Conquer Club

I'm pretty into music. Particularly live music. I'm constantly scouring websites for the bands and musicians I like, checking for upcoming shows in my area. I don't necessarily love live ALBUMS per se (a couple exceptions: Allman Bros. - Life at Fillmore East; Billy Joel - Songs in the Attic; Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live at Luther College) - but to me, there's nothing more fun than hanging out at the back bar of a dark, smoky concert venue watching my favorite band du jour rock out on a Saturday night.

This begs the following question for the community: Where is your favorite place to see music?


I grew up outside Philadelphia, went to school in tidewater Virginia, and currently live just outside Washington, DC. So because I haven't ventured too far outside the mid-atlantic region for shows, I'd like to hear about what the rest of the country (and world) has to offer.

I suppose I should answer my own question...I relatively recently discovered a great venue down in Charlottesville, Virginia (home to the University of Virginia Cavaliers and formerly, Conquer Club's very own Trapyoung). The Jefferson Theater. I've now seen Lucero and the Old 97's play there, and both times had great experiences. It's an old theater in downtown Charlottesville that they recently renovated to cater to live music. Fairly small venue, intimate yet raucous atmosphere, great crowds, decent acoustics, and two good bars in the back (PBR tall boys!). They get some pretty cool acts to come through, so if you're local or within driving distance, give it a shot.

Alright, what does everyone else think?

Anywhere in New Orleans.

I love outdoor concerts.....lots of them around here (western oregon) in vineyards that set up amphitheaters....

Also a couple old small places in obscure parts of Portland that have the intimate size and cool old decor - seeing Arlo Guthrie tomorrow nite at the Aladdin ;o)

I hate giant mega coliseum concerts, but sometimes thats all ya get; like ACDC, Metallica and George Strait most recently here ;o( Still went.....still had fun....lol

Serbia's Mums Poonani.. Man the acoustics in that place. wow.

KoolBak wrote:I love outdoor concerts.....lots of them around here (western oregon) in vineyards that set up amphitheaters....

Also a couple old small places in obscure parts of Portland that have the intimate size and cool old decor - seeing Arlo Guthrie tomorrow nite at the Aladdin ;o)

I hate giant mega coliseum concerts, but sometimes thats all ya get; like ACDC, Metallica and George Strait most recently here ;o( Still went.....still had fun....lol

I agree about hating giant mega coliseum concerts, but there are some bands that I am so desperate to see, I'd pretty much go anywhere. I still need to knock a Bruce Springsteen concert off my bucket list - anyone want to front me the cash???

9:30 Club in DC is an awesome venue, IMO.

Went to the Electric Factory in Philly once to see the strokes, a bit like 9:30 in the setup (kinda abandoned warehouse type vibe but with a small room feel)

Both places get k-razy

whitestazn88 wrote:9:30 Club in DC is an awesome venue, IMO.

Went to the Electric Factory in Philly once to see the strokes, a bit like 9:30 in the setup (kinda abandoned warehouse type vibe but with a small room feel)

Both places get k-razy

I'm a huge fan of both places. Going to two shows at 9:30 within the next month. By far the best place to see music in DC - GREAT sound system. A lot of bands that come through often use the 9:30 club to record their live albums. Grew up going to places like the Electric Factory and the TLA in Philly. Best memory of the TLA is getting kicked out for sneaking in a bottle of Kaluha using my girlfriend's purse when I was 18. The bouncer got a kick out of it, but told us to get the hell out. Good guy though

Nola_Lifer wrote:Anywhere in New Orleans.

True that. Nola has some of the best music in the world. Memphis may be one of the only better cities to grow up in as an aspiring musician