Commonwealth Bar & Stage

I want to give them 0 out of 5 stars.
A group of us coming from Edmonton and Saskatoon met in Calgary for an enjoyable long weekend trip. Many of our friends recommended that we should check out this bar. However, we stood in line for thirty minutes just so we can be rejected by the bouncers because a person in our group appeared to be «too drunk».
Funny how that is because,
#1: We all had only a few drinks.
#2: There were people in line that were just as and if not more intoxicated than any of us in the group.
#3: I have seen my friend overtly tipsy and drunk; that night wasn’t even close.
To top it off the bouncers even had the audacity to retort at my friend for looking «drunk» in her picture ID (was that necessary?), and to call us liars because we are making it a «big deal» (yes because we waited in line for 30 minutes to get discriminated against for a reason that is obviously not genuine).
All in all, whoever recruited these bouncers did an extremely lousy job. Apparently the control of letting people in and out of the bar had expanded their egos to the roof. The fact that I am using my time writing this long complaint a month after this incident on behalf of a friend shows just how offended we felt. Commonwealth, please fix up your staff if you want this bar to last.
In the end we went to two other places and had a blast. HIFI and HABITAT, WE LOVE YOU! The staff was great and the music was awesome. Next trip to Calgary we know exactly where to and where not to go.

Oh Commonwealth, every time I visit your establishment I try to explain to my husband how it was laid out when this was the Warehouse/​Underground. Well that goth/​glowstick/​industrial crowd has now moved to Dickens and Commonwealth is trying for a more generally accepted atmosphere.
I come here for shows, I have come here for dancing, I tried to come here to eat, cause they used to have a ‘cafeteria’, an then a pop-​up Tubby Dog, but their website still says they have a cafeteria, but there is no cafeteria or Tubby Dog!
I even came here to close out my bachelorette party and that evening was 1 of 10 brides-​to-​be. It was pretty comedic and I have never seen so many fake penises or tutus in a bar.
Things I like:
Good upstairs stage. The back wall is made up of defunct speakers so it looks amazing.
The crows. No, not multiple Brandon Lees, but you can find lots of fake feathered friends hanging out in the downstairs portion of the bar.
Dancing! The music here is fun
Community events. I haven’t BEEN to any here yet, but I like how they are doing art/​local vendor markets, plus I hear there are mimosas.
Hip-​Hop karaōke. This is on my to-​do list, I have been practicing my Montell Jordan and am waiting for the right evening to bust it out, then drop the mic and promptly exit.
The bad:
The lack of promised food/​late night snacking options.
I don’t like the really expensive tall cans and that the men’s washroom has a cool barrel, circular hand washing basin and the women’s washroom does not. Cause, how many men have mistaken that for a urinal?

I do like Commonwealth. The music never disappoints, the décor is cool and the drinks are good. I find the long line to be quite pretentious. You wait in line for 2 hours, get in and it’s really not THAT busy. But the collector’s club is awesome, would definitely recommend if you’re into vintage and flea market type things.

Reason for my five star rating — based on the coat check girls! Shout out to Sophia and the management. My daughter lost her ticket for the coat check, and the girls on shift Saturday night were great about reassuring me they would do their absolute best to make sure her coat would be there the next day. They were true to their word — and when she emailed management on Sunday, they told her to come in and pick up her coat! Kudos to you. You have a tough job — and you did it exceptionally well!

If you’re over the age of 30, don’t waste your time or money at this place unless you’re single and want to pick up someone much younger than you are.
I was celebrating a friend’s birthday last night and had some hope that the vintage music floor would have me dancing and reminiscing for hours, partying like it’s 1999. It didn’t happen. The website says vintage is played downstairs on a Saturday night, but all that was playing was rap and hip hop. Our group moved upstairs where the vintage music appeared to be playing. However, we didn’t hear any more than 10 – 30 seconds of any one song (nothing older than early 90’s), as the DJ just mixed them all and kept everything at the same tempo for most of the evening. This was extremely disappointing. What happened to the days when you could hear an entire song and enjoy a wide variety of great tunes? And remember when there used to be slow songs at the end of the night? We didn’t stick around long enough to find out, but I’m certain this didn’t happen.
Paying an $ 8 cover charge plus $ 3 for coat check sucks. And why are we standing in a line-​up outside when we’re on a guest list? That system needs to be fixed. I could smell puke in random places and sweaty boy armpits in others. The belt that belonged to my coat wasn’t returned and I would never bother to get it back. If it was on that floor, it should be burned. Some of the attitudes and behaviors of these young folks included far too much assertiveness, aggression and pompousness. Oh, please. I just want to be around fun and respectful adults, even if they are strangers. And I left there with my ears ringing.
The only pleasant surprise about Commonwealth was that one of the bartenders was fabulously patient and friendly. We only went to him for drinks and I wish I knew his name so I could share it with you. He had a lot of tattoos on his arms and one of them included Mickey Mouse.
It’s clear that many youthful Calgarians enjoy this place, but it’s definitely not for me.

