By: Dapper

The Rivoli doors opened at 8:30, with a labyrinth set up that was very hard to navigate for a first time visitor. I found myself going through door after door to get to the thespian area in the back of the venue. Not even Beyonce could direct me to the proper area: to the left it was not. It was very confusing to find the stage. Just a heads-up, go straight to the back. There were not enough chairs. Give me a damn chair! The right side wall was set up as a small gallery setting for artists to sell their work. It was a very quaint setting, small and comfy.

The first band to hit the stage, Sidharta (a Montreal based rock band) entered the stage with full energy, with their heavy rock/punk sounds. They had an almost Nirvana façade to them, though they did rock it pretty hard. The sound guys cut them off early, which is unfortunate for a band that traveled so far to show off their stuff to a new crowd. Censorship of music in any form is an act that should not be organized. We should be able to express our talents by any means we are given.

The Rivoli is a good venue for dining and comedy nights; the acoustics are pretty un-ostentatious and could use a lot of work to produce a better sound, especially when dealing with live music with heavy drums and bass. With some sound work it could be a substantial music venue.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 12:10 am.