Northwest Dance Halls

UBC War Memorial Gym - Photo By and Courtesy of Chandler Keeler
University of British Columbia
War Memorial Gymnasium
6081 University Bouvard
Vancouver, British Columbia

Some of the bands that performed at this place during those great years of NW music were:
 
 

The Accents
The Animals (1983)
The Beach Boys (1973)
Billy Joel  (1973)
Centaurs
Cheech and Chong
Elvis Costello w/ Squeeze (1982)
The Epics
In Your Won Backyard with Burton Cummings (1978)
Jerry Lee Lewis
The Shockers
Todd Rudgren's Utopia (1980)
Frank Zappa
 

Others?

Above is a shot of the University of British Columbia War Memorial Gymnasium. Many concerts were held there during the seventies.

My friend James Conrad was the president of the Alma Mater Student Society at the University of British Columbia in the early seventies and was an experienced concert promoter.  While attending university there he organized many concerts to raise money for the society.  At first he had a hard time with the agents for top acts.  They balked at having the band play a gymnasium.  I remember James commenting; "Hell, they play in hockey rinks.  Why not a gym."

He commissioned me to take a photograph of a sold out house to send to the prospective agents and managers.  Cheech and Chong were the headliners that night.  James is standing on the lower left of the photo near the stage. He is the one with a camera over his shoulder and looking up at me with his mouth wide open.

Frank Zappa and Jerry Lee Lewis also played there.

Chandler Keeler, December 2008

The Centaurs played there two times before leaving for Europe. The above pictures are from October 1st, 1966.. Standing room only!  The second time we played there it was with Jason Hoover and the Epics as well as The Shockers.  Again, it was standing room only.  The facility was HUGE and was a great place to play with so many fans present .... those were the days!!, John Gedak, The Centaurs

UBC War Memorial Gym - Photorapher Unknown

If you have corrections, a neat photo or more information, please send it to:

Last Update:  18 February 2011
Credits: Chandler Keeler, Gerry Berg, Harry Doupe, Eric Vance