Live-music venues worth the trip in Bloomington, Illinois

A 1921 hall built as a home for the American Passion Play and then known as Bloomington’s Scottish Rite Temple, which boasted a 1,320-seat theatre and a ballroom that could seat 1,000 diners, now restored by the city as the anchor of its Cultural District and presenting national touring artists among more than 500 events a year.

A 1916 Balaban & Katz theatre with gilded columns and art deco-inspired chandeliers, now a concert room holding 300 to 700 or more depending on configuration, with removable floor seats and a fixed balcony, billing itself the most exciting live music venue between St Louis, Chicago and Indianapolis.

A downtown Bloomington country bar booking live country since 2007, a bar whose about page counts Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Parmalee and LoCash among the early-career acts on its stage and describes a mix of touring, regional and local performers with karaoke and open mic nights.