Here are the Valley's best spots to watch and hear live music.
Desert Botanical Garden
The Chihuly art display at the entrance of the Desert Botanical Garden alone is enough to visit this place let alone see live music. The Garden often holds live music from esteemed local artists at their Ullman Terrace stage. All outdoors, this venue is a unique spot to see great musicians perform amongst the dessert landscape of Arizona.
The Lost Leaf
There are not many bars that offer 158 beers, free live music nightly, and have displayed local art. At The Lost Leaf Bar and Gallery in Phoenix, artists form around the nation come to play, including jazz, folk, rock, acoustic, blues, funk, soul, punk, and about every other genre on the map. This unique hip place is artist owned and operated and is the best place to go for seeing free live music with a great selection of drinks.
Char's Has the Blues
Another great place in the Phoenix Valley to hear live music every day, Char's is staffed with friendly and courteous people. This spot is among the best to hear blues, R&B, soul and funk where all the bands give great performances. Char's offers very reasonably priced drinks and word-on-the-street says Char's is the place to hit the dance-floor.
http://www.charshastheblues.com/
Musical Instrument Museum
Why not see highly talented musicians and learn the history of music in the same night? The MIM Music Theater is in an intimate, sophisticated arena that is renowned for having live performances by internationally acclaimed artists.
Crescent Ballroom
Often considered by fans the best venues in the Valley, the Crescent Ballroom delivers a great experience for those looking to see good live-music. What makes this place great is the intimacy you feel with the bands. Crescent gets some big-named bands that would usually fill venues like The Marquee Theater, yet only fits a handful of people. The sound quality at this venue can't be beat, and the general vibe and feel of the place is quite unique. Crescent is also a multi-layered venue: the music venue inside; the middle area outside the venue doubles as a causal Mexican restaurant and lounge with a full bar; and the patio has plenty of long community tables to hang out and drink.
Rhythm Room
This classic Phoenix venue has been serving its customers since 1991 with amazing local and national acts on a nightly basis. It is also highly recognized for being one of the few places to listen to real blues and jazz, but they also get musicians of all genres to perform. The set up of the venue allows the customers to view the band close-up, giving an intimate connection between the artists and their music. Plus, the sound quality at the Rhythm Room is superb.
The Phoenix Symphony Hall
This multi-purpose performing arts venue located in downtown Phoenix, is the ultimate venue to see great symphonies, orchestras, ballets and even Beatles and McCartney tribute bands. Like all symphony halls, this venue is strikingly beautiful inside and out. Come gets lost in the transcendent music of Baroque, Classical, and Renaissance and support the talented musicians in The Phoenix Symphony.
http://www.phoenixsymphony.org/
Copper Blues
This Phoenix rock pub and kitchen features great live music, more than 60 beers on tap, and tasty food from their unique stone hearth oven. During their happy hour, which is the place to be, they have dollar beer shots and other special offers. It also has an upstairs balcony that has a fantastic overview of Downtown Phoenix.
