A return to rock ’n’ roll for El Mocambo


VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR
Sam Grosso is one of the new co-owners of the El Mocambo, Toronto's legendary rock venue.


KEN REGAN/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO
The Rolling Stones perform at the El Mocambo on March 4, 1977.



Chantaie Allick
Staff Reporter

The El Mocambo, the storied music venue that has hosted rock legends the Rolling Stones, U2 and Billy Idol, is headed back to its rock ’n’ roll roots.

After seven months of negotiations, Sam Grosso, owner of the Cadillac Lounge, and his business partner Marco Petrucci, owner of 99 Sudbury, have bought the popular venue from its latest owner, Abbas Jahangiri.

The Toronto music landmark has had a long history of hosting the best in rock music and for sales, closures, reopenings and reinventions. It’s come a long way from its ’60s and ’70s peak.

“It’s a historical music venue that needs some TLC. Let’s get it resurrected,” said Grosso.

Jahangiri bought the bar in 2001 and opened a dance studio on the second floor, but closed it for renovations the following year. The outcry against the closure and renovations was virulent, with online petitions making the rounds among the inboxes of Toronto’s music insiders.

After remortgaging the building and selling his home, Jahangiri reopened the El Mocambo the next year. He has been hosting a mix of live music, from salsa and pop to rock and hip hop groups. The new owners say they hope to bring in more rock ’n’ roll acts.

“With a sad heart, it is time to close yet another chapter of my life. Today was the last day of my ownership of the El Mocambo,” Jahangiri said in an email to friends Monday.

“I love this venue; I put my life in it,” Jahangiri told the Star. But he had to sell it to support his work as a missionary.

Opened in 1848, the El Mo, as it’s known to fans, has changed hands at least eight times since then.

Grosso and Petrucci have big plans for the space, including resurrecting the iconic neon sign, at an estimated cost of about $20,000.

They, too, will be renovating, starting with minor changes on the main floor. They want to bring it back to the glory days of the ’60s and ’70s, cleaning it up and rebuilding the original layout upstairs, with a stage in the centre.

“It’ll look like it looked like when the Stones played there,” said Grosso.

There’s always going to be people who don’t want it to change, said Grosso, but it has to be cleaned up, he said. “If you go on a date there with your lady, you want to make sure she’s comfortable in the bathroom.”

“Every time someone comes to the El Mocambo in the next year, they’re going to notice something different. We’re going to bring Cadillac style to the El Mocambo.”

They hope to be open seven days a week and during the day. The plan is to appeal to a wide range of concert-goers. They want to cater to a young crowd, but also bring back the people who hung out at the El Mo in its glory days, patrons in their fifties who’ll come in for an early show in the evening.

Grosso’s plans also include a patio licence and creating a rooftop patio that can be rented out for events.

The bar will be open for business as usual this Thursday, but with new priorities. Fifteen years ago the Rolling Stones wanted to play at the El Mo and the owners at the time declined the offer, stating they only booked indie bands, said Grosso.

“If the Stones want to play the El Mocambo (now) they’re more than welcome to come,” he announced.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1230781--a-return-to-rock-n-roll-for-el-...

Keith's playing my, er, his 72 Tele Custom!

Every so often I drive by the El Mo and am blown away by its rich history.

Thanks for sharing!

I pass by the Elmo when I go to Steve's Music Store, I can remember a contest on the CHUM radio about winning tickets but the Stones name wasn't used, I can't remember what the contest was about, in those days I was drinking a 40 ouncer a day or 24 Beer, I wasn't to much on the scene then about what was happening, I heard it after the fact, but I remember Keith's bust & how serious it was at the time, he was looking at 20 years Prison time.

MrPleasant wrote on Jul 24^th, 2012 at 12:22pm:


He probably left before the show was over.  

You're right Mick's hair is the very same, and Mick used to change clothes at least from show to show, Keith didn't give a fuck about it; so could be Mocambo, I have seen picture just from one of the shows... So which is from the show on March 4, 1977 and which from the next day?

Someone???

Voodoo Chile in Wonderland wrote on Jul 24^th, 2012 at 7:38pm:


Wish I could help...was outside trying to buy my way in.....if you werent on the RCMP police list you were not allowed in regardless of price offered....advantages of inviting the PM's wife I suppose.