I’m too old for this kind of place. What kind of club is that? Let me spell it out:
— 60 mins wait when you arrive at 11pm
— poor air ventilation means that there is some serious BO odor that hangs like a curtain
— people are passing out drunk, and not getting thrown out
— douchebags are groping girls without consent
— many sloppy make out sessions in the front bar
— it’s way too packed
It’s like a training ground for 20 yr old douchebags with no game.
I don’t remember the DJ in the downstairs bar, he was still learning his craft — but his music taste was good.

Very nice bar and cozy area to hang out like a lounge almost, and then steps up to a dancing area behind the bar with another bar and small standing tables for party time. I liked it way better than other clubs in the area

For my first Calgary club experience this place wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. We arrived around 10 and probably had to stand in line for about 10 minutes, which was totally fine because it wasn’t that cold out. The dress code at this place is really strict so if you are planning on showing up in anything remotely obnoxious, don’t bother because they won’t let you in. The more I think about it the more I think that the dress code is a little ridiculous. I saw two people that were denied entrance. The first had a silver chain around his neck and the second was wearing True Religion jeans. I don’t think either of those things make you more likely to start a fight. Once we entered we had to pay $ 8 for cover which annoyed me because as a girl I don’t think I’ve paid cover for a couple years… I honestly thought it was a thing of the past. The drinks seemed a bit pricy and they won’t take credit card unless you have a minimum of $ 40 on your tab. After a fun night of dancing with the girls (I did enjoy the music) I went to clear up my tab only to find that I had been over charged by three shots. They eventually cleared up the issue, but man it took a long time. I don’t think I’ll return here.

I don’t go to clubs or bars much anymore, but for some reason have gone here a couple times.
I have two reasons for my distaste. One being there is a huge difference in crowd based on which night you go. If you’re over 25 DON’T GO FRIDAYS! It’s suck and is full is 18 year olds. Which is fine, we all were once that age, but when you’re not you don’t want to to deal with it. Saturday night are better.
But my biggest rant, is the back staircase! I’m an old Warehouse girl, so this was my stomping grounds. And all the money they put into that place, you couldn’t throw on a different color paint?! No, had to keep it the Warehouse grey. I was actually impressed when I first went in there, until I took the stairs.
It’s decent, good tunes, lots of people and I don’t even know how much drinks cost.

Commonwealth I was told has been open for a year or so. In that time, I feel that they have done an amazing job getting the place to where it is right now.
Clean, spacious with that warehouse-​y feel, very friendly clientele, great servers! 2 levels with a basement also, bands play here all the time.
And… a cafeteria that opens as the booze is flowing?! Wow, and apparently I have read that it is very good and the little window was always hopping with people to serve with taquitos and sliders, cheese puffs etc.
I for sure would come back, preferably in a large group. I am not much of a bar person these days but I opened my mind up tonight, went and had fun! Would do it again! I hope they still serve the Bourbon lemonades for when I go back!

«Ange! Lets go to the Roadhouuu»
«COMMONWEALTH!!!»
aaaaaand cue Angelo stumbling into Commonwealth on a Sunday night like Cosmo Kramer bursting through Jerry’s door at the sound of fresh groceries placed in a fridge. What does this have to do with Commonwealth? Well 70% of it’s patrons have never heard of Seinfeld. Assholes.
I still like the vibe of the place. People are great to talk to but there’s been an upgrade on characters here. Can a girl’s name be Genie? Well it doesn’t matter because Inebriated-​moi couldn’t help respond with «that CAN’T be your FUCKING name!»
To further reinforce this notion, I caught an old buddy spinning here who didn’t take me up on my dare for him to play «Circle of Life». It’s the bottom level of Commonwealth dUHBIous, it’s where they play the classics, it’s a Disney classic… ah forget it.
Lastly, I ran into the coolest set of adults who decided to dress up in white, sit in the splatter zone of Evil Dead, and head over here to bust a move with good ol’ Ange. I miss them already.
I wonder if Commonwealth is still as trendy of a bar compared to months ago where you had to wait for a year to get a guest list going. The music, the strange but non-​obnoxious crowd, the bartender staff, and even that slightly grumpy guy serving adobo pulled pork sandwiches at the caf make going here worthwhile.

