Live Music in Philly: A Comprehensive Guide to 40+ Concert Venues

Select spring and summer evenings, Citizens Bank Park trades passionate Phillies fanatics for equally passionate music lovers. One of the largest concert venues in the city, the ballpark holds over 40,000 screaming fans, welcomes global superstars across genres (think Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen and Pink), and provides audiences with a high-energy, open-air concertgoing experience.

This 5,300-person Fairmount Park amphitheater has long been known for jazz, soul and hip-hop greats, from the late Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald to Keith Sweat, Patti LaBelle, Ne-Yo and Erykah Badu. All ages shows are the norm during the warm-weather season, and in addition to presenting the best in musical entertainment, concertgoers are treated to scenic views of the surrounding park from their seats.

Across the Delaware River in Camden, New Jersey, this laidback, picturesque summertime amphitheater is perfect for enjoying Slayer, Hootie & The Blowfish and Kidz Bop concerts. With a capacity of 25,000, the venue gives guests a choice between snagging a seat under the venue’s covered pavilion or bringing a blanket or lawn chair of their own to enjoy the show under the setting sun or stars. After dark, lawn-dwellers enjoy a breathtaking view of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Philadelphia city skyline.

While most of Philadelphia’s arena-style venues find themselves in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex area, The Liacouras Center carves out a home for itself on the campus of Temple University. Formerly known as “the Apollo of Temple,” the 10,000-seat arena on North Broad hosts official university activities (think: graduations and Owls basketball games) as well as some of the biggest stars in hip-hop, gospel, R&B, comedy and family-friendly entertainment.

Each spring and summer, South Philly’s super-sized outdoor stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, hosts the biggest names in music. The Linc, as it’s affectionately known, only opens its doors to a handful of concerts between Eagles home games, but when it does, the stadium clocks in as the largest concert venue within Philadelphia city limits. In 2023, Beyonce opened the United States leg of her Renaissance tour from the football field and Ed Sheeran smashed the stadium’s attendance records, packing in over 77,000 fans.

Founded as the summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Mann Center is the largest covered music and arts venue in the city seating 14,000 people. The West Fairmount Park venue presents a range of orchestral, pop, jazz and rock concerts, as well as arts education programs that focus on everything from dance to drumming. Each June, the venue welcomes The Roots Picnic, a nationally acclaimed summer music festival curated by Philadelphia’s favorite hip-hop group, The Roots.

The South Philly home of the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers hosts big-name performers and accommodates sold-out crowds of 21,000-plus. Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé, Madonna, Elton John, Justin Timberlake and hometown favorite Pink have all made music on Xfinity Mobile Arena’s huge stage. In recent years, a number of technological and dining upgrades have come to the arena, creating an even more elevated experience for event-goers.

Ardmore Music Hall first won music lovers’ hearts as a rock club over 40 years ago. With an excellent sound system, options for premium balcony seating or general admission accommodations and a full bar curated by the venue’s sister restaurant Ripplewood, this intimate Montgomery County venue attracts audiences from across the region and artists performing a variety of genres, including rock, funk, adult contemporary, Americana and more.

Located right next door to The Fillmore and Foundry (see below) in Fishtown, the Philadelphia outpost of New York’s Brooklyn Bowl pulls double time as both a family-friendly bowling alley and a hip concert venue. On the venue’s lower level, you’ll find 12 lanes for bowling, a full-service kitchen and plenty of places to lounge. The performance space above welcomes artists that span jam band, funk, soul, indie rock and hip-hop, as well as DJ parties.

Music pairs perfectly with the award-winning wine program at the Fashion District’s City Winery. Throughout the year, the venue hosts established touring soul, folk and jazz acts as well as local talent, live podcast tapings and more in its intimate performance spaces. What’s even better? City Winery is also a full-service restaurant, so audience members can enjoy dinner or shareable bites with their wine and show.

Philadelphia’s version of the famed San Francisco rock club offers several spaces for local, national and international acts. The 2,500-person-capacity main room boasts unbeatable sight lines, while The Foundry serves as a 450-person club within the club for more intimate concerts and DJ parties. The Ajax Bar serves libations before, during and after shows, and Wolfgang Puck provides food and drink throughout the venue.

