Earlier this year, we launched Hometowns of Consequence, a fan-led initiative celebrating our nation’s beloved local music venues. Across every corner of the country, these venues have become a home-away-from-home for both devoted music fans and touring artists, welcoming countless memorable evenings of music, comedy, and more. And at the core of these venues is a tie between community and culture, a space for everyone to feel safe and seen as they come together to celebrate art.
We began by asking fans to nominate their favorite 2,000-capacity or less local venues. Audiences and venues rallied together, and now that the nominations have been tallied, we’re proud to present your Hometowns of Consequence Regional Finalists! We’ve narrowed it down to four finalist venues in each of the five US regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.
Some venues have extensive histories, like the 96-year-old Fayetteville, Arkansas venue George’s Majestic Lounge, and the nearly 100-year-old Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Some are newer in the mix, including the intimate, community-driven Park City Music Hall in Bridgeport, Connecticut and Portland, Oregon’s The Get Down. Then there are the legendary locations, such as Los Angeles’ landmark The Troubador and Minneapolis’ iconic First Avenue/7th Street Entry. Some even have songs named after them, like Cleveland staple The Beachland Ballrom, referenced in a track title on IDLES’ 2022 LP, Crawler.
Nearly 1,300 venues received incredible support from fans during our nominations round, and we wish we could honor all of them. It’s these 20, however, that have made it through to our final voting round — so now it’s time for you to decide which ones are your all-time favorites. Cast your votes using the widget below or at the Hometowns homepage, where you can learn more about the initiative.
Don’t forget to check your email to verify your vote, and make sure to share your referral link with friends to encourage them to cast their own votes; the more referrals you get, the bigger discount you get at the Consequence shop, and the fans with the most referrals in each region will have a chance to get free tickets to the winning venues!
The complete list of Hometowns of Consequence Regional Finalists, with more information on each, is beneath the voting widget. Make sure to stay tuned for exclusive, in-depth content shining a spotlight on each of the nominated venues.
Hometowns Regional Finalists
West:
The Crocodile
Seattle, Washington
Capacity: 750/300/96
Opened: 1991 (Original location), 2021
The Get Down
Portland, Oregon
Capacity: 450
Opened: 2022
The Casbah
San Diego, California
Capacity: 200+
Opened: 1989 (Original location), 1994
The Troubadour
Los Angeles, California
Capacity: 500
Opened: 1957
Southwest:
Cain’s Ballroom
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Capacity: 1,700
Opened: 1924
Mohawk
Austin, Texas
Capacity: 900/150
Opened: 2006
The Van Buren
Phoenix, Arizona
Capacity: 1,800
Opened: 2017
White Oak Music Hall
Houston, Texas
Capacity: 200+/1,000+
Opened: 2016
Midwest:
First Avenue/7th Street Entry
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Capacity: 1,500/250
Opened: 1970/1980
Knuckleheads
Kansas City, Missouri
Capacity: 75/300/600/1,300
Opened: 2001
The Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Cleveland, Ohio
Capacity: 148/500
Opened: 2000
Metro
Chicago, Illinois
Capacity: 1,100
Opened: 1982
Southeast:
George’s Majestic Lounge
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Capacity: 700
Opened: 1927 (Originally) 2004 (As full-time music venue)
The Portal at fifteenTWELVE
Louisville, Kentucky
Capacity: 350
Opened: 2016
9:30 Club
Washington, DC
Capacity: 1,200
Opened: 1980
The Radio Room
Greenville, South Carolina
Capacity: 250
Opened: 2012 (Original location), 2017
Northeast:
Rockwood Music Hall
New York, New York
Capacity: 50/120/170
Opened: 2005
Crossroads
Garwood, New Jersey
Capacity: 200
Opened: 1996
Ardmore Music Hall
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Capacity: 600
Opened: 2013
Park City Music Hall
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Capacity: 300
Opened: 2021