In the Hartford, Connecticut suburb of Manchester, there are many venues that host live music performances.These places range from bars, restaurants and nightclubs, to meeting halls, churches, schools and museums. In an effort to assist the consumer in search of live music outlets in Manchester, Ct, here is a guide to Manchester, Ct live music venues. The six venues listed here offer a variety of live music performances on a regular basis. Although rock music is by far the most popular form of live music in Manchester, Ct, other forms, such as jazz, blues and folk are represented as well.
A) All Stars Sports Bar and Grill..119 Spencer St, Manchester, Ct..(860)432-1982
All Stars is primarily a sports bar, which serves very good food. They feature an extensive food menu, which is very reasonably priced. On Friday and Saturday nights, they feature live rock bands. Although most of the bands that play at All Stars are cover bands, they tend to lean strongly toward hard rock. For example, Aquanett, a Jethro Tull tribute band, is a very popular act at this Manchester, Ct live music venue. The crowd at All Stars is somewhat young and hard- partying. In addition to live music, they offer over 30 satellite TV’s, plus a ten- foot big screen TV. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, they feature karaoke and a DJ, respectively.
B) Cheney Hall..177 Hartford Road, Manchester, Ct..(860)647-9824
Home to the Little Theatre of Manchester and a National Historic Landmark Building, Cheney Hall is a multi- purpose Victorian building that frequently presents live music performances. Many of the acts that perform at this Manchester, Ct venue are folksingers and acoustic guitarists. The 335 person capacity hall also hosts jazz, blues, children’s, world, and holiday live music performances.
C) Del’s Downtown Cafe..623 Main St, Manchester, Ct..(860)646-5356
Part of Del’s logo, and advertising features a martini olive, with a toothpick through it. The illustration is quite accurate. Think Sinatra and Martin and the rest of the ‘Rat Pack”. Located in the heart of Manchester’s quaint downtown district, Del’s is a neighborhood bar that features live jazz music, primarily on weekends. The staff and customers, many of whom are ‘regulars’, are quite friendly at this live music venue in Manchester, Ct. Del’s is a pleasant place to visit.
D) Hungry Tiger Cafe..120 Charter Oak St, Manchester, Ct..(860)649-1195
Since 1981, some of the finest local, regional and national rock and blues acts have appeared at the Hungry Tiger. The Hartford Advocate newspaper has named the Hungry Tiger “Best Blues Club”, “Best Place To See Live Music” and “Best Blues Jam/ Open Mic” in its readers poll several times. With a bright, beautiful dining room lit by many windows and a menu of teriffic food, the Hungry Tiger is a very enjoyable spot to relax and enjoy live music in Manchester, Ct. Some of the acts that have appeared at the Hungry Tiger include James Montgomery, Jeff Healey, Savoy Brown, Kim Wilson, Matt”Guitar” Murphy, Coco Montoya, Susan Tedeschi, Sleepy Labeef, Son Seals, Maria Muldaur and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. They feature live music seven nights a week, including a great open blues jam on Mondays.
E) The Main Pub..306 Main St, Manchester, Ct..(860)647-1551
Besides being a live music venue, the Main Pub in Manchester, Ct is known for offering great food at reasonable prices. The setting is bright and cheerful and the twenty and thirty- something crowd is generally friendly. While a variety of live music is presented, many of the acts that play there fall into the ‘groove rock’ and ‘funk’ categories. Blues, country and dance rock are also some of the forms of live music presented at the Main Pub. They also feature an Acoustic Open Mic on wednesday nights.
F) Whiskey Pub..384 West Middle Turnpike, Manchester, Ct..(860)432-7134
Hard rock and modern cover bands are the usual forms of live music presented at the Whiskey Pub. The crowd is somewhat younger and rowdier than at other Manchester, Ct live music venues. A hard- partying place that features live bands on weekends and karaoke and DJ’s on weeknights.
