Long live Rock and Roll – at The El Mocambo

The El Mo has been saved.

Toronto is one of those places people come to for live music. If you live here and you love music, you know just how many incredible venues we have. There are a few special ones - throwbacks to the down and dirty days of Toronto - where the likes of The Rolling Stones, Stompin' Tom and The Talking Heads were headlining at grubby beer halls. Many have fallen by the wayside. The doors of The Bamboo, Maple Leaf Gardens, The Diamond and The Rock Pile have closed for good on a bygone era of big-name bands that played their way to the big time. The Horseshoe Tavern on Queen West, Lee's Palace in The Annex and the Opera House in Riverdale are part of the scene that have survived and thrived. And one of the good ones just got a reprieve. The El Mocambo Tavern has been saved.

The El Mocambo Tavern – The El Mo – perched with its tacky palm tree sign, just south of College on the west side of Spadina has brought decades of cool to the community. It defines the limits of Chinatown and the beginning of the College St. community, where hipsters, academics and business all converge. It's a cross-over community, but its residents crave the flavours.

While the El Mocambo hasn't been the same since Elvis Mondays failed to reign supreme, it still has bragging rights that The Rolling Stones, U2, Blondie, Elvis Costello and Jimi Hendrix played there. NDP leader Bob Rae even rocked out a show in the 80s.

It's an amazing place. It's steeped in sentimentality (among other things). It's been part of the landscape for a long, long time (having opened in the 1850s). It's part of what gives an element of cool to a crossover community – where students and scenesters create an eclectic neighbourhood vibe. While the city's music lovers thought its swan song had been played, Dragon's Den businessman Michael Wekerle stepped in at the 11th hour and inked a deal to save this community's rock and roll haven. Long live the El Mocambo!