History Ottawa Opens With Eight-Show Inaugural Lineup Starting This Summer

History Ottawa, the long-awaited Live Nation concert venue in downtown Ottawa, has unveiled its first round of eight bookings, starting with a summer show by American roots-rockers the Wallflowers and including a December homecoming gig with pop star Talk, who grew up in Stittsville.

The inaugural lineup also features New York rockers the Pretty Reckless, soulful Canadian folk-rocker Bahamas, anthemic Icelanders Kaleo, and Swedish metal band Sabaton. Ticket prices were not immediately announced and won't be revealed until ticket sales begin to the public at 10 a.m. on March 27 at Ticketmaster.ca. Presales may also be available for individual artists.

The multimillion-dollar venue occupies the former Chapters bookstore at 47 Rideau Street at the intersection with Sussex Drive. The National Capital Commission owns the building, which Live Nation leased in 2024. Renovations have been underway for months.

The new space will be a 2,000-capacity, two-tier performance hall — a little smaller than its sister venue in Toronto but the biggest indoor, non-arena venue in Ottawa. Both venues represent a partnership between Live Nation and rap superstar Drake.

Vancouver's Bronwyn Campbell, a former general manager at the Commodore Ballroom, has been named general manager of History Ottawa. Senior operations manager will be Rob Feller, another Commodore alumnus. Ali Shafaee, vice-president of regional operations for Live Nation Canada, continues to oversee operations, assisted by Alex Primeau.

Live Nation is aiming to program at least 200 shows a year at History Ottawa, a level of activity expected to help revitalize Rideau Street and the ByWard Market while filling a gap in the city's venue ladder — enabling touring acts to add a stop between Toronto and Montreal.