Sandstone amphitheatres, century-old theatres and sweaty clubs with famous walls share one bracket here. Pick the room where you'd most want to hear a band play tonight.
1Red Rocks AmphitheatreOpen-air amphitheatre carved between sandstone rock formations near Morrison, Colorado, opened in 1941.
2Madison Square GardenManhattan arena above Penn Station, open at its current site since 1968 and a regular stop for major touring acts.
3Hollywood BowlLos Angeles amphitheatre opened in 1922, known for its concentric-arch band shell and as the summer home of the LA Philharmonic.
4Ryman AuditoriumNashville hall built in 1892 as a tabernacle, home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974.
5The Gorge AmphitheatreOutdoor amphitheatre above the Columbia River canyon in George, Washington.
6Radio City Music HallArt Deco theatre in Rockefeller Center, New York, opened in 1932.
7The FillmoreSan Francisco ballroom made famous by promoter Bill Graham's shows in the 1960s psychedelic era.
8SphereSpherical venue in Paradise, Nevada, opened in 2023 with a wraparound interior LED screen.
9Boardwalk HallAtlantic City arena on the Boardwalk, completed in 1929, which hosted the Miss America pageant for decades.
10Hampton ColiseumVirginia arena opened in 1970, nicknamed the Mothership, where the Grateful Dead and Phish recorded well-known live shows.
11Merriweather Post PavilionOutdoor amphitheatre in Columbia, Maryland, opened in 1967 and designed by architect Frank Gehry.
12Greek Theatre (Berkeley)Open-air amphitheatre on the UC Berkeley campus, opened in 1903.
13Beacon TheatreUpper West Side theatre opened in 1929, where the Allman Brothers Band played long annual runs.
14Carnegie HallMidtown Manhattan concert hall opened in 1891, built by Andrew Carnegie.
15Apollo TheaterHarlem theatre on 125th Street, home of Amateur Night since 1934.
169:30 ClubWashington, D.C. nightclub founded in 1980 and on V Street since 1996.
17First AvenueMinneapolis club in a former bus depot, where Prince filmed the concert scenes of Purple Rain.
18The TroubadourClub opened in 1957 and on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood since 1961, where Elton John made his US debut in 1970.
19Whisky a Go GoSunset Strip club opened in 1964, an early stage for the Doors.
20The Stone PonyAsbury Park, New Jersey club opened in 1974 and closely linked with Bruce Springsteen.
21Saratoga Performing Arts CenterAmphitheatre in Saratoga Springs, New York, opened in 1966.
22Tabernacle (Atlanta)Former Baptist tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, opened in 1911 and turned into a music venue in 1996.
23Capitol Theatre (Port Chester)Port Chester, New York theatre opened in 1926, reopened as a concert hall in 2012.
24Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)Open-air amphitheatre in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, opened in 1930.
25Tower TheaterUpper Darby, Pennsylvania theatre opened in 1928, where David Bowie recorded David Live in 1974.
26The CavernsConcert venue inside a natural cave in Pelham, Tennessee, where the PBS series Bluegrass Underground (now The Caverns Sessions) has been taped since 2018.
Photo credits
- Red Rocks Amphitheatre — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Madison Square Garden — Jorge Láscar, CC BY 2.0
- Ryman Auditorium — Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Gorge Amphitheatre — Daniel from Calgary, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Radio City Music Hall — ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0
- The Fillmore — total13, CC BY 2.0
- Sphere — Y2kcrazyjoker4, CC BY 4.0
- Boardwalk Hall — Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hampton Coliseum — Mobilus In Mobili, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Merriweather Post Pavilion — Reality truth, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Greek Theatre (Berkeley) — Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Beacon Theatre — Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Carnegie Hall — Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Apollo Theater — Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0
- First Avenue — Tony Webster, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Troubadour — WhenHarryMetSally777, CC BY 4.0
- Whisky a Go Go — Photograph by Mike Dillon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Stone Pony — Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Saratoga Performing Arts Center — Tktmast, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tabernacle (Atlanta) — Tim Farley, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Capitol Theatre (Port Chester) — Koskenart, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Greek Theatre (Los Angeles) — Amhernandez8754, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tower Theater — Rhys A., CC BY 2.0
- The Caverns — JourneyMap, CC BY-SA 4.0
