Live Music entertainment in Massachusetts
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A
Johnny D’s
While you may or may not be impressed by easy-listening adult contemporary bands, whoever books at Johnny D’s mixes up the sound with klezmer fiddlers, funk covers and notable bluegrass acts like King Wilkie. Don’t feel like paying the cover? Head to the pink Formica bar where the farsighted can still see the stage. Besides being easy on the ears, Johnny D’s is doing its part for the earth, as one of several Davis Sq businesses participating in a program to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Its menu also features beef and dairy products that are free of hormones and antibiotics. Best of all, the cows roam free.
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B
Lizard Lounge
Surprisingly big acts get booked in a room that can’t fit more than 100. It doubles as both a jazz and rock venue, with some offbeat evenings like Sunday poetry slam and Monday open-mic challenge. The interior is done up with red lights and upholstery, along with good-looking people. The bar stocks an excellent list of New England beers, which are complemented by the sweet-potato fries.
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C
Harpers Ferry
On some nights, this cavernous room gets decent acts like Farside, Lisa Light and Nashville Pussy. On others, you’ll hear bands covering U2. Either way, it has a pool table and a large bar to sit at if you want to get away from the stage. Sometimes the crowd isn’t big enough to properly fill the huge space and it feels weirdly dead.
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D
Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner
This old green diner attached to a rock club serves chili, burgers, booze and nothing else. Come for some sweet gigs, mostly local and often talented. The place attracts college kids and townies wearing prescription safety glasses. The stellar jukebox contains a homemade disc simply labeled ‘really good songs.’
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E
Mojitos
Come inside this large, Latin-inspired club to experience two spaces. On one level, find a lounge where house bands play salsa and timba tunes (free salsa lessons at 9:15pm most nights). In the basement, a club caters to the scantily clad with hip-hop, Brazilian, reggaeton and sounds related to the Tropic of Capricorn.
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F
PA’s Lounge
Oh PA’s Lounge! We love you and you book cool shows, but couldn’t you buy some Christmas lights or something and at least pretend to decorate? Come see Final Fantasy, Christina Carter and lots of indie acts. There’s no stage, so shorter patrons might need to push to the front.
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G
Midway Café
In addition to hosting a kick-ass dyke night, this queer-friendly rock and punk bar books some of Boston’s finest independent music, ranging from rockabilly to dub. Inside, find Pabst beer signs of antique vintage, some longhorn skulls, pinball and a genuinely friendly atmosphere.
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H
Church
Say a prayer of thanks for Boston’s newest music venue. It books cool bands nightly, which is the most important thing. But it’s also stylish, with pool tables, a pretty slick restaurant and attractive people. And plasma TVs, of course. Music starts most nights at 9pm.
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Palladium
This mid-sized general admission club only books all-ages shows, and some of them have aired on MTV. The offerings range from hip-hop to metal to hardcore to rock. Recent performers have included The Roots, Dashboard Confessional, Taking Back Sunday and 50 Cent.
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J
Madfish Grille
On a wharf at Rocky Neck, the Madfish is a hopping bar that attracts a young, cruisey crowd. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, it hosts live music Wednesday through Sunday (weekends only in spring and fall). The kitchen turns out excellent, creative dishes.
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K
Toad
This laidback place never charges a cover and it's okay to bring in food from next door. It looks like a woody Irish pub. The remaining members of Morphine play here regularly. Otherwise, you might see the Danny Adler Band (of Roogalator fame).
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L
Rhumb Line
This club across from the train station is the best place on Cape Ann to hear live music, with performances almost nightly. Acts range from mellow acoustic and blues to high-energy rock, with the occasional open-mike night.
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O’Briens
For serious punk and loud amps, head for this hole where the stage is shoved oddly into a corner, making for weird sight lines. It looks like a wood-paneled basement from the ‘70s with a sound system.
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Pearl Street
Don’t worry, it only looks condemned. At the corner of Strong Ave across the street from the Tunnel Bar, Pearl Street draws in acts like Do Make Say Think and Josh Ritter.
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O
Beachcomber
A former lifesaving station right on the beach, Beachcomber, aka 'Da Coma, ' is the place to have a drink and hit the dance floor.
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DCU Center
This huge venue (formerly known as the Centrum Center), attracts nationally known rock groups and other big-crowd acts. Care for a monster truck show?
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Club Passim
This club is a legendary Boston institution. Though Boston folk music seems to be endangered outside of Irish bars, Club Passim does such a great job booking top-notch acts that it practically fills in the vacuum by itself. The colorful, intimate room is hidden off a side street in Harvard Sq, and those attending shows are welcome to order filling dinners from Veggie Planet, an incredibly good restaurant that shares the space.
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R
TT the Bear's Place
A dirty dive with two bars in two rooms, one of which provides partial refuge for those who discover that, though the opening act might have an interesting name, not all local bands are actually worth listening to. So grab a beer and stuff some earplugs while waiting for Northern State, Wayne Hancock or the Queers.
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Paradise Rock Club
Top bands - like U2, whose first gig in the USA was on this stage - rock at this edgy landmark club.
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Bank of America Pavilion
A white sail-like summertime tent with sweeping harbor views. Shuttle buses run from South Station.
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Iron Horse Music Hall
Nationally acclaimed folk and jazz artists line up to play in this intimate setting.
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U
Middle East
While the Middle East sometimes gets itself together to book top rock acts (Frank Black, Zui Zui, the Wrens), the two stages (meaning there are two shows at once) of this club spend most of their time under the feet of lousy acts in a protracted battle- of-the-bands event called Emmergenza. The club is emphatically not recommended at such times, which annoyingly last for months in a row.
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Paradise Lounge
One of Boston’s most legendary rock clubs: here you can get up close and personal with some big names. The newish lounge has a hip, cozy atmosphere and a limited menu.
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