Massey Hall – May 29, 2026
THANK YOU AND HELLO EVERYONE. I’M COUNCILLOR PAUL AINSLIE. I REPRESENT CITY OF TORONTO WARD 24, SCARBOROUGH-GUILDWOOD, AND I AM THE DEPUTY MAYOR FOR SCARBOROUGH.
IN 2022, I WAS APPOINTED AS THE CITY’S NIGHT ECONOMY CHAMPION. SINCE THEN, I’VE BEEN SUPPORTING THE WORK TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN TORONTO’S NIGHT ECONOMY – WHICH OF COURSE INCLUDES LIVE MUSIC, AND ICONIC MUSIC VENUES LIKE THE ONE AND ONLY MASSEY HALL.
MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR TONIGHT, THOUGH – AS A LIFELONG MUSIC FAN, I’M THRILLED TO WELCOME GREG HARRIS AND THE ENTIRE CLEVELAND DELEGATION FROM THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME TO TORONTO.
WE’RE SO GLAD THAT YOU CHOSE TO VISIT TORONTO THIS YEAR. PERSONALLY, I SEE SO MANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE WONDERFUL WORK THAT YOU DO AT THE HALL AND OUR OWN CITY’S RICH MUSIC SCENE.
SINCE ITS OPENING IN 1995, THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME HAS BECOME KNOWN AS THE WORLD’S NUMBER-ONE MUSIC SHRINE CELEBRATING THE GREAT VOICES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT.
THE HALL’S THOUGHTFUL HONOURING OF FOUNDATIONAL GENRES LIKE GOSPEL AND BLUES, ITS EXHIBITS SHOWCASING EXCITING OTHER SCENES ACROSS AMERICA AND THE WORLD, AND ITS INCLUSION OF DIVERSE CULTURES AND STYLES ALL ECHO WHAT WE CHERISH ABOUT TORONTO’S OWN VITAL MUSIC ECOSYSTEM.
TORONTO’S MUSIC HISTORY GOES BACK WELL OVER A CENTURY – JUST LIKE MASSEY HALL. BACK THEN, GROUNDBREAKING BLUES AND JAZZ PERFORMERS PLAYED UP AND DOWN YONGE STREET, JUST OUTSIDE THOSE RED DOORS.
IN THE 1960s, ROCK AND ROLL AND FOLK WERE HEARD ALL OVER YORKVILLE AND THE YONGE STREET STRIP. LATER, MUSIC MIGRATED TO QUEEN STREET AND SPADINA AVENUE, WITH PUNK, COUNTRY, AND INDIE ROCK HEARD AT DOZENS OF SMALL VENUES.
TODAY, TORONTO HAS LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF GRASSROOTS LIVE MUSIC VENUES ALL ACROSS THE CITY – PLACES YOU CAN CATCH YOUR NEW FAVOURITE BAND OR TOMORROW’S BIGGEST STAR ON THE RISE.
TORONTO’S SCENE IS STILL GROWING AND STILL THRIVING. IT HAS EVOLVED TO INCLUDE ARTISTS ACROSS ALL CULTURES AND GENRES. THESE DAYS, YOU’LL HEAR HIP HOP, R&B, AND WORLD MUSIC STYLES ALONGSIDE GOOD OL’ ROCK AND ROLL.
THE MUSICIANS ARE AT THE HEART OF IT ALL AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE EXPORTS WE’RE MOST PROUD OF.
LOCAL ARTISTS LIKE GORDON LIGHTFOOT, JACKIE SHANE, THE BAND, NEIL YOUNG, RUSH, BLUE RODEO, BARENAKED LADIES, AND MICHIE MEE LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR TODAY’S WORLD-FAMOUS TORONTO-AREA VOICES LIKE THE WEEKND, THE BEACHES, JUSTIN BIEBER, AND – OF COURSE – DRAKE.
I’D LIKE TO CLOSE BY THANKING JESSE KUMAGAI (KOO-ma-guy) AND THE MASSEY HALL TEAM FOR HOSTING THIS EVENING’S GATHERING – AND TO ONCE AGAIN THANK THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME DELEGATION FOR SPENDING A FEW DAYS AND NIGHTS WITH US.
I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN BUSY CHECKING OUT LOCAL VENUES, MEETING SOME ARTISTS AND MUSIC INDUSTRY LEADERS, AND HEARING SOME LOCAL MUSIC – WITH MORE IN STORE TOMORROW.
WE HOPE THIS IS THE START OF AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH TORONTO. ROCK ON!