There was a time when the Leander Boat Club was one of the hottest live music venues in Hamilton.

After it moved to its current location at the foot of Bay Street near Pier 4 in 1962, the Leander featured live music every weekend, as well as Tuesday and Thursday dance nights that were always sure to sell out.

In the '80s, it became a hotbed of boogie and blues hosting regular gigs with King Biscuit Boy, Sonny Del-Rio, Kelly Jay, and Crowbar, as well as top-billed U.S. acts such as Albert Collins and Charlie Musselwhite.

Art Boiago wants to bring those times back to the Leander.

Renaming it the Bay City Music Hall, Boiago has a multi-year lease to operate the waterfront building's upstairs ballroom, which is licensed to hold more than 400 people. The room features a panoramic view of the bay and a veranda that runs along its north wall facing the water.

"At one point, this place and the Jockey Club (on Ottawa Street North) were the places to go to for live music in the city," Boiago says, standing in the centre of the room's hardwood parquet dance floor. "This is a great location and a very versatile space. It's got great parking. In the summertime, it's great for wedding receptions. It can work for corporate functions during the day and bands at night."

Boiago, a real estate broker raised in Hamilton's north end, took over the room in June and began renovations, installing a new bar and a permanent raised stage, equipped with a new sound and light system. In late September he hung the new Bay City Music Hall sign on the front of the building.

Since then, he's been busy bringing in bands to the room. In recent weeks, the room has hosted Toronto metal legends Anvil, as well as Vancouver indie rock band 54-40 and the Hamilton Music Awards blues showcase featuring Harrison Kennedy and the Smoke Wagon Blues Band. On Tuesday night, the Hall featured five bands including pop-rock act Courage My Love.

On Friday, the Bay City Music Hall will feature a reunion of Crowbar, best known for their No. 1 hit Oh What A Feeling, and undoubtedly one of the greatest rock bands to ever come out of Hamilton. Included in the band lineup are 1970s members John Gibbard (guitar), Ray Harrison (keyboards), Roly Greenway (bass) and Sonnie Bernardi (drums).

Crowbar lead singer Kelly Jay Fordham, who has flown in from his home in Calgary for the show, has many fond memories of performing at the Leander in the '80s.

"We played there almost every Friday night," Fordham says. "It was always such a great place to play."

On Saturday, Bay City features a triple bill of top Hamilton acts — Poor Angus, Dawn & Marra, and Tomi Swick.

The Leander Boat Club, which is still based in the building, has been a fixture on the Hamilton waterfront since its incorporation as a rowing club in 1927. The club's original location was about a kilometre east near the foot of John Street, but fire damage forced the move in 1962 to the current location. The Leander continues to act as a multi-level training centre for competitive rowing.