This place didn’t make me feel ancient so it gets 3 stars just for that. Drinks at the upstairs bar were reasonably priced, though I hopped between the smoking cage, the upstairs dancefloor and the street-​level bar that you see upon entry. This is a great «club» that you can bring your non-​dancing menfolk to as well, because they can sit and watch street traffic whilst admiring the taxidermed (?) wildlife.
I really, really, really enjoyed that they did have a cage for smoking, because I don’t like milling about the entrance and having to get stamped, etc. There was a bouncer out there which was cool, I suppose mainly so that no one could hop on through the chain link fence to sneak in through the back.
I really liked the DJ’s (went on a Saturday night) especially any oldschool hip hop RnB mix. Later in the night there was standard remixed top 40 club, which was just fine with me, and actually prefer a nice build of RnB to start and then heavier club to keep it going. When the dancefloor got too sweaty I was able to chill out downstairs (to watch the really «inspired» trance dancing) or hit the bathrooms. Lots of stalls, a nice seating area, lots of mirrors for touch-​ups, but tapwater was SCALDING.
Again, the best thing about Commonwealth is that you can travel around, you are not confined to one type of music or one type of room. Love the smoke pit and the chilled out man-​pub in the front, and the good mix of ages and music.
Kitchen was closed when I was there (too late) so didn’t try any food. Looked like it might be cool for a late, casual lunch though…
Was there for a birthday party which meant no line for us, thank goodness. Line seemed to start forming at 9:15pm! That would be a huge turnonff no matter who was inside!

¹⁰⁄₃₀
«Let’s go dancing! We’ll go to Mansion!» Pass. I convinced my favorite OPP and her lady friend to come to Commonwealth instead, where the Warehouse/​Underground used to be. It’s been transformed in to an awesome place for dancing and chilling with friends as of late, and if you get here on a Friday night before 10pm, you won’t have to freeze your butt off in the cold because you wanted to wear something cute out for once. Sorry, but fashion before function sometimes wins out.
Last Friday, we had to wait 20 minutes outside because we arrived at 10:30, but we were extremely appreciative of the fact that the bouncers got rid of the giant group of underaged bubblegummers that were ahead of us (much to their dismay). Upstairs they were playing a mix of top 40s and old-​school jams and we were happy to stay up there, until some very handsy giant woman decided to play grab-​ass with me. Not unless you buy me a drink, hon.
Down below was a mixture of 60’s/70’s and 80’s funk and R&B. And lots of dry-​humping. And the HGW followed me downstairs. And still bought me no drink. Take the hint, HGW. I appreciate that Commonwealth tries to appeal to more than one crowd, though.
Pretty sure their fries and homemade ketchup are laced with unicorn tears. I get them every time I come here. Carbs and vodka are the fuel for booty poppin’.

