This season at the University of Pennsylvania’s theater brings us everything from an evening with Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell to banjo plucker extraordinaire Béla Fleck to Branford Marsalis with Diane Reeves to classical Indian dance to … well, truly something for everyone. Read More »
3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215-898-3900 | Website
The antidote to Live Nation and Ticketmaster is Philly’s flourishing DIY and underground scene, where anybody can get an idea for a show and put it on. Getting to God’s is a bit of a journey: You walk through an unlit field to access a path that goes behind some houses, where you’ll eventually see a hand-painted sign pointing you to a door. (Yes, it feels just as bananas as it sounds, but the destination’s worth it.) Step inside and you might see country or punk bands, comedy or storytelling, fringy theatrical productions or art shows — and always an interesting and wildly diverse group of attendees. If you’re looking to experience something different, this is it. Read More »
5522 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA Website
Yes, they host the best jazz jam in the city. That’s each Monday. But this performing arts venue, located in a steam plant from the early 1900s, also has chamber music, comedy, mystical experiences and weddings. We think the oft-overused word “eclectic” would apply here. Read More »
1049 Sarah Street, Philadelphia, PA Website
We never realized we needed a dressy spot where we could drink cocktails and eat lamb ribs while watching showgirls, showboys, contortionists and jugglers do their thing until this supper club opened its doors. Read More »
1108 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA | 215-203-0202 | Website
Downstairs is the iconic Irish pub that’s been pouring Guinnesses for nearly 25 years. Upstairs is a lesser-known hideaway with all sorts of no-cover shows, like live-band karaoke, non-sucky comedy open mics and Fringe performances. You never know exactly what you’re going to get — and that’s part of the fun. Read More »
1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215-928-8118 | Website
Every other month, you can sip just-made brews and eat pizza by the slice at Dock Street Cannery while local writers take turns pouring out their souls. Read More »
705 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215-726-2338 | Website
The unofficial HQ of Philly’s burlesque resurgence is this funky back-alley Gayborhood bar at which tassels and ostrich fans abound. Read More »
1320 Chancellor Street, Philadelphia, PA | 215-735-0735 | Website
With trippy DJs, genre-spanning live bands, performance artists and Naked Girls Reading (just what it sounds like), no other venue is doing as much to boost the underground performance scene as director/curator Eric Breslers creation in what has become known as the Eraserhood the section of town just northwest of Chinatown that inspired David Lynchs Eraserhead. Plus, the setting is comfortable, and theres frequently free beer courtesy of the artists. Thats right: We said free beer. Read More »
531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA | 267-519-9651 | Website