Built in 1886, the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia serves its congregation and community as any religious sanctuary does by day, but by night, the church becomes one of the city’s coolest concert venues. In the church basement, locally based R5 Productions puts on all-ages concerts featuring local and touring independent bands playing rock, punk and hip-hop. On occasion, intimate seated shows, theatrical performances and orchestras take place in the chapel or main sanctuary.

One of the larger venues in Philadelphia, Franklin Music Hall (formerly known as the Electric Factory) draws national acts that fill the 2,500-person-capacity room. Standing-room at stage level is typically all-ages; a balcony with unbeatable views and a full bar accommodates the 21-plus crowd. Past headliners: David Bowie, Miley Cyrus and Jay-Z.

This suburban landmark is instantly recognizable by its Tudor Revival style facade, designed by the same architect behind the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art. Inside, the theater comfortably seats 1,300 in its elegant hall. Popular among touring singer-songwriters, smaller acts with passionate followings and tribute bands, the Keswick Theater lends an easy-going atmosphere to artists looking to connect with their devoted fans and is recognized as one of the most acoustically perfect listening rooms in the region.

Located in the heart of the city in a stately facility, the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts serves as the anchor for Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. Several of the city’s most prestigious performing arts institutions call the Kimmel Center home: The Philadelphia Orchestra regularly performs in its 2,500-seat concert hall, Verizon Hall, while PHILADANCO! Dance Company, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Curtis Institute of Music stage performances in the Kimmel Center’s 650-seat Perelman Theater. The SEI Innovation Studio black box theater rounds out the Kimmel’s trio of large performance spaces and provides a place for emerging and established musicians, playwrights and artists to present their work.

Bob Dylan christened the stage when this 110-year-old former opera house debuted as a 3,400-seat modern music venue in late 2018. Concert promoter LiveNation partnered in the $56 million refurbishment of the space, which continues a renaissance along North Broad Street, and keeps the music hall’s schedule packed with established and beloved touring acts. Performers like Meek Mill, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men have all made stops at the venue in recent years.

Even if you’re not a betting person, a show at the Parx’s Xcite Center is worth the trip to the casino. The music venue channels the excitement of the playing floor with its top-notch technology and sound system, dazzling lighting (just look at those glamorous chandeliers!) and luxurious seating for 1,500. The performance space attracts artists across a variety of genres, nostalgic tribute bands and some of the funniest comedians.

Penn Live Arts, formerly known as the Annenberg Center, is the University of Pennsylvania’s home for innovative performing arts of all kinds. Housed right on the university’s campus, the performance space curates year-round dance, theater and film presentations in addition to homegrown, international and even student-produced musical acts. Not catering to any one genre, the lineup includes everything from jazz to rap to mambo to folk.

Lovingly known as the TLA by Philly natives, South Street’s largest concert venue has built a national reputation as a top place to see live music. In a previous life, the TLA was a movie house that helped to turn indie films, like Rocky Horror Picture Show, into cult classics. Today, the theater retains its retro coolness as concertgoers head to the venue to enjoy well-known DJs, R&B, rap and pop acts. With a capacity of about 1,000, the venue is mostly standing-room-only but does feature two bars and a 21-plus mezzanine with limited seating.

Tucked into the city’s burgeoning Callowhill neighborhood, this lower-level space caters to a creative crowd with genres of live music that run the spectrum. Parliament Funkadelic, Roky Erickson and JoJo are a few of the established acts that have taken the stage here over the years, but for the most part, the 650-person capacity venue remains true to its name, giving rising stars just making their mark in the industry the opportunity to shine. Most shows at the venue are 21-plus and standing-room-only.

Local and touring indie, punk, and hip-hop acts hit the stage at this Spring Garden venue. The historic building dates back to the late 1800s and is known for its excellent acoustics and spacious, scalable capacity room that holds from 500 to 1,200 concertgoers. The all-age venue is mostly standing-room-only with limited seating available on the balcony on a first-come, first-served basis.

The brick-and-mortar outpost of the University of Pennsylvania’s indie radio station serves food, drinks and live music. The venue prides itself on providing the best sound and sightlines possible to create an exceptional performance experience for both the artist and the audience. Upstairs houses a full-service restaurant with eclectic tunes most nights of the week. The downstairs music hall offers food service for a larger crowd and hosts well-known bands.

