Looking for live music around Louisville? Here are 20 spots to catch a show

Stephanie Kuzydym, Louisville Courier Journal
Updated ·6 min read

Looking for a spot to clap, sway and maybe even mess up a few lyrics? We know a few places.

Want to sit silently and enjoy a strings section? We hear that.

Hoping to plan a date night? We've got you covered.

Here's a list of venues around the city offering a wide variety of live musical acts:

Brown Theatre

315 W. Broadway, Louisville; (502) 584-7777

The live music offerings at the Brown Theatre range from concerts to musicals, for all ages and seasons. Located in Louisville's theater district, this venue is designed after New York's Music Box Theater. It's one of three Kentucky Performing Arts venues. The other two are the Kentucky Center — home of the Louisville Ballet, Louisville Orchestra and Kentucky Opera — and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall.

Comstock Music Hall at U of L

105 W. Brandeis Ave., Louisville; (502) 852-6907

This is the main performance hall at the University of Louisville. Catch The Cardinal Singers with choral music, a concert by students in the U of L's School of Music, or even a concert by a faculty member.

Fox Den

3814 Frankfort Ave., Louisville; (502) 742-0068

It's a pool hall in St. Matthews, but this sports and billiards bar doubles as a music venue with almost nightly shows. Listen to some bangers by local artists while catching the game.

Gerstle's

3801 Frankfort Ave., Louisville; (502) 742-8616

This is not just a sit-down-and-eat-while-live-music-plays-in-the-background kind of place. Gerstles may make you want to stand up and rock out at the legendary live music headquarters of the last 100 years.

Headliners

1386 Lexington Road, Louisville; (502) 584-8088

Big-name acts ranging from folk to rock perform at this space in the Irish Hill neighborhood. The venue is mostly a pit in front of the main stage, with some seating in the balcony. Headliners holds about 700. Most shows are for ages 18 and up, but occasionally they'll host an act for all ages.

High Horse Bar

A bar called High Horse is open in the former Do Drop Inn space at 1032 Story Ave., Louisville.
A bar called High Horse is open in the former Do Drop Inn space at 1032 Story Ave., Louisville.

1032 Story Ave., Louisville; highhorsebar@gmail.com

This neighborhood bar in Butchertown hosts a low-key show about once a month, but stopped hosting weekend events after a reported shooting took place last November near the bar.

"We will be shutting down the late-night DJ scene, effective immediately," the bar's Facebook post said following the incident. "That was not what we set out to be and we will not tolerate violence."

The Irish Rover

2319 Frankfort Ave., Louisville; (502) 899-3544

What's an Irish pub without a little live music? We're not talking bagpipes or Celtic Harps. Many Wednesdays, some of the city's most well-known folk musicians show up and share at this 30-year-strong Louisville staple.

Iroquois Amphitheater

1080 Amphitheater Road, Louisville; (502) 368-5865

The 2,366-seat outdoor performance shell hosts some of the only summer concerts in Louisville's south end, including one during Kentucky Derby season and a free show from Louisville's Youth Orchestra.

Joe's Older Than Dirt

8131 New La Grange Road, Louisville; (502) 434-7470

This neighborhood restaurant and bar in Lyndon is one of the few venues on this list outside the Watterson. It books acts from cover bands to Kentucky-bred country artists.

Kaiju

1004 E Oak St., Louisville; (502) 409-6979

This bar may be located in Germantown, but it offers Japanese pub food, whiskey and all kinds of music vibes — from emo to karaoke to punk. Kaiju also hosts a weekly variety open mic night.

KFC Yum! Center

1 Arena Plaza, Louisville; (502) 690-9000

The Yum! Center hosts internationally renowned acts, from country to pop to rap. The cashless venue is the only indoor arena music setting in the city, with a seating capacity of 22,090.

The Amp at Log Still Distillery

225 Dee Head Road, New Haven; (502) 917-0710

A blend of all things Kentucky may just be a bourbon distillery and a stage of pickers. The outdoor amphitheater at Log Still Distillery hosts outdoor weekend shows from May to October.

Louisville Palace

Hip-Hop artist Jack Harlow performs at a sold-out Palace on the first night of his "No Place Like Home" tour, which ran for five consecutive nights in the city. The Grammy-nominated artist graduated from Atherton High School. Dec. 14, 2021
Hip-Hop artist Jack Harlow performs at a sold-out Palace on the first night of his "No Place Like Home" tour, which ran for five consecutive nights in the city. The Grammy-nominated artist graduated from Atherton High School. Dec. 14, 2021

625 S 4th St., Louisville; (502) 583-4555

A concert at the Palace isn't just about the notes played on stage, but the experience of sitting in the ornate theater designed by architect John Eberson, known as "Opera House John" for his design of over 500 theaters. Take in an intimate night with a well-known act, sculptures of historical figures, and don't forget to look up to the ceiling that imitates the night sky.

Mercury Ballroom

611 S 4th St., Louisville; (502) 583-4555

A regular show here is like standing in the pit of any other concert. Also located in Louisville's Theatre District, the intimate venue allows artists to really interact with the general admission crowd.

Merle's Whiskey Kitchen

122 W Main St., Louisville; (502) 290-8888

A 'single-barrel select' kind of music venue, enjoy live music on the weekends with bourbon that was hand-selected from private barrels. It's a recipe for a truly Kentucky kind of night.

Number 15

Number 15, an entertainment venue on Louisville's Whiskey Row, opened in Spring 2023.
Number 15, an entertainment venue on Louisville's Whiskey Row, opened in Spring 2023.

121 W. Main St., Louisville; 502 (526)-5691

New to the music scene in 2023, this five-story downtown venue is where Kentucky bourbon meets Nashville honky-tonk. Catch a live act almost any night of the week. Many are free.

The Monarch Music & Arts Community

1318 Bardstown Road, Louisville; info@themonarchmac.org

The quaintest offering in town, any seat at The Monarch feels front row. The grassroots venue is tucked off of busy Bardstown Road. The non-profit space often highlights local pickers at both an indoor and outdoor stage.

Old Forester’s Paristown Hall

Louisville Orchestra Season 2020-21 at Paristown Hall.
Louisville Orchestra Season 2020-21 at Paristown Hall.

724 Brent St., Louisville; (502) 584-7777

A standing-room-only concert hall has you up close to the artist in a wide-open floor space. Located in the Paristown Point neighborhood, the spot highlights local and regional bands, as well as national touring acts.

Whirling Tiger

1335 Story Ave., Louisville; (502) 632-1440

Come for the craft cocktails, stay for some big acts tucked into a back-of-bar venue. The space feels like you stumbled into the basement of an artist dedicated to not just the lyrics, but the craft of the music.

Zanzabar

Where: 2100 S Preston St, Louisville; (502) 635-9227

Arcade games and Southern-style food and live music, oh my! The venue doubled its location in 2017 to separate its music venue from its arcade. The room holds hundreds, but its low ceilings, dinner specials and wide range of shows may make you wonder why you ever pay stadium-concert prices.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Live music in Louisville: Catch a show at one of these 20 venues