Catch a major touring act or a homegrown hero with our insider's guide to the best live music venues in the Boston. We love music, and it’s a really fun and different way to spend the evening with a date, your significant other, friends, or just to get out and dance your tushy off! There is something so romantic and sexy about a night of music and dancing. We’ve scoured the town for some of the best places to hear live music….. so let’s boogie!
The Lizard Lounge
Known as much for poetry slams and open mic nights, the Lizard Lounge is a warm and intimate subterranean space, and a seasoned destination for jazz, folk and roots rock. A musicians' venue, it's home to local luminaries such as Bill Janovitz, Dennis Brennan and Duke Levine. Many artists return after cutting their teeth on its open mic night. 1667 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, +1 617 547 1228, lizardloungeclub.com
The Beehive
This Bohemian-chic cabaret is known for hosting amazing live music every night of the week. Go here for soulful live jazz on a Friday or Saturday night and mingle with a mellow crowd looking for an easygoing night out. If you show up early, you’re sure to claim a table at the stage’s edge. With no cover charge at the door, go ahead and order one more drink from their creative cocktail list, like the Queen Bee, with vodka, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, elderflower, and champagne. 541 Tremont St, Boston, (617) 423-0069, beehiveboston.com
Paradise Rock Club
Loveingly referred to as “The Dice,” this intimate venue is praised for its on-point acoustics, affordable tickets, and a varied line up of fringe mainstream and local acts. It’s also the first place U2 performed in the United States, back in 1981. Its rectangular shape and wide stage running along one side means concertgoers are close to the action. 967 Commonwealth Ave, +1 617 562 8800, thedise.com
The Middle East
The Middle East is more than just a rock club: it's a complex that also boasts restaurants and a smaller companion venue in ZuZu, home to several of the area's best dance parties. But it's the Middle East's two live music spaces, the "Upstairs" and the larger "Downstairs", that make this the live music centrepiece of Cambridge. Located in Mark Sandman Square, named after the late Morphine singer/slide bassist, the Middle East is a musical institution for all genres, and a cultural centre. 472-480 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, +1 617 864 3278, mideastclub.com
If you have any fabulous music venues you’d be willing to share with us….. leave us a comment so we can dance the night away together!