Live Music Venues in Memphis

Memphis is where the blues grew up, where soul got its name, and where you can hear live music any night of the week without trying hard. The trick isn't finding a show — it's knowing which room fits your night: a Beale Street club with a house band, an intimate Midtown listening room, a real juke joint, or a free concert under the stars.

So here's the map, by neighborhood and by mood — every venue verified open with live music at its own website in July 2026. That matters more than usual here: the Memphis music scene turned over hard the last two years, and a lot of lists still send you to rooms that have closed. This one doesn't. It also has the venues that just opened in 2026 — the ones the old guides haven't caught up to yet.

Beale Street — live music, seven nights

The most famous stretch of the blues, and still the surest bet: walk it after dark and the music comes to you. A few have cover charges after 9pm, especially weekends.

• B.B. King's Blues Club143 Beale

  The anchor. A house band carrying the B.B. King legacy plays blues, soul, and rock, and one $10 admission is good all day and night. Music every day; seating goes first-come after 5pm.

• Rum Boogie Cafe182 Beale

  Guitar-driven blues most nights of the week under a ceiling of 200-plus autographed guitars (Elvis, Stevie Ray Vaughan). Open since 1985; house bands and guest acts after dark.

• Blues City Cafe138 Beale (music in the Band Box, 142)

  Nightly live blues and rockabilly in the Band Box room next door — a juke joint that's hosted B.B. King and Queen Latifah. Their own calendar names the week's acts.

• Silky O'Sullivan's183 Beale

  Dueling pianos Tuesday–Saturday from 7pm, bands on the weekends, the largest patio on Beale — and yes, the famous live goats. Open since 1973.

• Alfred's on Beale197 Beale

  The first club on Beale to showcase rock 'n' roll, and home of the 17-piece Memphis Jazz Orchestra every Sunday night. Live music regularly; open late.

• Tin Roof315 Beale

  Live bands and DJs across two rooms plus a giant patio — national, regional, and local acts on stage while DJs spin in the Green Room. Weekend-heavy.

• King's Palace Cafe162 Beale

  Live blues and jazz daily in a dedicated Jazz Room, with a Cajun menu (championship gumbo, alligator) to go with it. The mellower Beale option.

Downtown stages & big rooms

When the act is the event — touring concerts, the symphony, and one tiny songwriter room worth seeking out.

• The Orpheum Theatre203 S Main

  The restored 1928 movie palace downtown — touring concerts, comedy, and the annual Broadway series under a gilded ceiling. Check the calendar; the big names play here.

• Cannon Center for the Performing Arts255 N Main

  Home of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, plus touring pop, jazz, and R&B concerts. The city's mid-size concert hall.

• FedExForum191 Beale

  The downtown arena — home of the Grizzlies and the city's stage for marquee touring concerts. Where the stadium-tour names land.

• The Soundstage at GracelandWhitehaven

  Graceland's own ~1,900-seat concert hall books national touring acts year-round — blues, rock, country, R&B. Bonus: most shows include free 3–6pm admission to Elvis Presley's Memphis.

• South Main Sounds550 S Main

  A tiny ~40-seat listening room for original songwriters only — no covers, just artists playing their own material. An ongoing series in a former South Main gallery; check the schedule for the next night.

• Earnestine & Hazel's531 S Main

  The legendary former juke joint — soul burgers, the best jukebox in town, and live blues and soul upstairs when it's on. Hours run on their own clock, so call ahead before you count on a band.

Midtown, Cooper-Young & Crosstown

Where Memphis goes for local bands and touring indie acts — the everyday music scene, not the tourist strip.

• Lafayette's Music RoomOverton Square, 2119 Madison

  The historic showcase room that once launched Billy Joel and KISS, back in action with live music close to seven nights a week — rock to jazz to blues, plus weekend brunch bands.

• Minglewood Hall & the 1884 Lounge1555 Madison

  A former bread factory that's been Midtown's mid-size concert hall since 2007 — national touring acts in the main room, intimate shows in the 400-cap 1884 Lounge next door.

