Top 10 Live Music Venues

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In addition to being a world class music venue, World Cafe Live also features extensive and eclectic menus both upstairs and downstairs with daily lunch specials, nightly chef specials, great music and the hottest Happy Hour west of Liberty Place.

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A long, narrow room with some of the best jazz in the country. The bar is always packed, and tables are at a premium in this mid-sized venue. Though it's a bit cramped, patrons are willing to sacrifice some elbow room for the jazz. Attached to what's left of the Ortlieb's brewery, this jazz venue serves the original recipe of this local favorite beer. Who ever thought Ortlieb's would come back as a microbrew? Paprika and chili-powder-laden crawdads, gumbos, and jambalayas are served along with a side of live jazz seven nights a week.

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Popular in the Philadelphia area since 1928, this theatre was initially a movie house but now it houses a variety of shows. It could be Glenn Beck on Ice, Little Red Riding Summer Series show or The Nutcracker. It has a mixture of performances for the audience. Parking is available behind the theatre. Become an Eseats member at the theatre and get autographed posters from the stars along with more benefits.

Our Local Expert Says:

Whether you're there to see a show or just to have a beer, you'll surely enjoy the laid-back hipster/punk atmosphere of North Star. Come for happy hour (5-7) and enjoy 25 cent wings and half-priced draught beer.

Description:

The North Star, located at the edge of the Fairmount-art museum area, is the place Supersuckers, Fall Out Boy, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play. It's small, but not cramped, with a front bar and poolroom that lead to a dimly lit, lodgelike concert space. The bar menu is inexpensive, with burgers, nachos, and other no-utensils-required fare. The crowd depends on the band, but tends to be stylishly grubby 20-somethings.

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This finger-snapping hip café is nestled just around the corner from the Bellevue Hotel and just a few blocks walk from the Convention Center in Center City. It is a perfect stop for relaxing and enjoying live jazz six nights a week. Winner of two "Best of Philly" awards, this is a serious jazz club featuring serious talent—the place jazz musicians go to hear jazz. It also serves an outstanding dinner menu which includes crab cakes and grilled ahi tuna.

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Some nights Bob Dylan plays here, some nights there's reggae, and a lot of nights there are very loud bands playing to young audiences. Some of these acts, such as Southern Culture on the Skids, are well known from college radio. This former burlesque theatre holds 1,000. Upstairs, The Balcony room has a separate music schedule, usually starting late, after the show in the main room is done. Admission varies according to performance. Tickets available at the box office and Ticketmaster.

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The Grape Street Pub is a mandatory stop for live music when in the Manayunk district. Rock, alternative, jazz, and fusion bands play six nights a week. Typically, the nightly lineups include three bands from the local and regional music scene. There is a cramped bar and stage in the front, with more room (and air) in the back. Seventy-five brands of imported and domestic beers are served along with appetizers and sandwiches all at reasonable prices.

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The Khyber is one of the oldest bars in Philadelphia. It is the quintessential rock club - all dark and smoky. The chosen bar for old and new rockers alike, most bands go on to hit the jackpot from here (always a good sign). The bar itself, designed with ferocious red eyed gargoyles, is a legend having being shipped from London way back in 1876. The club boasts of at least one good live show in a week, and happy hour is between 5p-7p. So stop by to chug some beers from the excellent selection, which has both local and international brews.

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All post-Depression-era gilt and scrollwork, the Tower is the jewel of West Philly's 69th Street corridor. (It's officially in Upper Darby.) After all these years, the 3,500-seat venue remains one of the most special places in town to catch Damien Rice, Fiona Apple, or, if you're extra lucky, Philly's own Hall & Oates.

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Old City on a Saturday night might be the last place you'd expect to see a quiet acoustic show by Amos Lee, Dar Williams, or a bluegrass trio, but I swear, it happens here all the time. The second-floor Tin Angel feels more like a big coffeehouse than a cafe, and once the night's performer takes the small stage, the room hushes. Seats are general admission, so come early if you want to score. Downstairs, Serrano restaurant does a nice job with international fare.

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Opened with tremendous fanfare in December 2001, Rafael Vinoly's dramatic glass-and-steel vault along the Avenue of the Arts encompasses Verizon Hall, a 2,500-seat cello-shaped concert hall built specifically to house the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Perelman Theater, a 650-seat hall for chamber music, dance, and drama with a turntable stage. Other features at Kimmel include an interactive education center; "black box" theater space; a daytime cafe and gift shop in the plaza along Spruce Street; and parking and restaurant facilities. Above all, there is space, acres and acres of it -- space designed to sparkle and amaze, unlike anything else in the area.

With its comfortable mahogany interior, four levels of seating, and excellent acoustics, Verizon Hall is a pleasure. Perelman's design is also nice, with a metal-clad exterior and light woods and warm fabrics within.

Most of the jewels in Philadelphia's cultural crown -- the city opera, orchestra, and ballet companies -- perform either at Kimmel or at the historic Academy of Music (which is affiliated with Kimmel and located 1 block north). Visiting talent in music and dance and an incredible jazz series presented by the Kimmel Center also use the venue frequently. Tickets for both locations are sold during the day only at the Kimmel Center box office. The Kimmel also presents frequent free performances by jazz artists, DJs, singing groups, folk ensembles, and more in its main Commonwealth Plaza, usually in the early evening or afternoon.

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Silk City is actually two places joined together. The diner was built by the Silk City company in the 1930s. On the other side of the entrance is the lounge. It opens around 5pm for happy hour, and after 7pm there are DJ parties and the occasional live performance. Latin, hip-hop, 80s, disco; call for schedule. The diner stays open all night on Fridays and Saturdays. Try the grilled cheese, the catfish fingers, the meatloaf, or the pie. Or stay up for an early breakfast of huevos rancheros or eggs and scrapple.

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Wachovia Center opened in 1996 and has since hosted the first round game in the World Cup of Hockey, Ray Charles in concert, and Kiss in concert. They also have exhibits on display regarding the history of the Flyers and a video wall with live feeds of events.