Sounds of St. Louis
From Intimate to Monumental, St. Louis Concert Venues Offer Live Music Any Way You Like It
From jazz, blues and soul to rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop, St. Louis artists have birthed and stewarded great musical genres, which play through our speakers to this day. For decades, the Gateway City has been a hub of musical activity, and we don’t expect that to change.
“From the creation of rock ‘n’ roll with Johnnie Johnson and Chuck Berry to the evolution of jazz with Miles Davis to Henry Townsend – one of the only American artists to produce a blues record in all eight decades of his life – [St. Louis] has a really storied history; it’s an important part of American music but a lesser-told story,” Chris Hansen, executive director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation and chief producer of Music at the Intersection, says. “We’re not known for one sound like a lot of other manufactured cities; we’re really rooted in the foundation of American music.”
St. Louis’ impact on the Great American Songbook has been significant. Our history and our heritage create the foundation from which we continue to grow, innovate, create and set trends.
Global superstars as well as up-and-coming acts flock to St. Louis because of its varied, state-of-the-art venues, enthusiastic audiences and invigorating vibe. More and more artists are also choosing to live in St. Louis.
When it comes to the arts, “St. Louis is a city that punches way above its weight,” Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, says. Don’t take our word for it, though. Come and see for yourself.
Whether you’re looking for a live performance in an intimate setting or a dazzling spectacle at a massive arena, St. Louis will keep you entertained. The region also hosts annual music festivals with tunes for every melophile.
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Intimate Music Venues
Fun – and live music – happen 365 days a year at 1860’s Saloon, Game Room and Hardshell Café. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., the lively haunt is located in the heart of the Soulard neighborhood. While you’re here, order the famous, scratch-made crab cakes or share a St. Louis-style pizza covered in premium toppings.
The central gathering place of Ballpark Village, Bally Sports Live! has two levels and 20,000 square feet of entertainment space. Here, the year starts with the Hot Country Nights concert series, which has welcomed artists such as Lee Brice, Niko Moon, Parmalee and Priscilla Block. Throughout the year, other concerts cover pop, rock, electronic and more.
Celebrating our musical heritage, this premier blues and jazz club gets everyone on their feet and grooving to the beat. Comprised of six musicians, Gene Jackson and the Power Play Band is a regular in the lineup.
Blueberry Hill opened in the Delmar Loop in 1972, as a welcoming hangout with music, food and pop culture memorabilia, including collections of vintage Pez dispensers, Wurlitzer jukeboxes and Chuck Berry artifacts. Chuck Berry, the first person inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was a good friend of owner Joe Edwards, and after Berry inaugurated the Duck Room – the legendary live music club that opened inside Blueberry Hill in 1997 – he also played here once a month for 209 consecutive months in an unforgettable concert series. Time your visit to this hallowed and historic setting to coincide with a show that excites you. Live music performances happen several nights a week, and tickets typically range from $10 to $25.
Boasting a New Orleans-style atmosphere – and the best gumbo in town, according to some locals – Broadway Oyster Bar offers live music from local and national acts seven nights a week. From blues to funk, roots to reggae and rock to R&B, most acts are free at this beloved party palace.
Part entertainment venue, part urban winery, City Winery, which opened in March 2023, aims to become the live event epicenter of St. Louis. The brainchild of Michael Dorf, who founded the first location in New York City in 2008, City Winery delivers an indelible experience where guests can enjoy intimate performances, upscale dining and, of course, wine. In St. Louis, City Winery seats 225 people for live performances, and Dorf aims to host approximately 200 shows a year. With each ticket, you get a reserved seat, and throughout the show, you can enjoy tapas-style dishes and a variety of wine crafted with terroir in mind. Oenophiles can also preorder wine to have a bottle waiting at their table when they arrive.
The underground vibe of Delmar Hall attracts audiences with varied interests. Opened in 2016 as a modern-day version of Mississippi Nights – the beloved riverfront club that closed in 2007 after a 30-year run – Delmar Hall has quickly solidified its place in the St. Louis music scene. While you’re in town, get tickets to a concert – even if you don’t recognize the artist, the atmosphere of the intimate venue promises a good time.
Famous for live music, delectable dishes and a beautiful patio, Hammerstone’s is a mainstay in the historic Soulard neighborhood. As bands play various styles of blues, you can enjoy a craft beer or a signature cocktail at one of its wooden booths.
