Using our editorial expertise and Boxscore metrics, Billboard has selected 26 venues that artists clamor to play and fans gather at to enjoy. These selections are divided by region and venue type, as well as fan-favorite categories honoring the elements that add magic and energy to local music scenes.
Top West Coast Stadium: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
The Los Angeles NFL venue is the highest-grossing stadium for concerts in the world, according to Billboard’s 2023 year-end Boxscore chart, reporting 19 concerts that grossed $175 million in ticket sales to Billboard Boxscore. SoFi Stadium also nabbed the top-grossing Boxscore of the year with Beyoncé’s three-night run in September, which brought in $45.5 million. Unlike other football palaces, SoFi Stadium was built with concerts in mind, and it already has an eclectic mix of pop, rock, R&B/hip-hop and Latin dates on the books for 2024.
Top Central U.S. Stadium: NRG Stadium (Houston)
Dallas’ AT&T Stadium has long dominated the Lone Star State, but in 2023, NRG Stadium showed it could hold its own. Last year, both facilities landed three Taylor Swift shows, but the latter, managed by ASM, hosted two Beyoncé concerts over Dallas’ one, shifting the balance of power back down to southern Texas and the greater Houston metroplex.
Taylor Swift at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Bob Levey/TAS23/Getty Images
Top East Coast Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
The home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons has dominated Georgia as the region’s must-play stadium since its 2017 opening. In 2023, Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted its biggest year of concerts ever with multiple dates from Beyoncé, Swift, Ed Sheeran, Karol G, Grupo Firme and George Strait.
Top International Stadium: Foro Sol (Mexico City)
This 30-year-old racetrack and stadium has become Mexico’s must-play venue and the second-highest-grossing stadium in the world. In 2023, Foro Sol generated $145 million in sales from 33 concerts, including a five-show run by Daddy Yankee in November that netted $24 million.
Top International Festival Location: Hyde Park (London)
Ever since AEG took over programming for one of London’s largest green spaces — the Royal Parks Society’s Hyde Park near Buckingham Palace — the concert promoter has transformed the region into a global music destination with its British Summertime Series. Last year’s programming didn’t disappoint with a series of one-day festivals headlined by P!nk, Take That and Bruce Springsteen.
Top U.S. Festival Location: The Gorge (George, Wash.)
The Gorge — a natural amphitheater in rural Washington that overlooks the Columbia River — is a pristine venue for all genres of music. Managed by Live Nation, the Gorge is home to festivals like Beyond Wonderland and Watershed Festival and last year hosted multinight residencies by Brandi Carlile (featuring Joni Mitchell), Dead & Company and more.
Joni Mitchell (left) and Brandi Carlile at The Gorge in George, Wash.
Gary Miller/Getty Images
Top West Coast Arena: Kia Forum (Los Angeles)
The former home of the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers has not had a tenant team since 1999, but in 2012, Madison Square Garden Co. purchased the arena and converted it into a music-only venue with clean sightlines, incredible acoustics and the invite-only Forum Club. Since 2019, the Forum has held the distinction as the highest-grossing arena in California and the third-highest-grossing in the world.
Top Central U.S. Arena: Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee)
Few venues have enhanced the musical trajectory of their host city quite like Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee had long been passed over for tour stops in favor of larger cities in the region like Chicago, but the flurry of concerts booked at the arena since its 2019 opening has changed the map for artists trekking across the upper Midwest, particularly for Spanish-language acts, given the facility’s frequent booking of Latin talent. In 2023, Fiserv Forum hosted nine tours that ranked on Billboard’s year-end Top 40 Boxscores chart.
Top East Coast Arena: Madison Square Garden (New York)
Nicknamed the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” Madison Square Garden is still the biggest game in town — and on the planet — with hundreds of artists clamoring each year to play the Midtown Manhattan landmark. The Garden has been the highest-grossing arena in North America since the launch of Boxscore in 2005, only failing to grab the No. 1 spot in 2011 and 2012, when a $1 billion renovation restricted the venue’s calendar. In 2023, MSG was the highest-grossing arena in the world, generating $223 million from 116 shows.
