The Pageant is one of three music venues located on the Delmar Loop. (Elle Su | Student Life)

The music scene in St. Louis has had a long, vibrant history. An exhibit at the Missouri History Museum chronicles legendary artists and spaces, including St. Louis natives Chuck Berry, Sheryl Crow, Nelly, Metro Boomin, and Jordan Ward, who all have graced the city’s stages. While iconic venues like Mississippi Nights have closed their doors for good, the ones remaining are equally as impressive. Here’s a guide to some of the best concert venues in the St. Louis area:

Blueberry Hill Duck Room: Housed in the basement of Blueberry Hill on The Loop, the Duck Room is a great venue if you’re interested in a cozy, albeit packed, and close-up concert experience. A lot of acts that have become larger over time have started out by playing the Duck Room before moving up in the Delmar Blvd chain of venues. For example, Indigo De Souza played in 2022 before recently playing at the slightly larger Delmar Hall. Many local bands composed of WashU-affiliated students and members of KWUR 90.3 FM are known to play there as well, including Non-Euclidean Geometry. Blueberry Hill itself is teeming with vibrance and nostalgia — a great option if you’re looking for somewhere affordable and close to campus.

Delmar Hall: Joe Edwards, a well-known St. Louis businessperson and owner of the Duck Room, co-owns Delmar Hall and The Pageant along with Patrick Hagin. This coordinated management effort makes finding shows to attend on the Loop simple, as all acts visiting are listed on The Pageant/ Delmar Hall’s website. Being relatively new, the venue is very clean and pristine. While not the coziest on the list, its lack of square footage still allows for a pretty intimate concert from this newer venue. 

The Pageant: Perhaps most well-known to the class of 2027 as the land of Fall WILD, was described as St. Louis’ “premier midsize venue”, by the Riverfront Times. It is also located on the Loop and attracts most popular acts. Tickets can be pricier here, and parking space can be hard to find. Though finding good standing room at crowded shows is more difficult, often enough, the seats on the second floor are open unless specifically sold as VIP or other seats. Getting to this venue early would be advised. However, the venue makes for a great sonic concert experience even when a good visual may not be attainable (for the vertically challenged). 

Old Rock House: A quaint venue located between Busch Stadium and the Soulard neighborhood, Old Rock House is a great option if you’re looking to get off campus to experience more local music. A standout performance from Samia at the venue this past year has cemented the location as a personal favorite. The room was inviting, staff welcoming, parking abundant and secure, acoustics lively, crowd kind, and visibility clear, from almost anywhere in the pit. Unfortunately, it is pretty rare to see more well-known acts at Old Rock House, but the experience of the venue itself is worth traveling the distance from campus.

The Focal Point: This Maplewood venue is “St. Louis’ premiere folk listening room.” The smaller space is ideal for absorbing intimate, acoustic performances. As well as being a folk and roots venue, the location also offers regularly occurring events including songwriter session events hosted by Songbird Cafe and the St. Louis Poetry Society. There are also varying dance lessons and events including sessions of international folk and Irish dance, a dance orchestra, and Argentine Tango dance events. If you’re looking for somewhere that offers a little bit of everything, The Focal Point is a great place to start.

Off Broadway: Though a smaller venue, its offerings span widely. Everything from local bands, to smaller touring artists and DJ/dance party events are consistently booked at Off Broadway. This venue has the appeal of the Duck Room and Old Rock House’s cozy atmosphere, while also offering a much wider array of artists from multiple genres; in other words, it is the best of both worlds (while also simultaneously having a balcony). The venue resides in the Historic Cherokee Lemp District, which is a little ways from campus, but situated in an area with much to offer and explore. 

Blue Strawberry: A music showroom and lounge located in the Central West End, this venue is one of the more formal on the guide and located just on the other side of Forest Park. When you buy a ticket, you are assigned seating at a table and presented a menu with a variety of drinks and food options. While relatively unknown artists play at the Blue Strawberry, they do offer a few recurring events including karaoke and an open mic night that local artists are known to take advantage of. If you’re looking for a classy place just a stone’s throw from campus without an overly busy atmosphere, Blue Strawberry is a proper choice.

The Factory: One of the newest venues on this guide, The Factory in Chesterfield opened just in 2021 and has already seen artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Death Cab For Cutie, The Shins, Courtney Barnett, Lucy Dacus, Bleachers, and Claud. It is also the farthest venue from campus on the guide, residing closer to the Missouri River than the Mississippi River. With expansive parking, easy road access, and a clean and spacious general admission floor, The Factory is already a mainstay venue. This is especially so for concertgoers interested in seeing popular artists in this mid-sized venue. While standing room may not be abundant when large artists are playing, the room still provides an immersive listening experience no matter what position in the room one may be.

Stifel Theatre: A civic performing arts venue located downtown close to the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, the Stifel Theatre offers a variety of events, including touring comedians and entertainers like Dancing with the Stars, Wanda Sykes, and Good Mythical Morning, as well as, quite notably, numerous events put on by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. A historic theater, the venue is loosely adjacent to the Fox in majesty, but excels in event variety. A trip to Stifel theater is ideal for any WashU student interested in experiencing a formal theater event and getting off campus.