This lively Montgomery County venue brings together food, drink and music for the makings of a great time. Owned by the same folks behind the nearby Ardmore Music Hall (see below), this restaurant/music lounge offers patrons a personal environment and comfortable seating to enjoy rock’n’roll, Americana, funk, roots, pop and more over a delicious meal and star-worthy cocktails.

Hidden on a cobblestone street just off of Girard Ave, this unassuming Fishtown venue is easy to miss. But behind that simple facade is one of the coolest, most intimate venues in the city. Formerly a 19th-century steam plant, the Black Squirrel Club’s main performance space holds onto its industrial aesthetic while hosting jazz, chamber music and more under a stunning chandelier made from a car.

Chris’ Jazz Cafe, the longest-operating jazz club in Philly, has hosted live music for the past 30-plus years. Five nights a week, audiences can expect performances by local, national and international artists. To accompany the music, the club serves up an ever-changing menu of Southern-inspired dishes. Guests can choose whether to enjoy a full three-course dinner with their show or simply grab a general admission ticket and order food and drinks a la carte.

This South Philly icon has been a staple of nightlife in the city stretching back to the ’50s. For the last decade or so, the divey spot — with its ever-active dance floor and Instagrammable neon-light wall — has been a hotbed for partiers and DJs of all persuasions from hip-hop to electronic to queer-focused house to funk.

Movie theater turned modern music venue, The Fallser Club is passionate about the community and music. Originally built as a silent film theater in 1914, the building has been through many adaptations throughout the years. Today, this East Falls entertainment space serves as an intimate venue where the community can listen to a variety of music genres, watch documentary screenings, attend open mic nights and more.

This snug Northern Liberties bar is the city’s oldest original music club and its only woman-owned music venue. It’s also where John Legend started his career and Maroon 5, My Chemical Romance and Jason Mraz played early shows. The Fire showcases local, national and international indie rock, heavy metal and glam pop acts as well as the oldest continuously running free open mic on Mondays.

This music venue/restaurant and bar gets its name from pro-boxer turned restauranteur, Frankie Bradley, who originally opened his restaurant in the space in 1933 and served some of the top celebrities of his day, including Elizabeth Taylor, Dick Clark and Lucille Ball. Present-day, restaurant owner Mark Bee (of Silk City and North 3rd) packs the tucked-away, two-story venue with a varied lineup of acts, including jazz, rock and burlesque. Downstairs, patrons can enjoy a full menu of appetizers, sandwiches and entrees; upstairs, there’s room for 300 to get down

This former dive bar turned hip Fishtown landmark has a stage that’s rarely empty — and pint glasses that are always filled. Past headliners include Sufjan Stevens, Wire, Grizzly Bear and Jim James. Other highlights: an all-local, all-draft beer list and a popular restaurant on the first floor that serves food until 1 a.m. — perfect for a post-show bite and brew. Fun fact: This popular spot made an appearance in Creed, the seventh installment in the Rocky franchise.

Fishtown below the Market-Frankford El train is the hiding place for this intimate destination for local and touring musicians. Nightly, audiences rock out with indie, hardcore, punk, hip-hop, and metal acts performing on one of the dive bar’s two stages. On weekends, DJs are added to the mix, giving party people a low-key place to let their hair down and dance away the week’s worries.

With two locations in Philadelphia, MilkBoy gives audiences the chance to catch up-and-coming artists and under-the-radar bands first — as well as grab an incredible meal from a menu that’s just as creative as the venues’ lineups. The Chestnut Street 21-plus location features live performances and events nearly nightly. The South Street location offers a mix of live performances, open mics and sing-alongs. While the downstairs dining room at Milkboy South Street is open to diners of all ages, you must be over 21 to enjoy the shows in the upstairs studio.

Imagine NPR’s famous Tiny Desk performances but in a typical South Philly rowhome. That’s the NotSoLatin concert series. Every Tuesday and Friday, this diverse collective of artists sets up shop in a Ritner Street residence that doubles as a performance space, recording studio and community cultural center to flex their creative muscles and practice cultural exchange. What may have started as a jazz-fusion performance series has since branched out into other genres including opera, big band and even comedy with the NotSoFunny series.

