Looking to catch a concert in central Indiana? Several venues, new and old, are here to provide the setting in which you can enjoy a musical treat. Here are my five favorites:
Birdy’s: An established rock & roll bar, Birdy’s is located at 2131 East 71st St. The first concert I enjoyed at Birdy’s was Cincinnati-based Over The Rhine. If you manage to secure a barstool in the balcony, you are in luck-otherwise you’ll spend the show standing in the main viewing area on the floor. Hint: arrive early. Recent acts to visit Birdy’s included acoustic-folk rapper Mat Kearney, Matt Pond PA, and Montreal-based post-punk pop band The Stills. Coming up are Joseph Arthur (10/5/06) and the Futureheads (10/23/06). Check their website for more info at www.birdyslive.com.
The Music Mill: A newer venue to Indy’s north side, The Music Mill is a full restaurant with an impressively modern concert venue attached. Though the restaurant reviews have been less than stellar, I’ve enjoyed several shows here, and especially appreciate the smoke-free atmosphere. You’ll get a more sophisticated, mixed crowd for most shows here. Located at 3720 East 82nd St, the Music Mill’s recent acts included Blues Traveler, Josh Kelley, Los Lonely Boys, and Pete Yorn. Look for future appearances by country-girl band Antigone Rising, Gin Blossoms, Shawn Mullins, and Sister Hazel. For more info, visit www.themusicmillvenue.com.
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater: This is your typical outdoor summer concert venue. Overpriced beer, soggy slices of too-expensive pizza, and way overpriced tickets-unless you want lawn seats. Still, this is the place you’ll see big summer-touring acts like Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Jimmy Buffett, and the like. This amphitheater is located off Interstate-69 in Noblesville, just north of Indy. (12880 East 146th St.) and the website is www.verizonwirelessmusiccenter.com. Verizon will wrap up its summer season with October shows featuring Toby Keith, Aerosmith, and Insane Clown Posse.
The Murat/Egyptian Room: This place is classy, and also hosts some of the bigger-name acts like you might find at Verizon. A full-stage theater that hosts production shows like Stomp! and Les Miserables, The Murat (pronounced muir-aht) also has the Egyptian Room, which is, as it sounds, themed to resemble the Saharan country. Over the years I’ve seen acts like Damien Rice, Nickel Creek, and Sigur Ros at the Murat-and I’ve never been disappointed by the experience. The smaller size of this venue means you can get up closer to the artists and really feel the experience. Located at 502 North New Jersey St. in downtown Indy, the Murat’s website is www.murat.com. In the coming months, look for everything from Death Cab For Cutie to Disney Live Present’s Mickey’s Magic Show.
The Vogue: This is my least-favorite of the above-mentioned music venues. Why? The seating is a bit cramped and scare for my taste, and the location in town tends to lend toward a crowd that’s less refined. (Translation: I once shared a small, round table with a male concertgoer who yelled to the female artist onstage, “Take yer shirt off.” And it really wasn’t that kind of a show.) Look for shows like GWAR, Broken Social Scene, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Edwin McCain this Fall. Visit www.thevogue.ws for more info.
Reference:
- www.birdyslive.com www.themusicmillvenue.com www.verizonwirelessmusiccenter.comwww.murat.com www.thevogue.ws