Top International Arena: O2 Arena (London)
Since its reopening as a world-class music venue in 2007, O2 Arena has consistently been among the top-grossing buildings in the world. While the former Millennium Dome took second place on Billboard’s Top Venues chart (15,001-plus capacity) in 2023, grossing $220 million to MSG’s $223 million, O2 Arena still has its best years ahead thanks to future bookings from top artists, including Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj and Karol G making appearances this spring.
Top West Coast Amphitheater: Edgefield (Portland, Ore.)
This sprawling family farm in northern Oregon, home to a winery and resort hotel, is a cultural and musical hub of Portland’s live-music scene. Managed and owned by Pacific Northwest brewer and restaurant group McMenamins, Edgefield is both a tranquil and energetic outdoor concert venue and a popular stopover for indie, Americana and electro-pop bands.
Top Central U.S. Amphitheater: PNC Pavilion at Riverbend (Cincinnati)
During Cincinnati’s hot summer months, the breeze rolling off the Ohio River cools this spacious waterfront amphitheater. Located inside the Riverbend Music Center, PNC Pavilion is booked and promoted by leading Ohio entertainment company MEMI, which brings in national tours from acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Alicia Keys and Charlie Puth and has been developing homegrown talent in the city since 2001.
Top East Coast Amphitheater: The Orion (Huntsville, Ala.)
Designed by Mumford & Sons member Ben Lovett’s The Venue Group and financially supported by a who’s who of heavyweights including Forest Hills Stadium’s Mike Luba and Red Light Management’s Coran Capshaw, the classically designed amphitheater draws visitors from all over the world but was built specifically for Huntsville residents. The space is open year-round as a popular dining destination and includes a farmers market, art gallery and large meeting space.
Top West Coast Club or Theater: The Regent (Los Angeles)
Located in Downtown L.A.’s old Broadway theater district, the 110-year-old theater — once a home for grindhouse flicks and adult films — today serves as a friendly neighborhood music venue that rarely suffers a dark night. When The Regent isn’t hosting national tours by performers such as Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, Matt & Kim and Black Country, New Road, it’s hosting oddball theme nights like Grinch Raves or free movie screenings.
Top Central U.S. Club or Theater: Brooklyn Bowl (Nashville)
Come for the Margo Price concert, stay for the fried chicken from in-house culinary group Blue Ribbon. The Nashville outpost of promoter Peter Shapiro’s Brooklyn Bowl was set to open in mid-March 2020 but pivoted to streaming-only concerts during the pandemic before starting to stage in-person events in June 2021. Since, the venue has successfully united the jam band crowd and the fast-growing Americana and indie country scene under one Nashville roof. Every show is fueled by a culinary program led by head chef Steven Stewart, a student of Nashville’s first father of foodies, Jody Faison.
Top East Coast Club or Theater: Roadrunner (Boston)
AEG partner The Bowery Presents manages Roadrunner, which is located in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood and was built in homage to the city’s former Sinclair venue in Harvard Square. Opened in March 2022 and taking its name from the Modern Lovers song “Roadrunner,” the venue is home to New England’s largest general-admission dancefloor and includes a wrap-around mezzanine for stellar views from above. It also features commissioned artwork from local muralist Felipe Ortiz that complements the venue’s understated design.
Top Residency Venue: Resorts World Theater (Las Vegas)
Located at the Resorts World hotel, Sin City’s newest theater reopened after the coronavirus pandemic with a record-breaking Katy Perry residency. Featuring 900 more seats than the neighboring Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the venue’s size and scale helped it land atop the Boxscore chart for venues under 5,000 capacity for the second year in a row. In 2023, Resorts World Theater grossed $45 million from 90 shows attended by 319,000 fans.
