A longtime favorite of Detroiters, this cozy, historic, and newly refurbished (read: the bathrooms aren’t gross!) venue in Bricktown has hosted some of the world’s biggest musicians on their way to the top: Eminem and Richie Hawtin got their starts downstairs at The Shelter as teenagers, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis, Fall Out Boy, and Meek Mill performed at St. Andrew’s in their early days. In 2022, Detroit-born Lizzo played an intimate gig here for her biggest fans.

When you walk into this club—opened by its namesake in 1935, shortly after the end of Prohibition—you will feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Lovingly restored, its polished brass and dark wood enhances the Art Deco vibe that’s old-school and classy but not uptight, making it a great place to listen to jazz artists from around the globe or around the corner.

This fiercely independent club opened in 2015 in the old home of the Detroit Eagle, a popular leather daddy bar that had operated for 25 years. But Marble Bar swiftly became just as beloved. Famous for its marathon house and techno parties that stretch all weekend long, it’s a laidback industrial space with a giant skull-shaped disco ball, state-of-the-art sound, and an enormous outdoor patio covered in plants. It’s a spot for the heads: no bottle service, no dress code, just good tunes.

Rolling Stone named this all-ages club in Southwest Detroit one of the 10 best live venues in America. It has a friendly vibe and a deliberately diverse booking policy that includes both touring and local acts, so you can see Weyes Blood, Dan Deacon, Ghostface Killah, or hometown garage-rock heroes The Gories depending on what night it is. It’s a small, compact room with solid sound and a very low stage, so if you want to actually see the performer, get there early and chill.

America’s largest Masonic Temple made headlines in 2013 when Jack White, a Detroit native, quietly paid off its back property taxes to keep the building from foreclosure. The temple's side theater, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, was later renamed after him, and in 2022, he got married onstage during a show. Music has echoed through the Masonic's chambers since the ’60s, from local heroes like the MC5 to rock gods like Jimi Hendrix, and it remains critical to Detroit's live music landscape.

Located in a Midtown complex that includes a bowling alley and a pizza joint, these two venues—ground zero for Detroit's garage rock and indie explosion in the early 2000s—stage everything from rap-metal showcases to live podcasts. The Majestic, downstairs, is an old converted theater. The upstairs Magic Stick gets its name from the former pool hall that the owners built in the ’90s. Despite its recent makeover, it’s a cozy, comfy space that still feels like an ancient rock ’n’ roll dive.

This intimate Art Deco room, with its piano-shaped bar, vies with the Village Vanguard as the oldest jazz club in the world. Art Tatum himself selected the grand piano that still sits in the lounge. Ella Fitzgerald came by to listen one night and ended up sitting in; Miles Davis allegedly stopped by with his trumpet in a paper bag. It’s one of those places where you feel the history in the walls: Charlie Parker. Sarah Vaughan. Charles Mingus. Thelonious Monk.

Formerly known as the State Theatre, this grand downtown hall, initially built as a movie palace in 1925, is the smaller, more casual cousin to the neighboring Fox Theatre. In 2018, it received its first-ever (and much-needed) restoration, which brought its stunning domed ceiling back to its proper, sparkling state. Today, it’s run by Live Nation and hosts a spectrum of scenes and sounds, from groundbreaking hip-hop and R&B (Lil Nas X, Steve Lacy) to next-gen pop (FLETCHER, Clairo).

“TV Bar,” as locals call it, is a dedicated supporter of Detroit’s vibrant underground. The club was born when the now-owner’s mom—in search of a place for her hair salon—bought the building and moved in upstairs, turning the downstairs into a coffee shop with open mic nights. Now, it’s a go-to spot for boundary-pushing bands and DJs (such as Moodymann and Matthew Dear) who turn its intimate, treasured patio into a thumping neighborhood rave. Look for the tiny “TV” above the door.

This East Side tavern has been around since 1966 and bills itself as Detroit’s oldest blues bar. It’s the real deal: There’s live blues Thursday through Saturday, a handful of tables, and a tiny dance floor marked off with duct tape that’s always in use. The musicians who play here are local folks continuing the tradition of the Delta blues, which made its way north during the Great Migration. Look out for Ben Moore and the Blues Express or Machelle B and The Detroit Soulful Band.