• Growlers1911 Poplar

  A locally owned concert club booking live music up to seven nights a week — country, rock, metal, hip-hop, and DJ nights. The room that catches the touring acts between the clubs and the arena.

• B-SideMinglewood Plaza, Madison Ave

  Local live music every night in a compact room with a full stage — indie, hip-hop, singer-songwriters, comedy — and they stream the shows online too.

• Bar DKDCCooper-Young, 964 S Cooper

  Karen Carrier's “Don't Know, Don't Care” — the neighborhood's most dependable live-music bar, with local bands several nights a week (usually around 10pm) and a globe-trotting street-food menu.

• Hi-Tone CafeCrosstown/Edge, 282–284 N Cleveland

  The scrappy heart of Memphis indie — two rooms (all-ages upstairs, 21+ down) booking alt, punk, metal, hip-hop, and jazz, with comedy and karaoke mixed in. Their calendar runs deep into 2026.

• The Green Room at Crosstown ArtsCrosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse

  An acoustically treated listening room for jazz, big band, classical, and songwriters — the spot when you actually want to *hear* the music. The adjoining Crosstown Theater handles bigger shows.

Real juke joints & roots rooms

Off the tourist path, where the blues is a neighborhood thing, not a show.

• Wild Bill'sVollintine-Evergreen, 1580 Vollintine

  The real juke joint — a tiny North Memphis hole-in-the-wall open since 1993, where the house Juke Joint All Stars play blues and soul and the whole room is in it together. The un-touristy answer to Beale.

• Hernando's Hide-A-WayWhitehaven, 3210 Old Hernando Rd

  A roots-music landmark near Graceland once haunted by Elvis, Cash, and Charlie Rich — country, blues, rock, and soul with a full 2026 calendar and BBQ on the side. “Come for the history, stay for the music.”

• Neil's Music RoomEast Memphis, 5727 Quince

  A neighborhood roadhouse billing live music up to six nights a week (Sundays for singer-songwriters), plus famous onion rings. Check the current calendar before you go — it books week to week.

Under the stars — outdoor & seasonal

Warm-weather Memphis moves the music outside, and some of the best of it is free.

• Overton Park ShellMidtown, 1928 Poplar

  The historic band shell where Elvis played one of his first paid shows — now home to the free Orion Free Concert Series spring through fall (bring a blanket, a picnic, the dog). 2026 is the Shell's 90th anniversary. Pairs with our free things to do guide.

• Radians Amphitheater at the Botanic GardenEast Memphis, 750 Cherry Rd

  The Live at the Garden series — big touring names on a lawn you can BYOB (2026 brought John Legend, Alabama, and Kool & the Gang). Also hosts the Mempho Music Festival in October.

• The Grove at GPACGermantown, 1801 Exeter

  Concerts in The Grove — outdoor shows on select Thursday evenings under the trees (about 900 people), food trucks and cocktails welcome. The indoor GPAC hall programs concerts year-round.

• Landers CenterSouthaven, MS

  The metro's big arena option, about 20 minutes south across the Mississippi line — touring concerts and the annual Memphis Tri-State Blues Festival. Free parking, cashless.

New in 2026

Two big rooms the older guides don't have yet. Grind City Amp opened this spring on the Uptown riverfront next to Grind City Brewing — a ~4,500-capacity outdoor amphitheater built specifically to stop national tours from skipping Memphis (the Avett Brothers with Drive-By Truckers land October 1). And Satellite Music Hall — a ~1,300-capacity Live Nation room in Crosstown — opens this September, named after Satellite Records, the label that became Stax. Its opening run already has Chance the Rapper, ZZ Top, and Modest Mouse on the calendar.

Moved on

A few rooms you'll still see on older lists have closed, so you don't drive out for nothing: Jerry Lee Lewis' Cafe & Honky Tonk (310 Beale) has shut its doors, Railgarten on Central closed in 2024 and is being redeveloped as “Stomping Grounds,” and Black Lodge in Crosstown closed in August 2024. Everything else on this page was verified open with live music at its own site in July 2026. (For the rooms where the drink is the show, see the best bars in Memphis.)

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