The ‘Wow’ Factor: Sphere (Las Vegas)
Few venues have gained as much attention in a single year as MSG’s Sphere at the Venetian in Las Vegas, a $2 billion music venue built by MSG’s James Dolan. Made famous by its LED exosphere and fully immersive interior cinematic screens, Sphere’s opening run with U2 — a $100 million deal brokered in part by Live Nation’s Arthur Fogel and Brooklyn Bowl’s Shapiro — will be followed by a four-night stand by Phish in April.
Sphere in Las Vegas with its LED exosphere as an eyeball.
David Becker/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Top Bucket List Venue: Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, Colo.)
With a memorable disc-shaped stage cast against a canvas of red sandstone, Red Rocks is North America’s most aspirational venue for both touring artists who long to play the natural amphitheater and fans who travel thousands of miles to attend one of the 200-plus concerts held there annually. Owned and managed by the City of Denver, Red Rocks is one of the few venues of its size that is ticketing-system neutral and nonexclusive to promoters.
Best Concept: The Salt Shed (Chicago)
Opened in 2022 on land previously owned by Morton Salt for nearly 100 years, The Salt Shed features two performance spaces: a 3,500-capacity reimagined indoor shed and a 5,000-capacity outdoor space known as the Fairground that overlooks the Chicago River and Goose Island.
Best Venue Under 500-Capacity: The Rebel Lounge (Phoenix)
This desert oasis of brick, steel and rust has long served as an important tour stop for developing bands traveling Interstate 10. Housed in what used to be the Mason Jar nightclub, The Rebel Lounge is managed by Psyko Steve Presents owner Stephen Chilton and serves as ground zero for Phoenix’s budding music scene with nearly nightly bookings and a loyal following of local supporters.
Local Favorite: Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)
From its round brick exterior to its western-themed hand-cut tile murals and bronze statues of cowboys and Comanches, Dickies Arena in Fort Worth exudes plenty of Lone Star State pride. And now, less than five years after opening, it is the No. 1 venue in the 10,001- to 15,000-capacity category, grossing $70 million from 110 shows in 2023, according to Boxscore.
Keeping It Indie: First Avenue (Minneapolis)
Authenticity matters to music fans, especially those who want to support independent artists in a rapidly commercializing world. And few venues possess as much authenticity as First Avenue, the anchor nightclub for Minneapolis promoter Dayna Frank, who served as the founding president of the National Independent Venue Association. Frank has run First Avenue since 2009, when she took over the business from her father and longtime owner, Byron, modeling the club’s look, design and attitude after her own experience growing up in the Twin Cities.
Best Food and Music Pairing: Triple Door (Seattle)
Located in Downtown Seattle across from Benaroya Hall on Union Street, Triple Door combines world-class entertainment with a world-renowned menu inspired by local Pacific Northwest ingredients. The Mainstage Theatre features national touring acts, while its MQ Stage & Lounge is considered one the city’s best destinations for happy hour and evening eats. Triple Door’s kitchen focuses on fresh local seafood and Southeast Asian dishes from sister restaurant Wild Ginger.
Most Unforgettable Experience: Snug Harbor (New Orleans)
Located on New Orleans’ jazz-heavy Frenchman Street, Snug Harbor is known for its world-famous Creole cuisine and its hourly jazz sessions featuring local talent from nearly every Big Easy parish. The venue’s food operation is fabled for its giant broiled gulf shrimp, lack of pretension and waiters who won’t take your plate away if you’re drawn to the dancefloor in the middle of supper.
Most Environmentally Friendly: Climate Pledge Arena (Seattle)
In renovating the KeyArena at Seattle Center, developer and operator Oak View Group designed it to be the first net-zero carbon arena and the most sustainable professional sports facility in the world. Named and branded in a historic sponsorship deal inked by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, the building was North America’s first to generate zero waste from operations — and it uses reclaimed rainwater to create the greenest hockey ice in the NHL.
This story originally appeared in the Feb. 10, 2024, issue of Billboard.
This story originally appeared on Billboard
