A music junkie’s guide
to the venues of Boston
Sydney Moyer
New to Boston? Looking to take in great music? Well then, be sure to take advantage of the awesome venues that make up the Boston/Cambridge music scene. A casual Friday night show is almost always a more entertaining alternative to that Allston frat party at Delta-Phi-whatever, and Boston is here for you on the music front, no matter what your taste is.
Paradise Rock Club
Possibly my favorite venue in town, the ‘Dise is a mid-sized yet intimate venue just down the street from StuVi that consistently brings solid acts and talented up-and-comers to the BU neighborhood.
Mark your calendar for:
The Jesus and Mary Chain- 9/11 & 9/12
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti- 9/16
Grimes- 9/26
Twin Shadow- 9/30
The Raveonettes- 10/7
The Wombats- 10/17
GZA- 10/19
Freelance Whales- 11/3
Sharon Van Etten- 11/11
Amanda Palmer – 11/15–17
Japandroids- 12/3
Brighton Music Hall
Brighton Music Hall, located at the intersection of Brighton and Harvard Avenue (next to Blanchard’s if you’re a landmark kind of person) is the Paradise’s smaller but equally lovable sister venue.
The sound system is stellar for such a small, static space, and the acts booked there generally take full advantage of that. Trek to BMH for intimate folk shows, avant-garde cult favorites or just to see that electronica band, which has that song in that one commercial you like.
Regardless, it’ll be sure to be a good time.
Mark your calendar for:
Ladyhawke- 9/12
Wye Oak- 9/19
Two Gallants 9/27
Frightened Rabbit- 10/6
Tilly and the Wall – 10/12
Ben Sollee- 10/18
Dum Dum Girls- 10/21
Langhorne Slim & the Law- 10/24
Milo Greene- 10/27
Great Scott
While the Allston staple Great Scott is 21+ on the weekends, during the week they let in the 18+ crowd and regularly feature solid local acts as well as out-of-towners with something to prove and a great performance up their sleeves. After you get bored at your friend’s house party on Harvard Avenue, head on over to Great Scott to delve into the Allston/Boston ska, reggae and swamp scene.
Mark your calendar for:
I don’t know, I’m not your mother. But really, on any given night, Great Scott is guaranteed to be a solid time and totally worth the $10-ish cover.
The Royale
Moving out of Allston and more toward downtown, the acts get bigger and the tickets get pricier, but Royale nightclub is usually a safe bet when it comes to concerts, and prices, with most shows clocking in at under $30.
Most of the time, the venue serves as a (you guessed it) nightclub, which can be annoying when it books early shows. But the caliber of the acts the space brings to town generally warrants skipping that 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. class at least once.
Mark your calendar for:
Less Than Jake- 9/11
Dr. Dog – 9/21
Gossip – 9/26
Minus the Bear- 9/27
First Aid Kit- 9/28
Jens Lekman- 10/6
Calexico with The Dodos- 10/10
The Walkmen- 10/19
Heartless Bastards- 10/26
Nouvelle Vague- 10/27
Grouplove- 11/3
Tame Impala- 11/9
House of Blues
For those of you from most other major cities in the country, you know the House of Blues.
As large as a standing-room venue can be, mass-produced-but-made-to-
Mark your calendar for:
The Offspring- 9/6
Yeasayer- 9/11
Bloc Party- 9/14
Two Door Cinema Club- 9/30
Alabama Shakes- 10/5
Crystal Castles- 10/6
Ben Folds Five- 10/13
Alanis Morissette- 10/17
The Mountain Goats 10/18
The Weeknd- 10/22
Cat Power- 10/24
The xx and Chairlift- 10/25
Major Lazer- 10/26
Matt & Kim- 11/16
The Gaslight Anthem- 11/26
The Middle East
If you’re looking for a cool place to hit up around Central Square in Cambridge, The Middle East is the place to be. Located right on Massachusetts Avenue, the Mid East is actually made up of four smaller venues: Middle East Upstairs, Middle East Downstairs, ZuZuBar and the Corner. ZuZuBar and the Corner are the two restaurant/bar parts of the venue, but they also feature live entertainment daily.
Upstairs is a small room with a bar that can fit a crowd of about 200. While its sound system leaves much to be desired, the intimacy of the setting makes for an undeniably cozy hole-in-the-wall type show.
If you think you will need more room to dance, head to the Middle East Downstairs, a larger floor in the basement that regularly hosts local and nationally established EDM, dubstep and indie acts. It also hosts dance parties, from time to time, with some of the best DJs in town.
Mark your calendar for:
Netsky- 9/1, downstairs
Maximo Park- 9/10, downstairs
Deerhoof- 9/18, downstairs
Vetiver- 9/20, downstairs
The Flatliners- 10/16, downstairs
The Jezabels- 1018, downstairs
The Lighthouse and the Whaler- 10/25, upstairs.
Honorable mention venues
that are absolutely worth
checking out:
Bank of America Pavilion (North End)
TT the Bear’s (Cambridge)
The Wang Theatre (Theatre District)
The Wilbur Theatre (Theatre District)
The Orpheum Theatre (Theatre District)
Tremont Temple (Theatre District)
TD Garden (North End)
