Best Music Venues

[OSUsushichic]

Paste Magazine has a list of the top 40 music venues in the US.

Northwest
Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA
Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA
Department of Safety, Anacortes, WA
Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
Gorge Amphitheater, George, WA
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Southwest
Continental Club, Austin, TX
Red Rocks, Morrison, CO
The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
Largo, Los Angeles, CA
Stubb?s, Austin, TX
Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA

Midwest
Cain?s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
Schubas, Chicago, IL
Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

Northeast
9:30 Club, Washington DC
Allen Room at Lincoln Center, New York
Bowery Ballroom, New York
Club Passim, Cambridge MA
Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA
The Living Room, New York
Maxwell?s, Hoboken, NJ
Space, Portland, ME
World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA

Southeast
40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
The Basement, Nashville, TN
Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN
The Earl, Atlanta, GA
Eddie?s Attic, Decatur, GA
Jammin? Java, Vienna, VA
The Melting Pot, Athens, GA
The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
Southgate House, Newport, KY
The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Tipitina?s, New Orleans, LA
Workplay, Birmingham, AL

Paste’s 40 Best Music Venues in America at HearYa: An Indie Music Blog

I'll second Club Passim in Cambridge. I'm surprised that no venues in Tucson or Phoenix are listed. I attended some great shows out there (esp. at the Rhythm Room). The outdoor pavilion in Sedona is also a beautiful place to listen to music.

What are your favorites?

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

I've always enjoyed concerts at Alpine Valley, Wisc. and Deer Creek, Ind.

I don't understand how Red Rocks is "Southwest" and "Fox Theatre" is Midwest, though.

 

[Taosman]

The Iron Horse is legendary! What a venue! What a great assortment of artists.
Around here, the Lensic Theatre in Santa Fe is darn good. Also the Kimo Theatre in Albuquerque! The Kimo is said to be haunted!

Kimo Theatre

 

[BuckWrestler141]

I've always enjoyed concerts at Alpine Valley, Wisc.

I'll be seeing Rage Against the machine there in 2 months

 

[matz2]

I have always wanted to check out a show at The Gorge and Red Rocks.

 

[wstripes]

The Shore

Hermosa Beach...

 

[shetuck]

Good article from today's Lantern about the Newport.

I saw Pearl Jam there for the first time way back when...

Lantern: History of Newport Music Hall

By: Kelly McDonald

Posted: 4/8/08

It is safe to say every student at Ohio State is familiar with the Newport Music Hall, whether having been inside or passing it on the way to class. What many people are not aware of is that Newport's stage is where U2 played their first American show, John Lee Hooker performed his last show before his death and bands such as Blink-182 rose to fame.

Known as "America's Longest Continually Running Rock Club," the Newport began as a movie theater in 1923. In 1970, Harry Laconte turned it into one of the Agora theaters and it remained that way until March of 1984. PromoWest owner Scott Stienecker christened it the Newport Music Hall that month, and in September of the same year, opened the venue with a performance by Neil Young.

[...]

"It's a jewel," said Daddy Wags, a radio host on the documentary. "It's maybe not the most polished of jewels, but it definitely has retained its value."

The Newport hosts more than 100 shows a year, with at least 2,400 shows since it first opened.

The first Neil Young show was one of the most memorable, Stienecker said. Among others were Skid Row, a 20-minute sell out and Pearl Jam, who were booked for only $1,000 in 1992 before they made it big.

cont'd...

 

[3074326]

I love DVDs of concerts at Red Rocks. Just looks like an awesome atmosphere for a concert.

Unfortunately, I've never been to any of those.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Red Rocks is cool. A lot of times on a summer evening you can see the Denver lights and a distant lightning storm form the upper 1/2 of the venue.

 

[CCI]

I have only been to a few. Seen Metallica and the Cult in the early 90's at Buckeye Lake. Anybody been to Hookahville?
Hookahville 29: May 23-24-25 2008

 

[jazzman]

I love the Newport man! Maybe I'm biased, but that's where I saw my first Megadeth concert....still one of my favorite concerts of all time. It helped that Megadeth played a lot of the old stuff.

I like the fact that you are so close to the stage irrespective of where you're standing....pretty much every piece of standing room is like the best seat in the house.

The Newport rox!

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

I have only been to a few. Seen Metallica and the Cult in the early 90's at Buckeye Lake. Anybody been to Hookahville?
Hookahville 29: May 23-24-25 2008

I went to a few of the earlier Hookahvilles (though not the first). Songbird Amphitheater (somewhere in the Ohio countryside, don't remember where) was an awesome venue for it - as was Frontier Ranch. I only went to Buckeye Lake for the Dead in '91, '93 and '94. I'd wager that BKB and Ryn were at those too. Probably Folanator too...

Good times.

Bigger than a drive-in movie, ooo-wee.

 

[CCI]

I went to a few of the earlier Hookahvilles (though not the first). Songbird Amphitheater (somewhere in the Ohio countryside, don't remember where) was an awesome venue for it - as was Frontier Ranch. I only went to Buckeye Lake for the Dead in '91, '93 and '94. I'd wager that BKB and Ryn were at those too. Probably Folanator too...

Good times.

Bigger than a drive-in movie, ooo-wee.

Hookaville there is plenty of bongs going around. BKB and Ryn ate the brown acid at the Dead head concerts