© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How to find live music in St. Louis every night of the week

Smino performs during his annual Kribmas show at The Pageant on Sunday. Dec. 8, 2019
Carolina Hidalgo
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Smino performs during his annual Kribmas show in December 2019 at The Pageant in the Delmar Loop.

St. Louis’ musical heritage is foundational to the city’s culture. Scott Joplin, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Tina Turner, Uncle Tupelo and Nelly are among the musical bedrock that new waves of local artists build upon today.

Concertgoers in 2023 have had a bounty of opportunities to watch their favorite artists perform again, as the live music industry continues its post-pandemic recovery. Evolution Festival had a strong showing in its inaugural year, Music at the Intersection drew its largest crowd yet — and Beyoncé included a St. Louis stop on her world-renowned Renaissance tour.

If you're itching for a concert, here's your guide to finding the right show — whether it's a high-production stadium megatour, an intimate club show or something in between.

The Fox Theater's signs illuminate the building facade
Philip Leara
/
Flickr
The Fabulous Fox in the Grand Center Arts District

When big names come to town

Downtown St. Louis has multiple venues to accommodate huge crowds, none larger than the 82,000-seat Dome at America’s Center, where Beyoncé performed. There’s also the 18,000-seat Enterprise Center and Chaifetz Arena, which seats about 10,600. The Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Maryland Heights — or “Riverport,” as many stubborn locals continue to call it — accommodates about 20,000 people.

Midsize concert venues worth keeping on your radar include:

For a classical night out

Performances by the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are normally held at Powell Hall. But during its 2023-24 season, most of the symphony’s subscription concerts will take place at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, located at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, while Powell Hall undergoes a $100 million renovation and expansion.

The symphony will stage special events at the Stifel Theatre — which seats more than 3,000 patrons — including concerts that accompany film screenings, plus classical and holiday shows.

If you’re a fan of classical music, you might be interested in attending a performance by the Opera Theater of St. Louis at the Loretto-Hilton Center on Webster University’s campus in Webster Groves.

Stephen Lee Bruner, better known by his stage name "Thundercat," performs on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, during the Music at the Intersection festival in Grand Center.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Thundercat performs on Sept. 10 during the Music at the Intersection festival in Grand Center.

Summer music festivals

Following the demise of LouFest in 2018, local concertgoers were left without a flagship music fest that brought national acts to Forest Park. But that changed in 2023 when promoters Steve Schankman and Joe Litvag organized Evolution Festival. Aside from the music, the festival features vendors showcasing a variety of bourbons while local pitmasters hawk barbecue.

The Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s Music at the Intersection festival has become an annual force in Grand Center. Its lineups lean toward hip-hop, jazz, R&B and the blues. This year also saw the expansion of the Open Highway Music Festival, which was hosted for the first time at the Chesterfield Amphitheater. Its lineups emphasize alternative rock, country and Americana music.

The Whitaker Music Festival is an open-air concert series held every week from May to August at the Missouri Botanical Garden. GroveFest is a free, annual street festival that takes place the first Saturday of October in the Grove. Aside from music, the festival features a classic car display, a bubble bus, karaoke, fire performers and eating contests.

Patrons listen to the band “Love Jones” on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups in St. Louis, Missouri.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Patrons listen to the band “Love Jones” in December 2021 at BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups in downtown St. Louis.

Smaller venues for more intimate vibes

Although the exhilaration and atmosphere of being surrounded by thousands of other music fans can be electrifying, smaller venues have their own special ambiance because of the intimate connection artists can have with the audience, regardless of the genre.

Jazz St. Louis in Grand Center is a premier destination to check out a jazz show in St. Louis. You can listen to live performances there on St. Louis Public Radio at 8 p.m. Fridays and Sundays on The Next Set: Live From Jazz St. Louis.

While the National Blues Museum showcases the musical history and impact of the blues, it also hosts live blues concerts by St. Louis-based and nationally acclaimed blues musicians.

For live country music, Stovall's Grove in Wildwood is a must-visit, especially if you like dancing. The historic music hall on Old Route 66 has been around since 1935. If you're looking for something closer to downtown, you can catch a similar twang at the Honky Tonk.

Other intimate venues to check out:

How to keep up with events

There are always news shows popping up and tours rolling through St. Louis. Watch these local concert calendars for up-to-date info about concerts around the region:

If you have any questions, comments or venue recommendations we can add to this article, email us at welcome@stlpr.org.

Lara is the Engagement Editor at St. Louis Public Radio.