House of Blues New Orleans
(Credit: Courtesy of the venue)
When Metromix decided to compile a list of America's best live music venues, we immediately thought of a group that's far more qualified than us to pass judgment on such matters: the bands, rappers, singer-songwriters and touring musicians themselves. So we asked 40 of them a simple question: Where are your favorite places to play and/or see a show?
The answers, as they began to trickle in, surprised us. Although there was definitely some consensus about the absolute best of the best (which led to the "America's top 25 live music venues" gallery below), nearly every artist polled had a pet venue or two that no one else mentioned. Some were small hometown favorites; some were offbeat or underground spaces most other bands have never heard of; some were long since closed down. To honor those venues, we put together a separate list of each artist's top pick (or picks, since many couldn't decide on just one).
Enjoy the lists! (And please add your own thoughts in the comments sections.)
We polled 40 bands and touring musicians; here are their favorite places to play
TV on the Radio, Slipknot, Girl Talk and more shout out to their hometown favorites
Find out more about the 40 artists behind our poll and see their complete picks
All 234 U.S. music venues singled out by the artists
Please note: All venues listed were selected by one or more of the 40 artists polled. Metromix does not necessarily endorse any of them (although we have great relationships with many of them). Also, the picks in many cases reflect the opinions of individual band members, not the band as a whole. We have done our best to make this distinction clear throughout.
Regarding the artists who participated: We attempted to select as broad a cross-section of American touring bands and solo artists as possible, from every corner of the country, at every stage of their careers, in every genre of music. Obviously, with only 40 artists, there are some omissions. But we think they represent a pretty diverse spectrum of opinions and experiences, and we are extremely grateful to all of them for taking the time to participate in this project.
