performing arts centre
Performing arts center/centre (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theat ...
in
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. It is located in the central part of the
downtown core
The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...
, on Saint Catherine Street East between Saint-Dominique and De Bullion Streets, in the Quartier des Spectacles. The hall primarily features rock music groups, and is a venue for several festivals, including the
Montreal International Jazz Festival
The Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Every year it features roughly 3,000 ar ...
Metro
Metro may refer to:
Geography
* Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
, the
Complexe Desjardins
Complexe Desjardins is a mixed-use office, hotel, and shopping mall complex located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Quartier des spectacles area of Saint Catherine Street.Saint-Laurent metro station. In 2011, the venue was ranked as the ninth most popular club venue worldwide in ticket sales.
In 2016, naming rights were acquired by
Telus Telus may refer to:
* Telus Corporation, a Canadian publicly traded holding company
** Telus Communications, a telecommunications company
** Telus Digital, a technology company
** Telus Health, a health technology provider
** Telus Mobility
T ...
. The telecommunications company plans to invest $5 million in improvements to the club over the next decade, as part of its corporate rebranding effort.
History
The venue opened in 1884. It was first a skating rink and became a summer theatre the following year under the name "Theatre Français".
Completely damaged by a fire at the end of the 19th century, the building was bought in 1920 by an American company, the Loew's chain (now known as
Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Loews Cineplex Entertainment, also known as Loews Incorporated, was an American theater chain operating in North America.
The company was originally named "Loew's" after its founder Marcus Loew. In 1969, when the Tisch brothers acquired the com ...
), which first turned it into a theatre under the name "The Loew's Court" and then into a movie theatre in 1923. A year later, the name reverted to the "Theatre Français" before the theatre was partially damaged by fire again in 1930.
Purchased by United Amusement, it was fully renovated and decorated by Emmanuel Briffa who was also responsible for the design of the Outremont Theatre. The building became a theater again before housing an adult cinema under the name "Eros" through the 1970s until 1981, when it shut down. Six years later, under the name "Metropolis", it reopened as a dance club.
Following acquisition of the building in 1997 by L'Équipe Spectra, Métropolis became a live performance venue, hosting artists like
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
,
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
,
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...
,
Les Rita Mitsouko
Les Rita Mitsouko (, translation: ''The Rita Mitsukos'') were a French pop rock group formed by Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club in Paris in 1980. They went on to become one of the most a ...
,
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
,
the White Stripes
The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...
,
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
,
Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000 (also known as BV3) is a Canadian alternative rock and hip hop collective from Montreal, Quebec. Founded by James Di Salvio and E.P. Bergen, they collaborated on a number of songs with Stéphane Moraille, Sara Johnston, Steve "Liqu ...
,
Ben Harper
Benjamin Charles Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, liv ...
,
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...
, Prince,
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
,
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
City and Colour
Dallas Michael John Albert Green (born September 29, 1980) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who records under the name City and Colour. He is also known for his contributions as a singer, rhythm guitarist, songwrite ...
,
Les Cowboys Fringants
Les Cowboys Fringants () are a Quebecker folk rock band formed in 1995 in Repentigny, Quebec. The French word ''fringant'' can be translated as "dashing", or "frisky".
They perform '' Quebecker'' néo-trad music (modernized Quebec folk music ...
and
Jean Leloup
Jean Leclerc (; born May 14, 1961) is a Québécois singer-songwriter and author from Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. He is popularly known as Jean Leloup (which he likes to translate to John the Wolf), a stage name he kept using until 2006, when h ...
—the artist who has performed the most concerts in the venue. Popular game show '' La Fureur'' has also filmed there on several occasions.
As part of a partnership with
Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility (normally typeset as TELUS Mobility) is a Canadian Mobile network operator, wireless network operator and a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its network. It operates 5G+, 5G, LTE (telecom ...
, the venue was officially renamed from Métropolis to M Telus in May 2017.
Shooting
In the early morning hours of September 5, 2012, following the
2012 Quebec general election
The 2012 Quebec general election took place in the Canada, Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec on September 4, 2012. Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, Lieutenant Governor Pierre Duchesne dissolved the National Assembly o ...
, the venue was the site of a victory rally for the Parti Québecois. During a speech by premier-designate
Pauline Marois
Pauline Marois (; born March 29, 1949) is a retired Canadian politician, who served as the 30th premier of Quebec from 2012 to 2014. Marois had been a Member of the National Assembly (Quebec), member of the National Assembly in various ridings ...
, a gunman named Richard Henry Bain infiltrated the building in an attempt to assassinate Marois. In his attempt, he killed a stagehand and wounded another man before being apprehended by police.