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The Science of Silence: How Acoustical Audits Killed Kingswood Music Theatre

The Science of Silence: How Acoustical Audits Killed Kingswood Music Theatre Keywords: Acoustical Audit, Kingswood Music Theatre, OPA 508, Sound Engineering, Noise Mitigation, Vaughan Planning When fans sat on the grass at Kingswood Music Theatre in the 1980s, the sound was legendary. The venue was a natural megaphone, designed to throw the roar of rock and roll across the open fields of Vaughan. But as the 1990s progressed, those open fields were replaced by residential streetscapes, and the very science that made Kingswood a great concert venue turned it into a legal liability. The 1998 OMB Order (OPA 508) introduced a term that would eventually silence the stage for good: the Mandatory Acoustical Audit . The Physics of the "Sound Leak" Kingswood was an open-air amphitheatre with a tensile fabric canopy. While this design is excellent for shade and weather protection, it provides almost zero So...

The 80s at Kingswood: Every Concert from the Opening Year to the Decade's End (1983–1989)

Kingswood Music Theatre

Kingswood Music Theatre changed the game when it opened in 1983. It offered a massive, high-production outdoor alternative to the CNE Grandstand, and during the 80s, it hosted the biggest names in New Wave, Classic Rock, and Pop. From the venue's very first chords in '83 to the massive teen-pop explosion at the end of the decade, here is the expanded archive of the 1980s.

Date Artist(s) Tour / Notes
1983: The Launch Year
June 1The TubesGrand Opening Night
June 4Anne MurrayFirst Canadian Headliner
June 5Anne MurrayNight 2
June 6The Beat / Bow Wow WowSpecial Beat Service Tour
June 21The Beach BoysFirst Kingswood Appearance
June 25Eric ClaptonMoney and Cigarettes Tour
July 1The Hollies
July 9Joe Cocker
July 17Donna SummerHard for the Money Tour
Aug 6BrosEarly Pop Phenomenon
Aug 27James Taylor
1984
June 2Howard JonesHuman's Lib Tour
June 21The Grateful DeadLegendary Summer '84 Show
June 28The Allman Brothers Band
July 1BerlinLove Life Tour
July 14Steve Miller BandItalian X Rays Tour
July 20Santana
Aug 11The Beach BoysSummer Tour
Aug 24The KinksWord of Mouth Tour
Sept 1The SpoonsArias & Symphonies Era
1985
May 25Kim MitchellAkwitane Tour
June 1Platinum BlondeAlien Shores Tour
June 15The Beach Boys25th Anniversary
July 6Barry Manilow2:00 AM Paradise Cafe Tour
July 12ForeignerAgent Provocateur Tour
July 27Rick SpringfieldTao Tour
Aug 14SqueezeCosi Fan Tutti Frutti Tour
Aug 28Honeymoon SuiteThe Big Prize Tour
1986
June 18Depeche ModeBlack Celebration Tour
June 21StarshipKnee Deep in the Hoopla
July 12The Moody BluesThe Other Side of Life
July 29EurythmicsRevenge Tour
Aug 22The Monkees20th Anniversary Reunion
Aug 26Stevie Ray VaughanLive Alive Tour
1987
June 14The Psychedelic FursMidnight to Midnight
June 27The Beach Boys
July 4Chris de BurghInto the Light Tour
July 18Duran DuranStrange Behaviour Tour
Aug 30REO SpeedwagonLife as We Know It
1988
June 22Robert PlantNon Stop Go Tour
July 1Kim MitchellLevis, Jackfish & Girls Tour
July 15Lynyrd SkynyrdSouthern Rock Reunion
July 31The Beach BoysSummer '88
Aug 11BrosThe Push Tour
1989
June 17Crosby, Stills & NashLive It Up Tour
July 1GowanStrange Animal Era
July 22ChicagoTwenty 1 Tour
Aug 26New Kids on the BlockHangin' Tough Tour

Moving into the next decade? Check out the 90s Kingswood Archive here. (April 13 2026)

The latest on Kingswood Music Theatre's demolition here.

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