Sound Academy

All the positives I can think of:
– Paid for the upstairs VIP and it was probably undersold for a sold out show, maybe 100 people.
– Big bathrooms upstairs
– The place looked nice, the second story patio has a real nice view of the Toronto skyline — bad news is the sound was so bad that I went out there to escape it on a couple of occasions.
– At least now I don’t have to sit in Buffalo being jealous of how many great bands are at Sound Academy.
Unsure about prices for Toronto — I thought parking at $ 20 was expensive and $ 6 – 7 for a Redbull was a bit high, but I read people complaining about $ 5 – 6 for beers and that seems cheap to me. Overall, not a good or bad thing, just what is expected from a venue in a big city.
Also, I will say that I was barely even looked at by security. Certainly no pat down. Just a glance before putting the wristband on me, must be I am getting old, 30.
List of all the terrible things I can think of right now:
– The sound was absolutely atrocious. I didn’t pay to hear 3,000 A-​holes butcher the songs I came to hear the singer sing. The vocals were way too quiet, to the point it was hard to hear and understand the singer between songs. This was my 3^rd twenty one pilots show and I have never had an issue before, and it was the same way for the opener — So this was pretty clearly on the sound system.
– The GA floor looked way way way oversold. Looking down from the VIP, the floor was completely shoulder to shoulder from the stage to behind the sound booth and from bar to bar. The stated capacity is 3,200 and it should be more like 2,500 or less.
– Overall, and this is definitely the first time I’ve ever thought this after a show, it was all too quiet.
– Seriously, the sound was so bad that I need to mention it yet again. It was the worst mixed show I’ve been to out of my entire 15 year concert going career consisting of easily more than 50 shows.
This certainly wasn’t worth the 2 hour drive for me. I won’t be returning to this venue. Maybe if it’s one of my favorite 2 or 3 bands, but I would be more likely to make a much longer drive and get hotel in NYC first.

We went to the sold out Return Fête 2015 with Machel Montaño at the Sound Academy back in February and were lucky enough to be in the VIP section which wraps around the dance floor below like a balcony or loft. This event is massive for the Trini crowd in the GTA and had fans coming from everywhere to check out the award-​winning Soca sounds from this man. Sound Academy is on Polson Pier with nothing else around but that didn’t stop thousands of people from showing up for the party. There was a well-​stocked tasty Caribbean complimentary buffet in the VIP section along with a free coatcheck. Unfortunately the coatcheck filled up quickly and we missed out. There’s one bar in that section so it was steady busy all night pounding out the drinks. Plenty of room to dance up there but careful you don’t slip on spilled drinks like some people almost did. The view was great from above and the sound was fine, although a little echoy. The performance that night got the crowd going, although we were disappointed that Montaño did not bring his band, and instead had a couple DJs on hand to supply the beats.

Maybe it’s because I’m from out of town, but I didn’t think this place was as bad as the reviews say it is.
I came here to see Sleater-​Kinney while on vacation. I was definitely annoyed that it wasn’t easily accessible by rapid transit & the amount I would have to pay for a taxi to and from my hotel was outrageous. The view is nice, but I agree that the location sucks and is super inconvenient.
I arrived about 90 mins before time. It, of course, was freezing. Apparently this place has a heater that keeps you warm while you wait on line, but they didn’t turn it on. What a tease.
The staff and other attendees were extremely polite & pleasant. Perhaps I’ve been in NYC too long, but this surprised me.
I’m nearly 6 feet tall and I was at the front of the stage so I can’t comment on whether or not it’s hard to see in this venue. The drinks were overpriced, but that’s typical of these places.
I do agree that something needs to be done about coat check. Maybe have an extra person assigned?
Overall the venue was fine. Nothing amazing, but not terrible.

Worst venue in the city.
Terrible sound. Awkwardly shaped. Too big for GA and over packed. Cannot see the stage.
Came to see DFA1979 and they were fantastic… if only I could see them.
I’m 6 feet tall and I could not see anything. I never have that problem anywhere. The stage is too short and the floor is completely flat. Even at the far far back, still couldn’t see. And at the back the sound was terrible and muffled. We walked around the fringe of the crowd, forced our way into the middle, went all the way to the back, even tried to stand on the merch stairs… can’t see. Ended up leaving early as there was no point.
If you aren’t a giant, do not go to this venue.

Sure it’s located at some place out in the boonies. But boonies abreast of a splendid lakefront view. Sure the coat check service is ever crowded. You have 2 clerks attending hundreds at the same time. As for the setup itself, we we’re able to see and hear Brandon Flowers just fine. Why all the hate?

