Coolest Concert Venues

Coolest concert venues: Where to catch great live performances — big and small — in Houston

Want the low-down on where to see some of the best concerts Houston has to offer?

Whether you're looking to see your favorite touring band at an enormous venue or a fantastic local act in an intimate setting, we've got you covered with the top concert venues in the city.

WAREHOUSE LIVE

813 St. Emanuel St.
713-225-5483

Located near downtown on the East End, Warehouse Live is a 1920s warehouse that has been reborn as a concert venue for major bands as well as those on the verge. It features fantastic acoustics and attracts artists ranging from Drake and Rilo Kiley to Yo La Tengo and Passion Pit, just to name a few.

FITZGERALD'S

2706 White Oak Drive
713-862-3838

A Houston Heights staple since 1977, Fitzgerald's was once home to acts like James Brown and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The renovated dive is considered a local music headquarters for up-and-coming and established independent acts — think Aesop Rock, Minus the Bear and Twin Shadow — as well as local favorites like The Suffers and Los Skarnales.

HOUSE OF BLUES HOUSTON

1204 Caroline St.
888-402-5837

The House of Blues (and the accompanying Foundation Room) located in downtown's GreenStreet complex brings major acts (MGMT, Bone Thugs N' Harmony, The Black Crows) but is sometimes better enjoyed for its crazy cover bands — from Michael Jackson impersonators to '70s-inspired phenoms Le Freak.

CYNTHIA WOODS MITCHELL PAVILION

2005 Lake Robbins Dr.
281-363-3300

Although it's a bit of a drive for inner loopers, The Woodlands' Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion snags the biggest names coming to town — Lana Del Rey, Elton John and ZZ Top are just a few of the acts to grace the stage this year so far. If you don't want to pony up for the covered seats, the lawn is moderately priced. Rules on what you're allowed to bring can vary depending on the performer, so be sure to check the website beforehand.

TOYOTA CENTER

1510 Polk St.
713-758-7200

With a capacity of more than 18,000, Toyota Center vies with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for the biggest names in music, attracting pop superstars like Beyonce and Miley Cyrus, country legend Garth Brooks, rap impresario Kanye West or old-school rockers like Billy Joel and the Eagles. Easy access in downtown Houston and amenities, like separate restrooms and concessions, for club level ticketholders, make it a convenient venue for top-of-the-line concerts.

BAYOU MUSIC CENTER

520 Texas St.
713-230-1600

Located in the heart of downtown at Bayou Place, Bayou Music Center (formerly known as the Verizon Wireless Theater) is the perfect place to catch major acts in a more intimate setting. Although it plays host to touring comedians like Chelsea Handler and Kathy Griffin, musical acts such as Jill Scott, Danzig and Damien Rice are just a few who are scheduled to perform later this year.

WALTER'S DOWNTOWN

1120 Naylor St.
713-222-2679

After relocating from their long-time location on Washington, Walter's transitioned to a new space across town on Naylor Street and has continued to draw droves of dedicated local fans to their shows. Whether you're looking to see indie darlings Of Montreal, experimental musician Sir Richard Bishop or garage rockers King Tuff, the venue hosts a wonderfully eclectic variety of shows.

THE CONTINENTAL CLUB

3700 Main St.
713-529-9899

Located on Main Street in Midtown, the Continental Club draws classic acts from multiple genres, from Nick Gaitan & The Umbrella Man to Beetle to A Fistful of Soul (a no-cover '60s soul dance party hosted every third Friday of the month). The Houston counterpart to the Austin staple features a unique atmosphere, with original fixtures from the building's previous incarnation as a 1920s department store, along with tin ceiling tiles and vintage neon light fixtures.

300 Westheimer Rd.
713-526-8338

A Houston institution, this Montrose spot is known to attract a diverse, dance-loving crowd who enjoys uninhibited fun and live music acts that run the gamut from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Ministry. Be sure to check out Classic Numbers Night each Friday, Houston's longest running weekly event that features music and videos from the '80s mixed by long-time Numbers DJ, Wes Wallace.

AVANT GARDEN

411 Westheimer Rd.
832-519-1429

Avant Garden, a bar and performance art venue in a 102-year-old converted Victorian on lower Westheimer, was formerly known as Helios. Something creative happens almost every night, from jazz, ferocious DJs and live bands to poetry slams, belly dancing, improv comedy and much, much more.

ALLEY KAT BAR & LOUNGE

3718 Main St.
713-874-0722

Sitting only a few doors down from The Continental Club on Main Street, Alley Kat features a separate 'backroom' used for hosting great local concerts — ranging from rock to electronic — in an intimate space. You also can catch sets in the front bar area by incredible local DJ's like Gio Chamba and Damon Allen.

RUDYARD'S BRITISH PUB

2010 Waugh Dr.
713-521-0521

The upstairs space at Rudyard's delivers throbbing live music six nights a week with high-octane bands such as Flowers to Hide and the Fatal Flying Guilloteens. The venue also features Western Swing Wednesdays each week and hosts a number of events by local comedy theater troupe BooTown, including the ever-popular Grown-Up Storytime. This Montrose area institution also offers a fine selection of beers, mixed drinks and hearty pub food downstairs.

LAST CONCERT CAFE

1403 Nance St.
713-226-8563

This funky north downtown bar, concert venue and restaurant is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's nondescript (you've got to know where it is and knock to enter) but also super laid back with a back patio strewn with Christmas lights — and good Mexican food, to boot. The stage out back hosts bands like Green Mountain Grass, Steve Straker and Potroast, geered for a 19-and-up crowd.

Fitzgerald's.

Fitzgerald's Houston place exterior

Photo via fitzlive.com

Fitzgerald's.

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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