Live Music Venues in Cleveland.

Downtown Cleveland's arena, home of the Cavs, where the biggest pop, rock, hip-hop and country tours stop.

• arena
• big tours
• downtown

Historic Midtown club on Euclid Avenue with a large theater and a smaller ballroom, booking rock, punk, metal and hip-hop. Grab a balcony spot for the best sound.

• historic
• rock
• balcony

The largest hall at Playhouse Square downtown, used for seated concert tours and comedy as well as Broadway.

• seated
• theater
• downtown

Ornate 1922 theater at Playhouse Square that regularly books seated concert tours and comedy.

• seated
• theater
• historic

Independent two-room club in a former Croatian social hall on Waterloo Road in Collinwood, booking indie, garage, punk and Americana. The tavern stage is small and the kitchen serves local American food.

• independent
• all ages
• indie

Downtown club on Euclid Avenue near East 4th with a main music hall, the smaller Cambridge Room and a Southern-leaning restaurant. The balcony seats have the clearest views.

• downtown
• restaurant
• balcony

Coventry rock club in Cleveland Heights with touring indie, punk, ska and hip-hop acts nearly every night.

• indie
• punk
• nightly shows

Gordon Square corner bar with build-your-own hot dogs and a long topping list, plus rock, country, punk and polka bands most nights.

• hot dogs
• late night
• local bands

Wooded amphitheater in the Cuyahoga Valley in Cuyahoga Falls with pavilion and lawn seats, hosting big summer tours and the Cleveland Orchestra's summer season. Bring a blanket for the lawn and expect pricey drinks.

• outdoor
• lawn seating
• summer

Heavy-music club on Pearl Road in Old Brooklyn with a main hall and the Unhinged Lounge, known for metalcore, punk and goth nights, plus food and a bar.

• metal
• punk
• goth nights

Check current details before visiting.

Open-air riverside amphitheater on the West Bank of the Flats, still called Nautica by many locals, with summer rock, metal, jam and reggae tours.

• outdoor
• summer
• riverfront

The former Nighttown space at Cedar Fairmount in Cleveland Heights, now run by Edwins as a French brasserie with live jazz. Book dinner and stay for the set.

• jazz
• dinner and show
• french

Multi-stage club on Detroit Avenue in Cudell mixing punk, hardcore and metal bills with drag, comedy and dance nights. It has a patio and an LGBTQ-friendly crowd.

• punk
• lgbtq friendly
• patio

Madison Avenue music tavern in Lakewood known for tribute shows, blues and folk acts and weekly comedy, with weekend brunch.

• tribute bands
• comedy
• brunch

Restored 1920s bowling alley on Madison Avenue in Lakewood with lanes, a kitchen and cheap drinks, plus the 800-capacity Roxy hall and a smaller club room booking indie, punk, hardcore, hip-hop, rock and country shows.

• bowling
• indie
• punk
• food

Detroit Avenue venue in Cudell with two stages, three bars and two patios, known for blues nights, tribute shows and open jams, with a late kitchen.

• blues
• patio
• late night

Dinner-and-show club on the river in the Flats with a concert hall and supper club room, good for blues, jazz, soul and tribute nights. Book a table and come for Sunday brunch too.

• dinner and show
• riverfront
• brunch

University Circle concert hall that is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, with classical programs, film-score nights and some pop in Mandel Concert Hall.

• classical
• seated
• historic

Strongsville bar and grill on Prospect Road with regular blues, swing and rock bands.

• blues
• bar and grill
• suburban

1929 atmospheric movie palace on Main Street in downtown Akron that books touring concerts and comedy in its main hall and the smaller Knight Stage.

• historic
• seated
• theater

Family-owned bowling alley on Pearl Road in Parma Heights with a bar that books local and touring bands. Bowl a few frames, then catch the show.

• bowling
• local bands
• dive

Neighborhood bar and grill on Lorain Avenue in West Park that is a go-to for live blues. Grab a beer and bar food and catch a local band.

• blues
• neighborhood bar
• bar food

Check current details before visiting.

Seated theater in the redeveloped Goodyear headquarters complex in Akron's East End, booking rock, country, tribute acts and comedy.

• seated
• theater
• tribute bands

Basement lounge under the Grog Shop in Coventry with DJs, hip-hop, poetry nights, karaoke and small shows, plus a patio.

• patio
• late night
• hip-hop

West Park dive on Lorain Avenue that hosts underground punk, garage and noise bills, with bar food.

• dive bar
• punk
• garage

Cleveland State's basketball arena on Prospect Avenue, which doubles as a mid-size room for touring hip-hop, R&B and Christian acts.

• arena
• campus district

Birdtown dive on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood with a long run of loud local and touring punk, rock and metal bands.

• dive bar
• punk
• metal

Newer concert hall in a rehabbed iron works on the West Bank of the Flats, with a strong sound system, a courtyard and rock, hip-hop and country bookings.

• new venue
• courtyard
• flats

Check current details before visiting.

Speakeasy-style cocktail lounge in Duck Island with live piano and jazz in an intimate back room. Order one of the house cocktails and reserve ahead.

• cocktails
• jazz
• reservations

Historic Civil War veterans' hall in Peninsula village in the Cuyahoga Valley that hosts an intimate folk, roots and Americana concert series.

• acoustic
• folk
• historic

Check current details before visiting.

Restored 1928 movie palace on Broadway in downtown Lorain that books legacy pop, rock and R&B tours.

• historic
• seated
• theater

Casino showroom at MGM Northfield Park in Northfield that books legacy rock, soul, country and comedy acts.

• casino
• seated
• classic rock

St. Clair Avenue club in St. Clair-Superior for DJ-driven electronic, techno and house nights.

• electronic
• techno
• late night

West End Lakewood club on Detroit Avenue booking rock, metal and alternative bills several nights a week in a mostly standing room.

• rock
• metal
• standing room

Covered Evans Amphitheater in Cain Park, Cleveland Heights, with a summer season of folk, bluegrass, jazz and Americana concerts.

• outdoor
• summer
• folk

Basement jazz club on East Market Street in downtown Akron with swing, big band and New Orleans sets several nights a week, a full bar and a chef-driven menu. Tuesday brings a blues jam.

• jazz
• dinner
• blues jam

Nonprofit jazz club inside The Music Settlement on Detroit Avenue in Ohio City, with tiered seating and lake views for jazz, blues and experimental sets.

• jazz
• all ages
• seated

Musician-run converted theater on Kenmore Boulevard in Akron, booking indie, folk, Americana and emo shows, with dinner in the Living Room bar.

• indie
• all ages
• americana

Supper-club style room on North Main Street in Akron's Northside District with blues, jazz, rock and roots acts, a gluten-free friendly kitchen and Sunday brunch.

• dinner and show
• brunch
• blues

Waterloo Road bar and music hall in Collinwood, a few doors from the Beachland, booking funk, jazz, blues, indie and local bands plus comedy.

• local bands
• jazz
• blues

University of Akron's large performing arts hall, home of the Akron Symphony Orchestra and a stop for touring concerts and Broadway.

• orchestra
• seated
• campus

Theater on Main Street in downtown Wadsworth that has started booking touring legacy rock and pop acts.

• seated
• classic rock
• theater