The logo belonging to Live Nation Canada's 'HISTORY Ottawa' event venue building. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

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History Ottawa, the new multimillion-dollar Live Nation music venue that’s expected to help revitalize the ByWard Market, opens Aug. 20 with a virtually sold-out show by American roots-rockers the Wallflowers.

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For the band, headed by singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan (son of the legendary Bob), it’s their first appearance in Ottawa in 25 years. The all-ages show is part of a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their landmark 1996 album, Bringing Down the Horse, and its massive hit single, One Headlight.

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They’re also taking the opportunity to celebrate the music of the late Tom Petty, who was a close friend and mentor of the younger Dylan, now 56. Wallflowers will play a second set based on the 1982 album Long After Dark by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

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With a week before the show, just one “verified resale” seat appeared to be available on Ticketmaster, outrageously priced at $277.14.

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The concert by Dylan and his crew marks the public’s first chance to see the new club. It’s a sister venue to Toronto’s History, the sleek and spacious establishment in the Beaches neighbourhood that includes Drake as a partner. The hip-hop superstar is also a partner in the Ottawa project, although he’s not expected to show up in the nation’s capital on opening night.

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Like the Toronto club, History Ottawa has a two-level layout, with general-admission, ground-floor space in front of the stage and an upper level that has seating. It’s expected to hold some 2,000 people, about 400 fewer than the Toronto location.

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“The idea is that it feels raw enough that you can do a punk rock show, but you can also do any number of configurations for comedy or special events or award shows,” said Erik Hoffman, the Ottawa-born, Toronto-based Live Nation Canada executive who spearheaded the project in his hometown. “We would look to do all of those things in Ottawa.”

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The venue occupies 35,000 square feet of prime downtown real estate at the corner of Rideau Street and Sussex Drive. Formerly the home of a Chapters bookstore, the property is owned by the National Capital Commission, and adjacent to the string of heritage properties along Sussex Drive known as the Mile of History. It’s also steps away from public transit, Rideau Centre and the Parliamentary Precinct.

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The NCC announced a lease agreement with Live Nation in 2024, and renovations have been underway ever since.

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Hiring has also taken place to fill dozens of jobs. Among the successful candidates are several faces that will be familiar to Ottawa live-music fans, such as technical director Wayne Hawthorne and security dude Mike Postma.

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Other personnel have been imported from Vancouver’s Commodore club, where Hoffman used to work, including general manager Bronwyn Campbell and senior operations manager Rob Feller.

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Close to three dozen shows have already been announced at the new club, including Kaleo, Modest Mouse, UB40 and more.

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