Live-music venues worth the trip in Houston, Texas

A large room in the POST Houston complex on the north edge of downtown, booking major touring rock, hip-hop, country, and pop.

A free outdoor amphitheater in Hermann Park with a full seasonal program of music and performance, hill seating open to all.

A multi-stage complex on the near-north side — an intimate downstairs, a bigger upstairs, and a lawn — booking touring acts across genres.

A downtown ~1,800-cap music hall on the Live Nation circuit, dependable for touring rock, hip-hop, country, and Latin bills.

A restored 1920s movie house in the Heights, a mid-size room with a broad, genre-spanning touring calendar.

A cozy Irish-pub listening room focused on folk and Americana, all-ages and dependable for touring songwriters.