Boasting an intimate jazz performance space in the Grand Center Arts District, Jazz St. Louis is dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the uniquely American musical genre. Originally called Jazz at the Bistro, Jazz St. Louis began as a music series, presenting jazz musicians of national and international fame to small but rapt audiences. When founder Barbara Rose died in 1998, Gene Dobbs Bradford was chosen to lead the organization, and he began expanding the musical styles presented by the club and building the education and community programs that are now an integral part of the organization. Today, president and CEO Victor Goines continues to honor the mission of Jazz St. Louis: to spotlight unique and diverse jazz performers, preserve the shared cultural heritage embodied in jazz music and activate the local community. “[Jazz] is the music that moves me,” Goines says. “To me, [jazz] means the unexpected, and I love the unexpected; it means every day is a learning experience.” Check the club’s concert calendar to find a performance that moves you.
During the Great Migration from 1910 to 1970, more than six million Black Americans moved from the rural South to the urban Northeast, Midwest and West. Blues musicians followed the movement upriver from the Mississippi Delta, and in time, they established a unique St. Louis sound. The National Blues Museum explores the history of the blues and celebrates the genre as the foundation of all modern American music. Featuring artifact-driven exhibits and high-impact, technology-driven experiences, the museum has a cool factor for kids and adults alike. During your visit, you’ll even have the opportunity to write your own blues song and add a guitar track – no strumming skills required. On select evenings throughout the year, the National Blues Museum also hosts live performances that attract music-lovers from near and far.
You won’t find many places like The Garage. Aptly named, the music venue was a dilapidated parking garage that co-owners Jeremy and Ryan Binkley identified as another piece of the musical puzzle on 4th Street. Located next to The Honky Tonk, which the brothers opened in 2017, and a block from Broadway Oyster Bar, The Garage adds to the live music lineup of downtown St. Louis with noteworthy local and regional acts. As a bonus, none of the venues in the music quarter charge a cover, so you can bop from one to another depending on your mood. The music at The Garage – which plays on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. – leans country, but no matter the artist’s genre, the energy of every performance permeates the crowd. The space is wide open, accommodating up to 500 people inside and 250 people outside, which expands the range of events that it can host. Parking lines stripe the floor, and graffiti on the rest of the surfaces – from the walls to the rafters – gives The Garage an authentic and original vibe. At the bar, you can pick up Tall Boys of local craft beer or straightforward cocktails with well-known spirits before joining the throng in front of the stage.
Powered by fiddles, guitars and drums, The Honky Tonk keeps the good times rolling in downtown St. Louis all weekend long. The Nashville-style venue is dedicated to live country music, hosting local and regional bands from Thursday through Sunday. Whether you’re in town for a baseball game at Busch Stadium, a concert at Enterprise Center or a convention at America’s Center and The Dome, your trip won’t be complete without a stop at The Honky Tonk. “If you like country music, you’ll love The Honky Tonk,” co-owner Ryan Binkley says. “If you don’t like country music, you’ll love the people-watching.”
Art without borders – that’s the mantra at The Sheldon. Located in the Grand Center Arts District, the concert hall and art galleries is an inimitable pocket of creative experiences, where the line between artists and audiences is seamless. Hosting more than 350 events every year, The Sheldon presents a curated roster of the world’s musical and visual icons in St. Louis. Attending a performance here will leave you with a story to tell.
Experience spectacular photography, live jazz, artisanal cuisine and handcrafted cocktails under one roof. The Dark Room at The Grandel is a nonprofit concept designed to enhance community engagement, encourage conversation and inspire ideas while supporting St. Louis’ expanding artistic community. Operated by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, The Dark Room’s unique gallery space spotlights emerging artists from across the country, while its stage welcomes some of the best musicians in St. Louis. Emphasizing the masterful improvisation of the genre, the jazz jams on Wednesday nights are free, family-friendly and open to the public. Other ticketed events fill up the venue’s calendar, celebrating the sounds of St. Louis.
Dancing queens, Tin Roof plays the music that you need to bust a move! In the main room, live performances include country hits, classic rock, emo songs and more, while a DJ controls the dance floor in the back with hip-hop, R&B and house tracks.
Mid-Size Music Venues
Backed by mature trees and exquisite sunsets, Chesterfield Amphitheater is a hidden gem in the St. Louis area. With a combination of fixed and lawn seating for up to 4,000 patrons, the outdoor amphitheater hosts a variety of musical acts throughout the spring and summer. The annual Open Highway Music Festival takes place at Chesterfield Amphitheater, which is also known for welcoming a plethora of cover bands who play impassioned tributes to Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, Supertramp and other iconic artists.