TLDR: The new Commonwealth Bar charged a $ 5 cover on Sunday, when I have seen graveyards with more life.
EDIT Address of bar/​pub/​club/​lounge/​bar-​club hybrid or whatever it thinks it is (a plub? Clar? Lounbar? Barounge?) WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU? is, 731 10^th Ave SW.
Driving past that new Commonweath Bar that I have watched being built/​refitted or what have you, a few days after it opened, I thought to myself, ‘Hmm.I will stop and check it out inside, have a quiet pint before heading home.’ (I live nearby).
Walking along the window, I note the three, maximum four persons at the bar inside, some of them are possibly freinds of the owners.
Undeterred, I walk in, past the nice coat check girl.
«Hello!» she says, brightly.
«Oh, hello!» I reply, stopping to pace a step or two back to about to ask her what beers she had.
«Five dollars please!» she stated, surprising me.
«What for?», I countered.
«Cover charge.» — she blurted.
«Oh? Is there a live band playing or on?» I asked, genuinely perplexed. I didn’t catch her reaction as two male members of staff had sauntered over, perhaps to actually talk to a real live customer, instead of eachother all night. This was at 10:45pm on a Sunday. The joint was a graveyard, I could tell, there was no hubbub of voices trying to compete with the music, it had that empty, ‘echoey’ sound to it, as if one was playing a boom box in an empty room with hard walls. I asked them what beers, they had. Rolling Rock, apparently. Okay, a Bud-​Anhauser Busch product, not a good start.
«Anything else? Anything European?» I enquired.
«mmmmmmm» Thought the taller man.
«Guinness?» I prompted.
«Nope. But I think we have Newcastle Brown in cans.», volunteered the shorter man.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. (not because Newky Broon Ale is bad, it isn’t — it’s delicious at about 13c, but serving it on tap would be a hell of a better idea, if only put it in front of peoples eyes, and perhaps then bud drinkers to try and and therefore educate the plebes on a beer that tastes of, well, beer.)
«Is this place a bar or club?» Seeing if I could find out what on earth charging $ 5 was actually for.
«A club.» Replied the shorter man, positively.
I thought a moment about appealing to their sense of ridiculousness by pointing out the evidence, that the sign, stated ‘Bar’ outside, and the last time I checked, bars, do not normally charge covers if nothing special is happening. I quickly thought better of it, as I didn’t have the energy nor time to debate bar staff who were sperm when I was running pubs, on how a bar, has the gall to charge an entry fee, and why I should not. I parted ways with the 2 black polo uniformed barmen with a simple resigned, «Nevermind.», turned on my heel, and left.
Dear Commonwealth, here’s some tips, from an experienced pub landlord, that has managed several pubs in the UK, from London, to Aberdeen, and a few cities in between.
Don’t charge customers money just to get into your pub/​bar. Pubs in the UK and most of mainland Europe don’t charge money to get in, and ours mostly do a roaring trade.
Want to be different? Then don’t stock the same old fizzy, stone cold, tasteless piss that counts for beer, that EVERYONE ELSE stocks. You know, the usual suspects, Molson, Coors lite, bud, Canadian, Keith’s, kokanee etc. Try stocking beer, that oh, I don’t know, actually tastes of something. Pilsner Urquell, London Pride, Marston’s Pedigree for eg.
Enough with the ‘non gimmick’ gimmicks. Maybe you are charging $ 5 to pay for the obscene cost to refit the bar in brand new sexy minamilist panelling everywhere, stuffed birds behind glass, and zeus knows what other props stuck behind a bar. How’s this for a theme? Dark wood panels, cozy nooks, lower ceilings, soft furnishings to absorb echoes. Not everyone wants their bar to look like a branch of IKEA. Take a leaf from the JD Wetherspoon company in the UK. No music, TVs, Video games, just cheap good beer and food. They make money hand over fist.
Sorry Commonwealth, but your ‘Uncommon Bar’ is a similar to what most others are doing in Calgary. Same old beer, same old trying too hard theme, same old high prices. Yawn. Nothing to see here, next.
**UPDATE** A month or so later around December time, in really bitter cold weather, my partner wanted to go by themselves, to ‘give it another chance’, and to join a couple of chums already inside. After my other half comes back home, they tell me that they were waiting outside in a queue, in –20c weather, the queue was about 20ft long, and the place was only ¹⁄₃ full inside. This was, I believe, quite early in the evening. I was incredulous, so I drove around a 10 min short trip to look. Sure enough, a queue, and looking inside, tables empty, and Id say ²⁄₃ full now to be generous. Meanwhile people are freezing their asses off outside. Commonwealth, you better have a good excuse for this type of callous disregard for potential spending customers. Avoid!

I have such a love hate relationship with this place mostly because everyone wants to go which correlates to long lineups and sometimes just not bothering to go at all. I have tried two times prior to my third visit before I actually got in and I got in twice in two weeks, once on a Friday and the next on a Saturday night.
I really wanted to check out this place due to the fact it used to be the old Warehouse and I wanted to see how much it has changed. In fact, I was so blown away about how different everything looks now. I can tell there was a lot of money that went into the renovations of this building.
The main entrance leads to the a more loungey area with tables and seats while the upstairs boasts a nice dance floor with several booths on the sides. The main dance area has bars on both sides of the floor, perfect, so if you pick a side to hang out on you’re just there and don’t need to cross the floor full of people to grab a drink.
The MUSIC. The DJ’s here are the DJ’s from HiFi I do believe and they are pretty damn awesome. I have to shout out Vintage Saturdays because they play an eccentric collection of old school hip hop jams as well as a mixture of electronic dance music as well. If you go downstairs you can hear a crazy blend of old school pop tunes.
This place I could goto all the time and it would be even better if I could goto this place after 11 and still get in but unfortunately my quick tip would be to show up between 9:30 and 10:00pm or else GOOD LUCK CHUCK.

