Toronto's Scotiabank Arena is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024, which certainly explains why the number 25 has been all over the Bay Street venue's marketing this year! To commemorate the occasion, local music archivist, journalist and co-author of 2019's The Flyer Vault: 150 Years of Toronto Concert History, Daniel Tate, has put together a coffee table book reminiscing on the legendary performances that have happened on the Scotiabank stage to date.
Stories of the Stage: 25 Years of Concert History at Scotiabank Arena (an especially fun title when there's another local venue literally called History) will be published on November 4 by Tate's the Flyer Vault company, with distribution through University of Toronto Press. The 418-page book is available for pre-order online now, and will be carried in-store by retailers like Indigo, the Dine Alone store and Real Sports Apparel at the arena.
In what press notes describe as "a visual tour-de-force," the book transports readers through time from the building's inception and opening in 1999, through its first 25 years of operation to relive some of the most remarkable shows to grace the venue, such as the Tragically Hip's 1999 debut, U2's four-night stand in 2005 and even Madonna's Celebration tour spectacle earlier this year.
Additionally, Stories of the Stage features insights from some of the storied performers who have played Scotiabank, including the Hip, Avril Lavigne, City and Colour, Feist, Glenn Lewis and more. Tate also called upon promoters and other industry insiders — and, of course, the fans — for their firsthand accounts. These narratives are accompanied by concert photography and memorabilia, plus a two-part feature on the arena's wrestling legacy and a section highlighting the Asian pop explosion of the 2010s.