings its Palmwine Music Vol. 3 tour to open The Pearl on May 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketweb.ca . Advertisement 4 Play Video “We’ve been doing shows all over Vancouver, which has been very key to our expansion. So it made sense to lay our hat down and acquire a room,” said Kwan. “It’s our first venue, and I like to think that it opening will be good for the general public who want to go out to shows and want to foster communities of indie art and niche genres in places that might be more slanted to only larger market performances. A healthy entertainment scene needs a good mix of all levels to be sustainable and vital, which we believe Vancouver very much is.” Modo Live also wants to “pay homage” to the sense of discovery that befits the history along the Granville Strip. This doesn’t come without some bumps. “We’re cognizant of the stigma that Granville has at the moment. And we will do our part to change that,” he said. “I think the expanding demand that people have for live music has changed a lot with the advent of streaming, to the point where there isn’t any strict genre following among a certain demographic. From artists singing in Korean and Spanish selling out venues across Canada to other positive changes, the industry is not what it was in the past.” Advertisement 5