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Live-music venues worth the trip in Des Moines, Iowa

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Casey's Center (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

Formerly Wells Fargo Arena and renamed Casey’s Center in 2025, the downtown arena’s own site describes a nearly 17,000-seat room that hosts world-class touring entertainers and ranks among the top 100 concert venues worldwide by attendance, alongside its sporting events.

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Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

The Lauridsen Amphitheater is an outdoor stage in Des Moines’ Water Works Park whose Manatt Great Lawn its own site says can accommodate 1,000 to 10,000 attendees. The covered, sound- and lighting-equipped stage hosts everything from a live symphony under the stars to touring concerts and festivals.

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Hoyt Sherman Place (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

A historic mansion and art gallery combined with an intimate theater known for its acoustics, Hoyt Sherman Place’s own site frames it as a vibrant cultural destination that books touring national acts.

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Noce (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

A jazz club and cabaret in downtown Des Moines, Noce’s own site calls it the city’s premier home for jazz, chic events and classic cocktails since 2015, booking ticketed live jazz and cabaret performances.

Bar / up close & personalWorth a stopVerified

Wooly's (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

Wooly’s is a club in Des Moines’ historic East Village that, per its operator’s site, has welcomed genre-diverse touring and local acts since 2012.

Bar / up close & personalWorth a stopVerified

xBk Live (opens in a new tab)

Des Moines

A 250-capacity small performing arts venue and listening room in Des Moines’ Drake/Dogtown neighborhood, xBk’s own site says it books rock, R&B, singer-songwriter, Americana, blues and other touring and local acts.

Bar / up close & personalWorth a stopVerified