New Haven. Home to Yale -as seen on The Gilmore Girls! If you’re in the neighborhood, like Rory Gilmore is, you may want to check out some live music. Luckily for you, New Haven like any college-area or big city has plenty of live venues from clubs with loud rock to coffee houses offering acoustic sets.
Café Nine (250 State St. 203-789-8281) seems to have a bit of everything. According to its website, musical genres hearable there include American rock, rock, blues, jazz, country, hardcore and rockabilly. Acts here include some nationally known individuals, like a member of the group Squeeze and some veterna singer songwriters along with local acts in all of the above musical categories also including r&B.; Tickets are low two-digits at most and many shows have no cover.
168 York St Café (203) 789-1915) is a Yale University venue. Mainly an eatery and drinking spot (ads for jello shot events and “beer bashes” are prominent on the otherwise classy looking website…) But there is live music from a pianist John DeNicola
Toad’s Place (300 York Street , 203.624.TOAD) bills itself as “where legends play.” Some of the bands are national acts (remember Living Colour?) But some nights are also dedicated to showcasing local bands including cover/tribute bands (tributes to Sublime, Nirvana and Billy Joel, for example) and original music. The acts seem mainly rock in nature. Ticket prices don’t look to jump beyond $20 and available at Strawberries and etix.com.
Firehouse 12 is a combination venue – recording studio and “performance space”- Actually, according to the website, the performance space is also a recording studio, too. In any case, this venue for 75 in the audience, hosts performance and CD releases by local acts. It’s housed in a nationally registered building built in 1904. The music is a little more contemporary. There’s also a connected bar/lounge where patrons can chill Wednesday through Saturday.
Richter’s Taft Tap Room (990 Chapel St. 203.777.0400) is New Haven’s “oldest bar” or so they say. Drinks, food, live local acts on occasion to accompany the drinks and the food. Sounds like a pub to me. It’s referred to as an institution by some who know the Yale-New Haven area.
Speaking of Yale, an on campus venue for live music is Bettel Chapel where many of the city’s classical musical groups perform along with Yale Groups and other local and famous ensembles. Yale has other venues too, which host college and professional choirs, orchestras and other events: Sprague Memorial Hall, 470 College Street, (203) 432-4157 and Woolsey Hall (College & Grove Streets (203) 432-2310) are among the on campus venues. Woolsey Hall is the venue where the New Haven Symphony does their season. Other music fans interested in classical, Broadway, and Cabaret music live may try the Shubert Performing Arts Center (247 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510
September-June (203) 562-5666)
New Haven has many live music venues for fans of all tastes- hard rock, coffee house acoustic, classical symphonies and operas. Rory Gilmore must have a heck of a good time.
