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The Ivory Club
2 reviews for The Ivory Club
2 reviews in English
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Review from Christina C.
Edmonton, AB
2/20/2009 1 photo
The Ivory Club is a dueling piano bar with two pianos in the centre of the room and two pianists play everything from today's top hits to oldies on them and sings the lyrics to the songs as well.
I went to the Ivory Club for a friend's birthday and it was also their Halloween night which was fun seeing people in their costumes. The highlight was seeing a guy dress up from the music comedy video "D*** in a Box" haha.
That aside, the energy from the piano players were great and the music playing was excellent. However it strike me as being bar-like atmosphere and very noisy. There was some room about the two pianos which people used as a dance floor and the pianists encouraged everyone to sing along.
The Red Piano (another piano lounge) opened not so long ago along West Edmonton Mall's Bourbon Street which I prefer since its more classy. However I remember the Ivory Club's admission to be cheaper than the Red Piano. This venue also serves dishes such as burgers, nachos and other finger-type food, whereas the Red Piano serves cajun-style cuisine and more pricey.
Overall, I would still go back to the Ivory Club again, but its further drive for me and would a venue that was less noisy. -
Review from Joel K.
11/26/2011
I title this review: How I almost got in a bar fight at a piano bar.
I went to this piano bar with a few of my e-town friends for a birthday festivity. I had heard that on the whole it would be a unique and enlightening experience. Well, boy was it ever.
The place was absurdly packed, but you can't fault a business for being successful!
What you CAN fault them for is awful security, waitresses who can't do up the fronts of their shirts and give you dirty looks for tipping $2 on an $8 drink, no service to speak of and the most awkward atmosphere I've been in for a long time.
Now, let me be clear: my expectations were high, which is why I was let down. When I imagined going to this place, I imagined reclining in a soft chair, wearing a monocle and listening to talented pianists (say that word out loud - *snicker*) battle to the death for my love and admiration by playing mind numbing pieces of artistic beauty. Maybe some jazz, maybe some classics, maybe even a wild new take on an old hit.
What I got was this weird fusion of very talented pianists forced to play along with a drum machine to make songs "danceable" followed shortly by a bleak attempt at turning their dance floor into some sort of top-40 dance hall. In between the sets by talented performers, you get a DJ who spins the latest auto-tune track for the kidlets and young at heart fogeys to enjoy.
I'm sure some people love this and I'm sure the bar HAD to introduce these types of things to appeal to a younger crowd. But that doesn't mean I support it.
Suddenly this is a classy piano bar no more, and you're surrounded by intoxicated women in high heels fist bumping to maroon 5. For some guys that would be a special kind of heaven. For me, it made me wonder, "What the hell IS this place?"
Can't a piano bar just be a piano bar and not party central?
Anyways, as the night progressed I saw a very intoxicated man who was creeping on some of the female patrons on the dance floor. In other clubs, when a very drunk man is CLEARLY making EXTREMELY unwelcome advances on patrons, security steps in to let him know he should probably leave them alone. No such luck from the piano bar boys.
I'm not trying to paint myself as some sort of white-knight, but I can't stand guys who can't get a clue so I took it upon myself to go talk to the fine young gentleman boasting the Jack Daniel's mouthwash breath. This resulted in an awkward exchanged containing a lot of f-bombs and death threats, but he did temporarily leave the (married) women he was bothering alone.
When he returned to harass them, I returned to ask him to leave. He continued to slur expletives at me and swing his gorilla arms around trying to hit me but missing thanks to the fact that I probably looked like a set of triplets in his beer goggles.
Where the hell was security when grabby hands gus was on the loose? After three altercations of this nature and a special request to "watch that drunk guy molesting your patrons", staff finally showed the blood-alcohol-limit 5.0 guy the door.
Anyways, go to this place if you want to watch talented performers play piano in a really loud, noisy atmosphere in a club that has no idea what it is.
If you expect a classy night on the town like I did, however, don't bother.Listed in: Places To Go For A Bad Time
