The Sinclair ★ 4.6
$$$$
CambridgeDaily varies by show.
The Sinclair on Church Street in Harvard Square is the 525-capacity Crossroads Presents room with a balcony rail, an attached restaurant called 52 Church.
TipDinner at 52 Church before the show gets you priority entry. Doors usually open between 18:00 and 21:30 depending on the headliner.
House of Blues Boston ★ 4.3
$$$$
Kenmore FenwayDaily varies by show.
House of Blues on Lansdowne Street replaced the Avalon ballroom next to Fenway Park in 2009. The 2,400-capacity Music Hall and the VIP Foundation Room book.
TipFoundation Room VIP tickets jump the line. Pre-show dinner in the Southern kitchen runs walk-in from 17:00 on show nights.
The Middle East ★ 4.5
$$$$
CambridgeTue-Wed 17:00-01:00, Thu-Sat 17:00-02:00, Sun 17:00-01:00. Closed Mon.
The Middle East complex on Mass Ave in Central Square has booked punk, hardcore and indie since the 1970s. Four rooms: Upstairs, Downstairs.
TipDownstairs is the marquee stage; Upstairs takes 200, ZuZu books DJ nights. Restaurant kitchen runs to 1am most nights.
Roadrunner ★ 4.4
$$$$
Allston BrightonDaily varies by show.
Roadrunner in Boston Landing opened 2022 as Bowery Presents' largest New England room, 3,500 capacity on a flat floor with a wrap-around balcony.
TipTake the Boston Landing commuter rail stop; the venue is across the parking lot. Doors usually 19:00 with show at 20:00.
The Beehive ★ 4.4
$$$$
South EndMon-Wed 17:00-23:00, Thu 17:00-00:00, Fri 17:00-01:30, Sat 10:00-01:30, Sun 10:00-23:00.
The Beehive on Tremont Street books live jazz, blues, soul, cabaret and burlesque seven nights a week inside the Boston Center for the Arts complex.
TipWeekend brunch from 10:00 with live jazz is the calmer entry. Reserve via OpenTable for a table close to the stage.
The Cantab Lounge ★ 4.4
$$$$
CambridgeMon 17:00-01:00, Tue 17:00-23:00, Wed 17:00-01:00, Thu-Sat 17:00-02:00, Sun 17:00-01:00.
The Cantab Lounge in Central Square has run live music seven nights a week since 1938. Two floors: a folk-and-jazz street-level lounge and the Cantab.
TipBluegrass Tuesdays from 20:00, started 1993, $6 cover. Sundays bring a Boston Poetry Slam in the Underground.