Are you a fan of live music? Do you enjoy watching your favorite bands do live performances? Or do you simply want to know more about live music in Portland? Read on to find out some useful information about the live music scene in Portland.
Portland has a thriving live music industry. There are actually many restaurants that offer live music and many venues that host performances from the country’s top bands. Whether you like jazz, mainstream, indie, rock, or pop, you will have no trouble finding a bar or restaurant that suits your taste in music.
Let’s take a look at some of the more popular venues where you can enjoy live music in Portland. The Aladdin Theatre and Performance Center is probably the best-known venue for live music. It has great acoustics, making it a favorite concert venue of artists going on tour in Portland. It may be small but it provides comfortable seats with great views of the band. It has earned a solid five-star rating among TripAdvisor reviewers. Featured artists this week are Sharon van Etten and The War on Drugs on the 23rd (Friday) and Tyrone Wells with Joe Brooks on the 25th (Sunday).
The Doug Fir Lounge is the place to go for live indie music and is counted as one of Paste Magazine’s 40 Best Music Venues in America. The interiors will remind you of a comfortable log cabin. Performing this weekend are Mr. Gnome, Pt. Juncture WA, Sun Angle, Yppah, Anomie Belle, Cars & Trains, Lost in the Trees, and Poor Moon.
For jazz aficionados, Jimmy Mak’s is the place to visit. You can enjoy live jazz music from Monday to Saturday from 8pm onwards. Downbeat Magazine ranks Jimmy Mak’s as one of the top 100 jazz venues all over the world. Take advantage of the no cover charge policy every Monday night or catch one of Mel Brown’s bands every Tuesday through Thursday.
If you want a venue with a historical flavor to it, McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom is the perfect place to see. Legends such as Janis Joplin performed here in the ’60s. The Crystal Ballroom also has a floating dance floor, which is the only one in the country and well worth the visit. This Friday, March 23rd, catch Of Montreal, Deerhof, and Kishi Bashi. On Saturday, March 24th, enjoy the music of Galactic, featuring Corey Glover, Corey Henry, and Orgone.
Dante’s is another very popular venue for live music that features mostly rock and heavy metal music. On Monday nights though, you can channel your inner rockstar by joining their “Karaoke From Hell” night. Guests are given the unique opportunity to sing with a live band, fulfilling their rockstar fantasies.
The Roseland Theater is another well-known music venue in Portland that has hosted the likes of Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Prince, Tina Turner, and Pearl Jam, to name a few. It has a capacity of more than 1000 and boasts of a large stage with great acoustics. This weekend, visit the Roseland Theater to catch the concert of Umphreys McGee, Of Monsters and Men, and YTF.