Setting the stage for enticing, new experiences, Powell Hall, home of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, is being renovated and expanded. The estimated $100 million project aims to preserve the 98-year-old building and enhance the civic treasure for generations to come. The revitalized Powell Hall will open in 2025 to coincide with the building’s centennial; in the meantime, you can see the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at venues throughout the St. Louis region. The world-renowned orchestra hosts more than 100 performances a year, striving for artistic excellence, educational impact and community connection. It’s one of the best destinations for live music in town, and we’re sure that you’ll find a concert on the calendar that will properly serenade your soul.
With more than 80 years of vivid history as an opera house, Stifel Theatre continues the tradition of legendary events to this day. Attracting the world’s finest performers, the 3,100-seat theater is often sold out. Past acts include Mariah Carey, Alice Cooper, Earth, Wind & Fire, Florence + the Machine, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Bon Iver, Carly Pearce and Seal, to name a few. Stifel Theatre constantly adds new events to its calendar. What will you experience here?
The Factory
Built on a foundation of rock ‘n’ roll, The Factory is a new entertainment and event venue at The District in Chesterfield. Encompassing 52,000 square feet, the venue was designed with the performer and the audience in mind. Inside and out, the industrial-style design – featuring exposed brick, weathered wood and metal light fixtures – evokes images of old factories and manufacturing spaces, setting the tone for performances by a variety of artists such as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Buddy Guy, stand-up comedian John Crist and country music singer Chase Rice.
A Taylor Swift-inspired dance party. An R&B-only musical event. The Emo Night Tour. The Hawthorn knows how to draw exuberant revelers through its doors. Located in the up-and-coming Downtown West neighborhood of St. Louis, the open-concept concert hall and event space is versatile, with more than 10,000 square feet, two full-service bars and rich character. Throughout the year, expect The Hawthorn to host high-energy concerts, memorable fashion shows and family-friendly events – something for your entire brood.
As St. Louis continues to write its musical history, The Pageant is making a name for itself as one of the best concert venues in town. Week after week, year after year, the venue brings great, sold-out shows to the area, and its distinct design creates a unique intimacy between performer and audience. No matter where you stand, from the pit to the balcony, you’ll always be within 70 feet of the stage.
Monumental Music Venues
Home of the St. Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium holds 46,000 screaming fans – of baseball and music. Welcoming notable names such as Billy Joel, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, Metallica, Morgan Wallen, Paul McCartney and U2, the retro-style stadium in downtown St. Louis is an epic place for a concert. From its three main seating decks, concertgoers have spectacular views of the city, and all the concourses are open, so you won’t miss a note while getting concessions.
When the Saint Louis Billikens men’s and women’s basketball teams leave the court, Chaifetz Arena doesn’t go dark. The 10,600-seat arena hosts myriad events, including concerts. You can usually find affordable tickets, and after the encore, you can keep the party going at Armory STL or City Foundry, both of which are located in Midtown, too.
Whether the crowd is cheering for the St. Louis Blues or singing along with their favorite artist, Enterprise Center always has an electric atmosphere. A contemporary, 12-story glass and concrete structure with state-of-the-art facilities, top-notch equipment and an unprecedented commitment to quality and service, the venue seats 19,150 for hockey and almost 22,000 for basketball, concerts and other events with floor seating. Ranking among the top arenas in the country, it attracts approximately two million guests to downtown St. Louis every year. Its proximity to St. Louis Union Station also gives visitors first-rate attractions, restaurants and amenities to enjoy during their stay.
Follow the sounds of summer to Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis. Opened in 1991 as Riverport Amphitheater, the iconic concert venue in Maryland Heights has welcomed some of the biggest names in music – think Guns N’ Roses, Whitney Houston, Van Halen, Coldplay, Nelly, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Green Day, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Jay-Z, Imagine Dragons and Garth Brooks – to its stage. Every season promises a new and exciting lineup, and affordable lawn seats might allow you to see more than one show a year!
In the heart of downtown St. Louis, The Dome at America’s Center hosts major conventions, trade shows and exhibitions, but we’re here for the live music, right?! Seating up to 67,000 people, The Dome draws exalted acts such as Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé and Metallica.
Want to peruse all the live music happening in St. Louis? Check our events calendar.