This Northern Liberties spot first entered the Philly music scene in the late 1980s as a charming jazz club and bar. While the venue still hosts its long-running jazz nights every Monday evening, it has now added a variety of other genres to its repertoire including blues, alternative, comedy, and karaoke, and offers a Tex-Mex menu of burritos, tacos, nachos and more.

The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts was founded in 1936 by James Adams and members of Local No. 274, an African American Musician’s Union that counted jazz legends like John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Grover Washington Jr. among its members. Today, the Avenue of the Arts performance space and educational center continues the legacy set forth by its founders by promoting jazz — past, present and future — with workshops, classes, private lessons and concerts.

For about a century beginning in the 1860s, the historic building that houses PhilaMOCA, or the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, operated as a showroom for cemetery monuments (interesting, we know). More recently, the site was owned by international electronic act DJ Diplo and headquartered his Mad Decent record label (somehow, even more interesting). Nowadays, the building’s dynamic, multipurpose art space showcases the best in underground art, hosting everything from music performances and film showings to art exhibitions and fashion shows. Noteworthy annual events include Eraserhood Forever, a festival honoring filmmaker David Lynch, and the Cinedelphia Film Festival.

Simultaneously simple and elegant, the Rotunda in University City opened as a religious sanctuary in 1911. Today, the alcohol-free, smoke-free and admission-free (unless otherwise noted) community spot hosts world music, soul, hip-hop, rock, jazz, experimental and other types of music in its warm and inclusive space. When bands aren’t playing there, the socially conscious venue attracts crowds of all ages for movies; live dance, spoken word and theater; art exhibits, classes, workshops; and youth programs.

This fun diner packs a ton of nostalgia, a retro vibe and really good eats. In the evenings, the Spring Garden staple turns the lights down and the vibes up without losing its old-school charm. The venue’s regular lineup of live entertainment includes everything from DJs and parties to rock, indie, soul, funk, hip-hop and electronic acts.

Over the years, this South Broad Street venue has hosted country singers and rockstars. (Its iconic cowboy boot marquee is a relic of its past lives.) Now, the storied little spot has been reimagined as a jazz club with an experimental edge. Local music nonprofit the Ars Nova Workshop has moved in and curates a nightly program of experimental musical performances for adventurous listeners. Audiences are in for an intimate listening experience as the performance space’s capacity taps out at just 150. During the day, anyone — arts enthusiasts and otherwise — is invited to stop by the first floor’s coffee shop/wine bar/record store combo.

The Bynum family empire has encompassed many beloved Philadelphia eateries and cultural institutions over the last three decades: Warmdaddy’s, Relish and Zanzibar Blue all come to mind. The family’s North Broad Street spot, South, offers guests a delicious foray into upscale Southern cuisine and the quintessential jazz club experience. The restaurant’s intimate and sophisticated performance space seats up to 75 people and welcomes the best and brightest artists from the jazz world for shows six nights a week.

This Midtown Village restaurant-whiskey bar-music lounge combo draws a diverse, music-loving crowd and screams sophistication. While the bar side of the restaurant provides low-key vibes perfect for catching up with friends or catching the game, the restaurant’s live music program steals the show. Every evening Thursday through Saturday, local jazz talents light up the stage in the restaurant’s dining room. It’s not uncommon for the music to continue past the allotted time, evolving into a full-fledged jam session.

The excitement of live entertainment meets a creative menu of expertly crafted cocktails, beer, wine and light bites at this Center City venue. Vinyl brings live modern rock, country, jazz and even dueling pianos to crowds looking to enjoy a grown-up evening out. With a capacity of 350 people, this classy cocktail lounge has options for VIP seating, front-row lounge accommodations and intimate cocktail tables.

DJs, performance artists and weekend dance parties are on the packed calendar at Warehouse on Watts (W.O.W.) just off North Broad Street. Divided into two event and performance spaces, the Cambridge Hall space downstairs is an intimate and cozy bar whereas the Loft above provides an exciting nightclub experience thanks in part to the fun custom lighting designed by Philadelphia’s own Klip Collective. The 21-and-over grassroots event space aims to book acts that represent Philly’s dynamic neighborhoods and diverse performance scene.