Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Entertainment
Quietly aggrieved that it was being bypassed by big-name touring acts
in the 1980s, Seattle shut itself away and created its own live-music
scene. This explosive grassroots movement is backed up by independent
cinema, burlesque theater, bookstore poetry readings and some high-
profile opera, classical music and drama.
Live Music
Seattle's music venues can be stacked in a triangle. At the top sits the 17,000-capacity
Key Arena. Below this is a trio of medium-sized historic theaters: the 2807-capacity
Paramount, the 1420-capacity Moore (dating from 1907) and the 1137-capacity Show-
box (dating from 1939).
Next is a handful of more clamorous venues, small enough to foster the close band-
audience interaction that was so crucial in the development of Seattle's 1990s music re-
volution. Some of these '90s bastions still exist, though in a more sanitized form. Still
pulling less mainstream big-name acts are the 475-capacity Crocodile in Belltown, and
650-capacity Neumo's in Capitol Hill.
Hosting lesser-known local talent are various neighborhood venues such as Ballard's
360-capacity Tractor Tavern and Fremont's High Dive. Right at the bottom of the tri-
angle are the ubiquitous pubs, clubs and coffee bars that showcase small-time local tal-
ent from Irish fiddlers to Bjork-like singers.
Seattle has two jazz venues, Tula's and Dimitriou's Jazz Alley. For an altogether
swankier scene, hit downtown's Triple Door.
The Arts
Seattle is a book-loving town and there's a literary event practically every night. Film is
also big news these days. The Seattle International Film Festival is among the most in-
fluential festivals in the country, and a thriving independent scene has sprung up in a
handful of underground venues. Theater runs the gamut from big productions, such as
Ibsen at the Intiman, to staged readings of obscure texts in cobbled-together venues or
coffee shops. The Seattle Symphony has become nationally known and widely respec-
ted, primarily through its excellent recordings. For current entertainment listings, scour
the
Stranger
(
Click here
)
or
Seattle Weekly
(
Click here
)
.
