Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
concert sells out, they pass out free posters designed by specially selected artists, a
long tradition with the Fillmore. Amusingly, there's also a tub of free apples avail-
able at the door of every show.
Once a prime booker of vaudeville acts,
The Warfield
(982 Market St., at 6th;
%
415/567-2060)
still has a streak of the vaudeville in it, as it hosts high-value
specialty acts (like Margaret Cho, Katt Williams, KT Tunstall, and Sasha & John
Digweed) at market concert prices. The orchestra area is general admission, while
the balconies offer assigned seating.
Acts and audiences alike dig
The Great American Music Hall
(859 O'Farrell St.,
at Larkin;
%
415/885-0750; www.musichallsf.com),
a saloon-like ballroom (opened
in 1907), which is sized just right to enable you to stand, sit, or hang out on a chair
in the balcony. Tickets are affordable ($10-$15) for an excellent selection of acts—
some would say that its programming is as solid as the venue itself. Add another $25
to your ticket, and they'll serve you a fully coursed supper and you can keep your
seat in the balcony for the show.
INTIMATE VENUES
A valued indie-band lounge,
Cafe du Nord
5
(2170 Market St., at Church;
%
415/
861-5016; www.cafedunord.com; cover $10-$20)
was built in 1907—then again,
most of modern San Francisco was, too—and during Prohibition, it was known as
a down-and-dirty speakeasy. It still retains many of its Victorian touches, including
lots of moody wood and a 40-foot-long mahogany bar. Today, you can slip in
legally, without a reservation, and catch live music 7 nights a week. The picks are
mixed, from bluegrass to singer-songwriters to jazz. Food's served but you don't have
to eat, and there aren't many tables anyway. Upstairs, the cafe runs a larger space,
the
Swedish American Hall,
where bigger names appear in a balconied dance-hall-
type room. A detailed online calendar of events for both is well maintained, includ-
ing information concerning which upcoming shows have sold out.
Nightly after 9pm, there's free music at the laid-back
Revolution Café
(3248
22nd St., at Bartlett;
%
415/642-0474; cash only),
including jazz, folk, Mac-
powered experiments—even classical sometimes. Call it hipster bait if you will,
but the heat-lamp-warmed patio is a pretty relaxed place to spend a few hours. It's
friendly and hardly stands on ceremony: You order at the bar before seating your-
self. That is, if you can find a seat; show up before 8pm if you want a sporting
chance.
The intimate and eclectic
Amnesia
5
(853 Valencia St., btw. 19th and 20th;
%
415/970-0012; www.amnesiathebar.com),
in the Mission, programs bluegrass
on Monday (when getting in is free), gypsy jazz (think Django Reinhardt), and a
Sunday night featuring a wide range of styles from klezmer to burlesque, a music
style suited to the red curtains and bordello chandeliers of the decor. It's the kind
of place where the musicians wear fedoras. Covers are generally charged only on
weekends, and even then, they usually top out at $8. Tuesday is karaoke night.
Hard liquor isn't served, but there is Belgian beer.
Perhaps the most stylish place to catch a musical performance,
Bimbo's 365
Club
55
(1025 Columbus Ave., at Chestnut;
%
415/474-0365; www.bimbos365
club.com),
lushly draped in curtains and evoking a 1940s dance hall, books a wide
variety of acts, from old-school crooners to well-known rock bands. This place has
been open since the music it favors was new, in 1951, and folks consider it an