I would give this 3.5÷5 stars, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt by rounding up.
I actually liked the old Warehouse and its grunginess, despite it always smelling like urine when I went. It was a great venue for all the different concerts that happened there.
Commonwealth has taken a complete departure and made it look pretty nice. The setting and décor is awesome, and it is really spacious inside. But I don’t think it has a real identity like Broken City, Amsterdam Rhino (District) or HiFi. The music is for the most part, a lot of top 40 and remixed top 40. So it is the same as any other bar in the city.
The clientele I don’t mind though, it has a good mix. To the point that it doesn’t seem that pretentious there. And I can wear a t-​shirt and skate shoes, so thats always a plus.
As far as music goes, Warehouse was better, and I prefer Broken City or hifi. But if me and my friends had to settle on a bar to go to on a Friday, that had to please everyone, I wouldn’t mind coming here. Drinks well, I have beer 98.3% of the time anyway, so I’m probably just having kokanee, which can be found anywhere. So I don’t think Commonwealth is unique for its drinks. I’ll go to District or other places if I actually want to enjoy my swig.

For all of us old enough to remember, this is the old Warehouse/​Underground location. I was amazed at the transformation of this place. They gutted it, and now its beautiful. The décor is simple, a few taxidermied animals, some heavy rusted chains, wood and leather, but the over all effect is simple and beautiful. Its very spacious. The entrance opens to a small lounge, where they have a full bar. Their signature drinks are all bourbon based, which I cant say I tried. not a fan of it. Up a few stairs is a main dance/​sitting area and to the right the «cafeteria». Its just a big open window, where you can order nibbles.
There is a dj up there, and a dj on the lower floor. Downstairs has a low ceiling and a central bar, surrounded with seating and a decent size dance floor.
Reminds me of the old Embassy.
So why the 3 stars? Well despite the buildings ambiance, I couldnt say there was a particular fun vibe about the place, like say the HiFi, Broken City etc… The music was decent, and the place was packed pretty early… but maybe it needs to figure out what works best and roll with that… Regardless, I think this place will rake in the cash… its run by HiFi, Una Pizza and Ox&Angela folks, all very succesful establishments so far…

Finally, a night spot that doesn’t feel like old-​Calgary, or drunk and slutty Calgary. I’ve hit up Commonwealth a couple of times and I’m diggin’ the digs. Larger bar upstairs, more clubby atmosphere downstairs or lounge in the front, you’ve got your pick.
This isn’t a spot to come for dinner, no siree. But for nibblets and some yummy bourbon cocktails (me and bourbon are new found friends since last August), colour me sold, Commonwealth is a place I hope to find myself more often.
You’ll want to try the apple something cocktail. I can’t remember the full name, but it’s got ginger in there somewhere and it’s AWESOME. The shrimp loaf thing is also quite tasty, as are the spring roll taquito bits and the sliders.
Décor, well, I think you should go have a look for yourself… keep an eye out for the stuffed crows.
Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge: ²⁹⁄₃₀

Great new club in Calgary, just what Calgary needed, place that plays good hip hop. Nice to have a break from all the house music every other club plays. Place looks great compared to what it was before, but being there still made me miss the warehouse.
Plenty of bars to grab drinks at. Great crowd. Come early. Fridays and Saturdays must go HELLA early, like 930 early.

For all us old-​school Calgarians, Commonwealth is the Neo-​Warehouse; with a funky steam-​punk-​meets-​mad-​scientist/​Clockwork Orange overhaul.
Newly renovated with fake skeletons, 1800s-​style chemistry sets, chains, stuffed crows, fedora-​wearing staff, a much-​better-​than-​hot-​dogs cafeteria and a very intriguing bourbon list, Commonwealth has potential to be the new it-​club in town.
The music selection is good; and in a nice twist, the DJs are actually skilled. That said, Commonwealth has a lot to live up to in the music realm at this location, so I am interested to see what the future holds in terms of shows and DJs.
With the current success of these owners (UNA, Ox&Angela), and should the music hold up, I predict Commonwealth will have a long and healthy life complete with loyal followers.
I have a sneaking suspicion I may become one of those followers… Fedoras and suspenders on fellas, let’s get a Makers Mark and hit the dance floor.
T.