I really liked the Sound Academy venue despite all the other reviews. I am a bit of amateur when it comes to concerts (I attend one to two concerts a year at most). Note this as my caveat for this review.
Yes, I will agree that Sound Academy is a bit of far from the downtown core BUT the view is stunning as it is a lakefront location.
The parking lot is across the street which usually charges around $ 20. The bus stop is about 5 – 10 run/​walk from the venue.
I would advise not to get coat check if possible. The line ups after a show at coat check are pretty long.
Sound in the venue is descent; it is a very intimate setting with the artist playing. Think of you and 900+ others of your closest friends.
Be the judge for yourself when you check out Sound Academy for an upcoming Toronto concert. I will definitely be back to future shows!

Worst. Concert Venue. Ever.
I don’t throw that bomb around lightly… I’ve been to some dingy clubs, fire hazards waiting to happen, and experienced some sticky floors, but Sound Academy is indeed at the bottom of the proverbial barrel. Why you ask?
1) The LOCATION: There is no easy way to get to this isolated venue. The 172 bus in theory comes every 20 minutes, but try getting on it before (or even worse after) a concert. It’s a long walk form the subway. Taxis from downtown are probably around $ 20+. After the show, good luck even finding a taxi.
2) The VENUE: Unless you’re over 6’5″, you might as well give up on seeing the band. The stage is something like 2 or 3 feet off the ground and the floor is completely flat. People of normal height will have a very hard time seeing the band. The «balcony» feels more like the upper deck of a baseball stadium… its oddly far away and unpleasant. Additionally for an «All Ages» show, alcohol is restricted to zones with bad views.
3) The SOUND: Sound Academy is a misnomer. Their sound is abysmal, low quality and distorted. They attempt to make up for the low quality of their sound just by making it louder. Doesn’t work.
Alcohol is no more or less over-​priced than any other concert venue. It is at least cheaper than beers are at the ACC. All shows are general admissions, which means there will be a line. This line will move slowly as the security staff do their standard show of having untrained overweight guys with muscle frisk you in a way that would never discover a weapon you didn’t want them to find. They do, however, seem to find lots of places to pat down on hot women.
Unfortunately, a lot of decent bands come here. So if you like bands that are too popular for your favourite corner bar, but can’t sell out the ACC, this is the most likely venue they’re going to be at.
OVERALL, avoid the Sound Academy if you can.

the worst medium sized venue on the face of the planet
horrible sound
horrible layout
horrible set up (fucking beams in the middle of everywhere)
horrible staff/​security
horrible parking (20 bucks!)
horrible location
NOT TTC friendly
trying to get out of this hell hole after a concert is a complete pain in the ass
the bands are hidden past a gate which limits meet ups after a concert is done
MINUS 5 stars

Worst venue ever.
FAR as hell.
Overpriced alcohol.
TERRIBLE sound system.
Every time I see a band that I like announce a show and I see it being at the Sound Academy, I curse the name of whoever booked the venue.

With all the 1 and 2 star reviews I was getting a bit disappointed that we had flown from Colorado to see a show here, but I was proven wrong.
First off, complaining about the fans at a show on a review for a venue is backasswards, these are your counterparts and friends that like the same tunes as you. You might as well complain about how lame you are while you’re at it.
Second, I’ve never heard of coat checking at a show, so if you’re planning packing for a trip to the Tundra when you’re going to see your favorite nu-​metal band I suggest packing lighter. What you you all expect when there is 500+ people trying to get their coats back???
How about a real review… so here you go
The space is quite decent and open, so come prepared to dance. If you don’t shake your booty, then the wallflower section is abundant as well. I would say that having the soundboard were it is puts it in the way, but it might help break up foot traffic. You’ll have to inquire about that with the designer.
If you plan on drinking then you’re in luck the bars are large and I didn’t wait in line for more than a few minutes for a drink. They were expensive, but it’s a venue what do you expect.
Men’s bathroom had some crazy rasta guy screaming about getting pu**y if you smell good. I know this is bad advice, but I would avoid washing and bring some hand sanitizer and you’ll be happy you didn’t have to deal with this dingle berry.
I knocked it down to 4 stars because of a few things…
1. It’s far out of the way. Coming from out of town and not having a car you have two options take a super expensive cab ride home or walk, get tired, then take a super expensive cab ride home. No bus route after 1am, sorry come again.
2. The show we went to see is loud and filled with organ stimulating bass. The last time I saw this same fella, the sound was amazing. This venue doesn’t pump it out as well and it gets distorted with deep bass notes. I’m sure it sounds fine at your regular events.
3. Suck it up, don’t bring a coat, and see some live music.

