THE MASONIC TEMPLE is also a temple of song. For decades, this behemoth erected in 1917 has welcomed titans of music to 888 Yonge Street. Secretive spaces abound inside ("the robing room"!) but its the main floor auditorium where so much magic has happened.
Led Zepplin's first Toronto show to start, back when the space was billed as the RockPile -- which also presented Buddy Guy, Frank Zappa and The Who. As The Concert Hall, it hosted all the alternative nation icons, from Depeche Mode to Rage Against the Machine.
In 1993, the building was sold, and its use has switched many times since then (including as Rolling Stones' rehearsal hall in 2002).
Owners CTV currently use it as the HQ for MTV Canada, but until the time when music fans can once again stage dive from the balcony onto a mosh pit below, the Masonic Temple will be awaiting to play its encore.
