A Guide to Live Rock Music Venues in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is a city of great history and culture. It is the education and medical capitals of the world, and the Museum of Fine Arts is one of the premier museums in the country. This city is no slacker, so you’d better believe that if you’re ready to go out and ROCK, this city is going to take care of you!

Feel like wandering around and hitting the club scene? Well than, you need to head on over to Lansdowne Street. Nestled up against Fenway Park, Lansdowne Street is one full block of rock. Stop into Avalon, Axis, Bill’s Bar, Venus De Milo, or the Lansdowne Street Music Hall (formerly Mama Kin’s Music Hall owned by Aerosmith). If you don’t mind paying the covers, you can get a good dose of club hopping and a whole lot of live rock going on in one night. All of these clubs are known to offer some of the liveliest in local rock as well as national acts that are either working their way up to the large club scene, or bands that may be on the way down but can still fill a mid sized club. Avalon is located at 15 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 262-2424. Axis is at 13 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 262-2437. Bills Bar is at 5 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 421-9678. Venue De Milo is at 11 Lansdowne Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 421-9595. The Lansdowne Street Music Hall is located at 36 Lansdowne Street, Cambridge, MA. Telephone: (617) 536-2100.

If the atmosphere on Lansdowne Street is just a little too, well, thick for you, I recommend you get out your copy of the Boston Phoenix and check out who is playing at the Paradise. A great night club of the old school variety, the Paradise is large enough to book the national acts, but small enough to still have that “club” intimacy. It is perhaps the best night club in Boston for seeing live rock. The Paradise is located at 967 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 562-8000.

If you’re looking for something smaller where you can just hang out, have a drink, listen to some local rock and shout at your friends over the music, I would definitely steer you toward the Linwood Grill, the Midway CafÃ?© located in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, or O’Briens Pub. The Linwood Grill is located at 69 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 267-8644. The Midway is at 3496 Washington Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 524-9038. O’Brien’s Pub is located at 3 Harvard Street, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 782-6245.

For a slightly different change of pace you can check out Harper’s Ferry in the Allston neighborhood. Harper’s offers nightly Rhythm and Blues or Country and Western, and is extremely popular with the locals. Harper’s Ferry is located at 156 Brighton Avenue, Boston, MA. Telephone: (617) 254-9743

Boston is a great city. It is a city that has historically had a strong music scene, and the last decade has seen that reputation explode. Come on out and get a little Boston rock on!