10 Best Places to See Live Music in Seattle

Tractor Tavern is a music venue that doubles as a bar where you can typically see alternative-style performers play in a more intimate space. The stage is slightly elevated at one end of a rectangular room, and the crowd stretches back on a single, level floor with no seating.

This kind of venue is where you'll find smaller and undiscovered artists who typically hang around after the show to talk to concertgoers. The bar here features several local brews and craft options. You can find it all a few miles northwest of downtown in South Ballard.

Funhouse is a venue primarily used for alternative, metal, and punk artists and is located within El Corazon, a larger nightclub and music venue. Funhouse has a long history of facilitating the local underground scene with bands like Dead Moon, Guttermouth, and Red Fang selling out shows there.

These days, you'll still find that same vibe when you visit, granting you the opportunity to see an artist before they make it big. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better place in town to experience the local underground. It's all just north of downtown by the Cascade neighborhood.

Neumos is known for playing a wide variety of genres while also championing state-of-the-art sound, and it offers plenty of space for guests. Quite a few different artists have played here, including rappers like El P, rock bands like Muse, electronic artists like Diplo, and whatever drumbeat Gameboy sound effect amalgamation that Crystal Castles is.

When you visit this venue, you'll find top-quality sound equipment along with a second-floor mezzanine that overlooks the stage. Plus, there are 3 full-service bars located within. You can get to this venue in the northeast corner of the First Hill neighborhood, about a mile from downtown.

The Showbox is one of Seattle's oldest music venues and offers a variety of performances that pay homage to its rich history of showcasing top artists through the decades. It opened in 1939 and helped bring the Jazz Age in. Its role in popularizing certain genres continued through the grunge era to the current hip-hop and neo-folk music popular in town today.

When you visit this venue, you'll find predominantly hip-hop and neo-folk performers, but they can mix it up a bit, too. Whatever you're looking to see, you'll find elegant decor and top-quality sound. It's all located southeast of Pike Place Market, just a short walk from the Seattle Great Wheel.

Nectar Lounge is a unique kind of venue with indoor and outdoor seating areas and featuring performances across multiple genres and multiple nationalities. While there's only 1 stage, you can sit on the covered patio outside and still enjoy incredible views of the performers. The main pit area and the upper mezzanine are located indoors.

The lounge strives to live up to the Fremont neighborhood's nickname as the center of the universe by featuring artists from all around the world across a wide variety of different genres. You can experience it all for yourself on the southwest side of Fremont, a few miles north of downtown.

Neptune Theatre is a historic landmark that not only hosts live music concerts but film and theater performances as well, though its new live stage is particularly popular. The theater itself dates back to the 1920s when it opened as a film house for silent movies. When you visit it today, however, you'll find fresh renovations and top-quality tech used in live performances.

Concerts here can still be energetic, but given that it's a historic theater with the entire audience in seats, you won't find much room to move around. Because of that, musical performances tend to be more laid-back. The theater is located a few miles north of downtown in the University District.

Paramount Theatre is one of the most iconic theaters in Seattle, offering live jazz performances along with some other concerts appealing to a sophisticated audience. The theater itself is on the National Register of Historic Places and has more than 2,800 seats.

When you visit, you'll find regal interior decor sporting a lot of gold and lending a sense of grandeur. The musical performances are refined and elegant, as that's the kind of atmosphere this venue has cultivated. You can see it all just north of downtown on 9th and Pine.

The Triple Door is a combination venue and restaurant that strives to offer performances that are just as delectable as the items on its menu. Quite a few different genres and artists have graced the stage here, from local acts to international touring groups.

Inside, you'll find an array of half-moon-shaped booths and regular tables with perfect views of the stage. The menu here primarily offers Southeast Asian dishes utilizing fresh Pacific Northwest seafood. You'll find it all about halfway between downtown and Pike Place Market.

Climate Pledge Arena is a massive complex used for popular artists who draw in huge crowds to fill the arena's 17,200-seat capacity. The arena is quite large, as it's also used for basketball and ice hockey.

When you visit, you can have widely differing experiences depending on where you book your seat. Thanks to the state-of-the-art tech and cleverly designed acoustics, however, you'll be able to feel the music even if you find yourself up in the nosebleed section. The arena is located northwest of downtown by the Space Needle.

The Sunset Tavern is a staple in the city that offers intimate concerts in a relatively small space with a ticket price that will keep you coming back for more. Seattle is growing, and the demand for space at music venues grows with it, but this tavern is committed to keeping its garage-band atmosphere.

When you visit, you'll find mostly local and less widely known artists playing a variety of different genres. The ticket prices are remarkably cheap compared to most other places in town, so you splurge on a few cocktails from the bar here also. See it for yourself in south Ballard, a few miles northwest of downtown.