Ugh… I am so pissed. My son and a friend bought tickets to see Tyler the Creator on Sept ⁸⁄₁₃. I guess I was in a generous mood when I ordered the tickets online from ticketfly because I ordered VIP tickets. The tickets arrived and clearly printed on them was ALL AGES. Cool, my son is almost 18. Soooo, when he got home, I asked him what the VIP ticket got him. NOTHING!!! What the hell???
Very disappointed. Stay far far away… or at least don’t spend the extra cash on VIP tickets!!!

Sound Academy is the worst venue in Toronto. It’s a venue i’ve avoided for the longest time until I heard that Fall Out Boy was back and was playing a show there. Normally I would’ve never gone there but I’ve been an FOB fan since I was a kid so I knew I had to go see them, it was their first show in Toronto in 4 years. Sound Academy has a HORRIBLE location, its on Polson Pier isolated from the rest of Downtown Toronto, its pretty hard to take the TTC there, getting off at Union station and then taking a bus from there.
Next waited outside for 2 HOURS in a massive lineup just to get inside. After that finally got in and I was not impressed, small stage, and pretty bad acoustics. When the show was over walked at least 15 – 20 minutes to find a cab to take us to Union station.
I will never come back to Sound Academy.

I agree with everyone else.
Remember, do not ever, ever bring your coat in here. You will be in the coat check line for 2 hours to pick up your coat.

If there is a band I like playing at Sound Academy… I refuse to go. If there is a band I LOVE playing at Sound Academy… I still won’t go. I’m really Agoraphopic (fear of crowds and inability to exit) but a few drinks usually gets me over this to a comfortable point. So I’ll chug a few medicinal potions before the show. Let me tell you… no amount of alcohol could make this venue even close to decent; The Sound is terrible and if you’re far enough back under the overhang, it’s almost nonexistent. If you care about good sound quality at a show– don’t go here.
When my friend and I managed to get somewhere near the stage, people were viscious about their spots! I guess Bedouin Soundclash bring out all the bitchy couples in the city because I’m used to a more lively show, and finding a spot near the front. You have to push a little– but I try to be polite. I swear that three girls instructed their boyfriends to hit me or cause me bodily harm for moving up. When told to calm down by their men, these crazy felines started whining and yelling at them for being pussies. Really??? It’s general Admission Admission, and you (or your boyfriend) were ballsy enough to push your way up here, too, so calm down. One girl actually groped me to get me to move– or maybe she just wanted to take me home… She full on grabbed my ta ta’s and between my legs. At least the men were considerate enough not to commit sexual assault in the middle of a crowd.
Drinks– meh. No one wants to go and get one because they have to walk back to the shitty sound area and then spend half an hour pushing their way back up. By this time, your beer is done. Bad set up and point blank the worst venue in the city for any show.
After the sexual assault, several death threats and watching three men be emasculated for not punching me out, we tried to get a cab home. It was the middle of winter and there was slush galore. Cabs refused to take us anywhere because we were not going to the 905. They rolled up their windows and waited for a better fare. Nice… leave 2 girls stranded on a cold night. We ended up walking as no buses were in sight and we were tired flagging cabs who had their lights on, heading to the SA, but drove right by us. My boots were soaked through and I wasn’t even drunk. Suffice it to say – a resurrection of the Beastie Boys with MCA back from the dead (RIP MCA) couldn’t bring me back here.

Came here last night for the Alexisonfire farewell concert, this was my first time at the sound academy. I think I was the only one without a tattoo in here. Felt a little out of place at first, but blended in bit by bit later.
For some reason I didn’t really like the venue so much for concerts, it should’ve stayed as a nightclub. I didn’t really like the location either, it’s almost in the middle of nowhere by the lake. It’s a secluded location. The line for coat check was insane, but moved quickly once we got closer. Theres about 4 bars here. The drinks are your typical night club prices. I had a rev, cost me about $ 7.50. Which is a pretty standard price. They have a food stand in there which I heard they had pretty good poutine, but food sells out quick. They also sell pizza, hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches etc
There’s hot dogs stands outside so you can munch on while your waiting in line in the freezing cold. The washrooms are pretty clean, I was surprised. You can bring your drinks in the washroom, I didn’t know! But still that’s nasty.
It was really really packed and it seemed every guy was shirtless, and sweaty including George Pettit. Oh and Thanks for the two 6“3 guys that were right in front of me, I couldn’t see the stage. Only saw glimpse of the band. I personally wouldn’t bother going VIP unless you wanna be blocked by the poles and be really far away. The set up is not very good. That’s why I think this place should’ve stayed as a nightclub. The floor level is not really made for concerts, unless you’re really tall like 6“5, you probably won’t get to see anything either. The lighting is really good tho on a side note.
Even though I got a lousy view. It was worth those few glimpses of Alexisonfire. Oh and I also bumped into Ian from Billy Talent. Not bad for the last Saturday night of 2012.

