Music Venues in New York

Staying on top of all the music venues in New York just might require a super computer. Or that dude from Rain Man. Either way, there’s a lot of live music in this town. In fact, very few cities even come close to the NYC music venue scene, and chances are that no matter where you find yourself within the city’s boundaries there’s live music somewhere nearby.

The biggest players are venues that practically anyone will recognize, and mainstream though they may be, it’s hard to beat catching a show at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, or the Apollo Theater.

From the outer boroughs of Brooklyn to the heart of Manhattan, it’s a cinch to find live music in New York that will appease even the most demanding of tastes. A fervent underground scene rocks Brooklyn nightly, where dingy dives broil with metal and punk, but that shouldn’t imply finding a blues, classical, or jazz performance will be hard in this part of town either. Meanwhile the Lower East Side features so many live music haunts that it’s hard to turn down any block without hearing blaring rock coming from the buildings.

Terminal 5 is a fantastic music venue to see both established as well as up-and-coming bands, as are the Rose Theater, the Highline Ballroom, Webster Hall, Death + Company, the Izod Center, and Bowery Ballroom.

Of course, the DJ-driven music scene is also incredible, as top acts fill signature stalwarts like Randalls Island and major clubs like Pacha, while up-and-comers work their mixing magic in smaller NYC music venues all over town.

The bumper stickers all say, “I LOVE NEW YORK,” and no doubt everyone looking for a music venue in the city that never sleeps will feel the same way before the last set of the night.