LIVE MUSIC IS ON THE MENU FROM DIVE BARS AND BREWERIES TO PARKS AND THEATERS.
You expect excellent sound at any live music venue, but what sets the best places apart, says Joe Alterman, is “just an indescribable vibe that gives me a good feeling.”
Alterman, a jazz pianist from Sandy Springs and the executive director of the Jewish cultural organization Neranenah, says that feeling could come in an intimate room or a concert hall. “If all of them had the same thing, it wouldn’t make each one so special.”
Hearing live music anywhere feels special after the pandemic, says Huu Mai, the accompanist and assistant to the interim director of the Atlanta Boy Choir. “I would love to be able to go to the opera. I’d love to go to the symphony. I’d love to go check out the next Eagles concert. Anything, just anything.” We couldn’t agree more.
Here are some of the best nearby places to enjoy live music again soon:
CITY SPRINGS:
This venue at the heart of Sandy Springs’ new city center presents two outdoor concert series, City Green Live and Concerts by the Springs, through the summer, and the 1,096-seat Byers Theatre offers outstanding acoustics inside. citysprings.com
CADENCE BANK AMPHITHEATRE AT CHASTAIN PARK:
This is the place in northern Buckhead to hear performers such as Alicia Keys, John Legend and Wilco while enjoying a picnic under the stars. livenation.com
CONANT PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:
The concert hall on the campus of Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven delivers good enough sound to serve as the home of the Capitol City Opera Company, which also performs in a more relaxed setting in Brookhaven at Petite Violette for its monthly Dinner and a Diva series (ccityopera.org/dinnerand- a-diva). connect.oglethorpe.edu/organization/conant
TERMINAL WEST:
This Westside venue is the place to rock out with acts that someday could fill State Farm Arena. terminalwestatl.com
ECLIPSE DI LUNA:
Live Latin music complements the Spanish menu on Buckhead’s Miami Circle and in Dunwoody. eclipsediluna.com
BUCKHEAD THEATRE:
Regardless of the music, it’s always a pleasure to spend time at this 90-year-old belle of the Buckhead Triangle. thebuckheadtheatreatl.com
BUCKHEAD SALOON, FIVE PACES INN, RED DOOR TAVERN AND KRAMER’S BUCKHEAD:
Depending on your mood, the crowd and the performers, hopping around these bars provides a casual, entertaining alternative to the nearby Buckhead Theatre. buckheadsaloonatlanta.com, facebook.com/thefivepacesinn, reddooratl.com, kramersbuckhead.com
NORTHSIDE TAVERN:
Blues is the specialty at this self-described dive bar on the Westside. northsidetavern.com
ROUND TRIP BREWING CO. AND STEADY HAND BEER CO.:
Tap these options in the bubbling Westside Brewery District to enjoy craft beers with live tunes inside or out. roundtripbrewing.com, steadyhandbeer.com
THAT FESTIVE SPRITE
Music festivals are returning to Atlanta and the Southeast. Here are some options worth checking out through September:
Gulf Coast Jam (country music), Panama City Beach, Florida, June 4-6, gulfcoastjam.com.
Carolina Country Music Fest, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 10-13, carolinacountrymusicfest.com.
Maypop Music & Arts Festival (multigenre), Nashville, Tennessee, June 25-27, maypopfest.live.
Greenwood Blues Cruise Greenwood, South Carolina, July 8-10, uptowngreenwood.com
Raccoon Creek Bluegrass Festival, Raccoon Creek Music Park, Dallas, July 9-10, raccooncreekmusic.com.
Neranenah (Jewish music and comedy), Chattahoochee Nature Center, Roswell, July 30-Aug. 1, neranenaharts.org.
Bragg Jam (multigenre), Macon, July 31, braggjam.org.
Bonnaroo Music Festival (multigenre), Manchester, Tennessee, Sept. 2-5, bonnaroo.com.
Hopscotch Festival (multigenre), Raleigh, North Carolina, Sept. 9-11, hopscotchmusicfest.com.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Bristol, Tennessee/ Virginia, Sept. 10-12, bristolrhythm2021.com.
MerleFest (traditional and more), Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Sept. 16-19, merlefest.org.
Boom Days (multigenre), Fort Payne, Alabama, Sept. 17-18, boomdays.com.
Imagine Festival (electronic), Bouckaert Farm, Chattahoochee Hills, Sept. 17-19, imaginefestival.com.
Ignite Atlanta (Christian), Sugar Hill Church, Sugar Hill, Sept. 18, atlantafest.com.
Music Midtown (multigenre), Piedmont Park, Midtown Atlanta, Sept. 18-19, musicmidtown.com.
Furnace Fest (rock), Birmingham, Alabama, Sept. 24-26, furnacefest.us.
Blind Willie McTell Music Festival (blues and more), Thomson, Sept. 25, blindwillie.com.
Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival (multigenre), Franklin, Tennessee, Sept. 25-26, pilgrimagefestival.com.
