Live-music venues worth the trip in San Francisco, California

A 1922 vaudeville palace turned concert hall in 1979 with a two-week Dylan run. A ~2,250-cap Market Street mainstay for touring rock.

A North Beach room open since 1931, built from two older dance halls, seating around 685. Supper-club glamour intact for rock and jazz alike.

San Francisco’s oldest nightclub still going, opened in 1907, with balconies and frescoed ceilings over a ~700-cap floor. One of the great ornate rooms to catch a band in.

The 1912 hall that became the epicentre of the 1960s San Francisco scene — the Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix. The chandeliers, the poster wall, and the free apples are all still here at ~1,300 cap.

A 1912 Tenderloin auditorium with 32-foot ceilings and stained glass, restored in 2017 to a ~900-cap music room.

A purpose-built 2013 jazz house with a 700-seat main auditorium and a 100-seat lab, sightlines and acoustics designed for the music.

A converted Mission-District church with a 40-foot arched ceiling over a ~500-cap floor. Consistent indie booking, with a restaurant and patio alongside.

A 500-cap room on Divisadero, open since 2004 and one of the city’s dependable indie and alternative rooms. Good sightlines, good sound.