3.5 stars
I enjoyed two concerts at this venue. There was no seating or balcony for either concert (Metal shows) and I really liked the layout and the fact that washrooms are not in the basement. I know most people commented that he venue is out of the way but that doesn’t bother me — nothing a quick taxi ride can’t solve. I never bother driving here so can’t comment on parking options. TTC is an option. I found the sound fine for both shows — not the best but it didn’t distract in any way. They have a large Bar down the side of the venue with very efficient bar service. Beer /​drink choices are limited but consistent with most of the other live venues in the city. Prices are reasonable.
I actually like the venue and will not hesitate to return for future shows.

I saw The Killers perform here on Sep 22, 2012. It was my first time at the venue and I had no expectations. I did know it is out of the way from downtown Toronto. Thankfully, you can still ttc it. Once my friend and I made it inside, I decided to check my coat (for $ 3). The coat check was quite orderly (before and after the concert) and I appreciated that.
The place was PACKED but we still got to squeeze our way to the middle and we enjoyed the show. It was great to catch them at a smaller venue.

Prior to seeing Porter Robinson at The Sound Academy I read the poor reviews on Unilocal and was hesitant about the concert. After experiencing the venue a bit past a week ago, I wonder why the venue got such low reviews.
The con about The Sound Academy is the location. It is literally situated in an area with absolutely nothing near by. There’s only one area that you can park in so be prepared to spend $ 20 on parking. The lake must smell HORRIBLE because when we stepped out of the car, it smelled like garbage.
We arrived for 10 pm and it was still pretty empty inside. However, less than an hour went by when Sound Academy started to get packed with Porter Robinson fans. The music was amazing throughout his set and the sound system didn’t seem to sound terrible like what everyone else on Unilocal is saying. Since the floor is flat throughout the venue, you probably cannot see the performer. However, I got to rock out on my friend’s shoulder and this REALLY tall guy who was 6’7″…I actually saw Porter Robinson and even filmed one of his set for my friend.
I only used the washroom once that night and it was before it got busy. There are many stalls available and it was clean when I used it.
As for alcohol, my friend bought me a beer so I am not sure if the drinks are average or overly priced.
Overall, I had an awesome time and if there was another good DJ that was playing here I would most likely go.

Ugh, strangely I miss the days when this place was just a nightclub. This place just doesn’t work as a concert venue. Awful acoustics and sight lines. Back in the Docks days where it was a club, acoustics really didn’t matter all that much, and having one of the best patio views in the city really made this an interesting venue.
Now, it’s known more for their beach volleyball courts out back and being the only driving range in the city than an «it» place to go.
If I remember correctly, the complaints from the residents across on the Island is really what forced the change.
It’s really too bad, being here at night brought back some nostalgia.

AWFUL is the only word to describe the Sound Academy as a concert venue.
Here are a couple of this issues I have:
1. Feedback — Regardless of the type of concert I am seeing, feedback always affects a performance. My advice is always wear earplugs, because the last thing you want to do is suffer hearing loss.
2. Bathrooms — The bathrooms are disgusting. Half the time there is no toilet paper or soap available, and the floor is sticky, gross and contains many odd substances. At the same time, if you are under the age of nineteen, and they decide to have the side stage VIP area open, there is only one bathroom available located at the very back of the venue.
3. Side Stage VIP Area — I swear, this newly introduced VIP section is the worst investment ever. It takes up half the concert space, blocks off one of the bathrooms, an exit and an ATM machine.
4. Coat Check = It’s a mess. Never leave your coat there!
5. The floor — The floor at the Sound Academy is so bad for your feet, and has absolutely no give. If I am not wearing low fatigue shoes, my legs kill following a concert.
6. Expensive — Drinks are super expensive at the Sound Academy for no apparent reason. Also, I feel as if they continually lower their air conditioning during the summer so that everyone has to buy a drink. I’ve seen numerous individuals faint at the venue because of dehydration.
7. Layout — If you are short, and decide to come late, your screwed. The venue has an awful layout, and if your not early, you won’t even be able to see the stage.
There are probably more problems, but I can’t think of them right now.