San Francisco boasts an abundance of venues that satisfy the city’s insatiable love of music, from small bars to large arenas. SF offers the ideal location for you, whether you want to see a great performer or an obscure artist. Every day, a wide range of entertainment offerings are taking place all throughout San Francisco, whether you’re at one of the city’s classic venues like The Fillmore or Davies Symphony Hall or a more recent addition like the SFJAZZ Center or The Chapel. Here are a few live music in San Francisco venues to make your visit worthwhile.
The Chapel
One of San Francisco’s newest music venues, is currently housed in what was formerly an outdated morgue. The Chapel opened in 2012 as the West Coast residence for the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans, who occasionally play there. The “all-ages” (6 and up) venue has an 85-seat restaurant, an outside patio, and a former chapel with a 40-foot-high arched ceiling and separate mezzanine where shows are held. The Chapel, in the city’s thriving Mission District at the center of Valencia Street, welcomes everyone for performances that make the most of the space’s modern sound system, lighting, and projection, from English singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock to the rock band NRBQ’s musical genre-shifting.
PianoFight
Two small theatres, a cabaret stage, exhibitions by regional visual artists, a full restaurant, and a bar are all included in this unusual entertainment venue. Get live music before and after the many events held here, such as movie screenings, comedy shows, dance performances, choose-your-own-ending plays, and audience-judged theatre competitions. Remember that PianoFight has previously hosted Throw Rotten Veggies at the Actors Nights if you’re looking for something especially wild, check their calendar for a list of their extraordinary events.
Club Deluxe
Club Deluxe, a retro-eclectic establishment, is reminiscent of a classic New York jazz club, with vinyl booths and dry martinis. Even the concertgoers are dressed entirely in vintage garb. Visitors can enjoy homemade cocktails in the club while listening to local jazz musicians perform in a cozy, red-lit space. In addition to the occasional burlesque and comedy act, the facility hosts two musicians each night who play jazz, swing, and blues.
SFJAZZ Center
In 2013, San Francisco finally received the jazz hub it deserved with the opening of this $64 million facility, the country’s first independent venue created specifically with jazz music in mind. The SFJAZZ Center has cutting-edge Meyer Sound Laboratories audio and traditional Mexican cuisine from renowned chef/restaurateur Charles Phan. Now that it has been producing an annual music festival since 1983, SFJAZZ has a spectacular headquarters that is both a home for world-class jazz performances as well as for music from throughout the world in all of its genres.
Brick and Mortar Music Hall
The 250-seat facility, which debuted in 2011 in the space occupied by Coda Jazz Club, has swiftly emerged as one of the city’s most important locations for a diverse range of live music. Depending on the night, you can catch a Bay Area-style street rapper, an up-and-coming indie rock band, or a New Orleans-style brass band at The Brick and Mortar. The location offers fantastic Vietnamese pop-up Rice Paper Scissors for weekday lunch and weekend brunch during the day.
The “guide of all guides” of local music venues in San Francisco has been created and curated by Music City San Francisco, the location of the Music City Hotel and San Francisco Music Hall of Fame.
The top small- to medium-sized local music venues in San Francisco are listed in this concise, simple-to-read list. Music City San Francisco’s list includes all the essential music venues, from the leather-jacketed dank, gloomy, and punk to the posh and seductive jazz clubs, from the bassy and energetic concerts in San Francisco to the legendary, culture-defining rock n’ roll concert halls and venues.
