The Rolling Stones launched a world tour from this 400-capacity bar in 1997, playing 75 minutes on a stage where Stompin' Tom Connors once did 25 consecutive sold-out nights. The Horseshoe Tavern, at 370 Queen Street West at Spadina in downtown Toronto, has been in continuous operation since 1947 - the Birthplace of Canadian Rock and arguably the country's most storied club. The building began as an 1861 blacksmith shop - hence the name - and entrepreneur Jack Starr opened the tavern in December 1947, building it into the country-music capital of southern Ontario: Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty all played the room, and Connors' attendance record from his residency still stands. The 1978 handover to promoters Gary Topp and Gary Cormier - The Garys - rewired the club for the new wave: the Police played their first Canadian gig to a near-empty room that thousands now claim to have attended, Talking Heads and the Stranglers packed it, and the era ended with The Last Pogo, the December 1978 punk blowout that dissolved into a riot and a documentary. The modern Horseshoe - run for decades by the partnership around Jeff Cohen's Collective Concerts - is Canadian rock's proving ground: the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo and every generation of homegrown bands treated the checkerboard floor as a rite of passage - the Hip name-checked it in Bobcaygeon - while the Stones' 1997 Bridges to Babylon warm-up and Bryan Adams' surprise sets keep the legend compounding. The club marked 75 years in 2022 with its history published in book form. Practical notes: the front bar is a free-entry neighbourhood tavern with the ticketed venue in back; shows run nearly nightly, most 19-plus, with the streetcar stopping at the door on Queen West. The checkerboard floor is original - stand on it once and the whole history of Canadian live music is underfoot.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 370 Queen Street West, Toronto, Canada

Website: https://www.horseshoetavern.com

Minimum Age: 19

Cover Charge: 1

Capacity: 400

Opening Date: 01/12/1947