BOSTON

Boston is the epicenter of New England's live music industry. As the state capital and largest city in Massachusetts, it hosts major arena tours, intimate club shows, and everything between. From Fenway Park to basement jazz clubs, the city's density of venues per square mile rivals any music market in the country.

The range is staggering. TD Garden and Fenway Park draw stadium-level headliners. The Fenway neighborhood clusters MGM Music Hall at Fenway, House of Blues Boston, and Leader Bank Pavilion within walking distance. Downtown, the Theatre District runs from the Boch Center Wang Theatre to the Orpheum Theatre. Allston-Brighton anchors the indie underground with Brighton Music Hall and Paradise Rock Club. The South End's Wally's Cafe Jazz Club has been a nightly jazz institution since 1947, while The Beehive runs a full calendar nearby. Roadrunner and Big Night Live give the Seaport and Brighton newer large-capacity rooms. City Winery Boston and The Wilbur cover the seated, polished-experience end of the spectrum.

Boston's scene runs parallel tracks. The university influence feeds a constant churn of young audiences and emerging acts, while the Theatre District and Symphony Hall (Boston) cater to classical and Broadway crowds. You can see a punk show at The Midway Cafe in Jamaica Plain and a sold-out arena tour at TD Garden on the same night.

Tip: Fenway and Allston-Brighton are walkable venue clusters. For downtown shows, the Green Line puts you within a block of most Theatre District stages. Check Berklee Performance Center for affordable shows by students and visiting artists.

Neighborhoods: Fenway-Kenmore • Back Bay • South End • Allston-Brighton • Jamaica Plain • Downtown • Theatre District • Seaport • East Boston