Living in Philadelphia is a blessing and should be treated as such. Sure, there is a lot more garbage and noise in the city and maybe the city turns to chaos every time there’s a big playoff game, but by going to St. Joe’s, we have something students at Pennsylvania State University or the University of Scranton don’t: We have access to what Philly has to offer at night.
A big difference between living in Philly and living in a rural or suburban area is that we have shows to see. Philly’s underground music scene is already established, easily accessible and, to be quite honest, it’s sick.
Sure, in the suburbs and even rural areas, there is probably one big concert venue where all the big artists go when they come to town. Perhaps one is forced to drive an hour and a half to get to said venue, or perhaps one just walks down their street to a nearby house for an intimate basement show. However, Philly has many places to experience show culture.
With dozens of venues under the same zip code, Philly offers unique music experiences for whatever you’re into. What makes Philly really interesting is that venue size and atmosphere varies from place to place.
Whether you’re an avid concert-goer or you’re new to the scene, here’s a crash course on how to know what type of experience you’re looking for based off of the venue.
The Big League
If your favorite artist comes to town and they’re selling out stadiums, chances are you’ll find the likes of Dababy, Elton John or Billie Eilish at Wells Fargo Center, Lincoln Financial Field, The Mann Center or The Met Philadelphia (which just recently reopened).
Some artists will cost concert-goers a couple hundred dollars if they want to sit as close as possible. While you may be dropping bills to see them, these are the big guns. With these venues holding tens of thousands of people, you will be fully immersed in the concert experience.
Some experiences are just worth it. In December alone, Lil Uzi is coming to Wells Fargo (12/8), and Madonna and PnB Rock will be performing at The Met (Madonna on 12/7, 12/8 and 12/11 and PnB Rock on 12/28).
Down a Notch?
Seeing someone a little smaller? When looking to see performers like Brockhampton, Vampire Weekend or SZA, try venues like Union Transfer, The Fillmore Philadelphia or the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center. These are medium sized venues only holding give or take a couple thousand people with ticket prices that most likely won’t break your bank, from about $160 and below.
This month, Union Transfer is having Twin Peaks and Cautious Clay (12/10 and 12/14, respectively), and The Struts are coming to the Fillmore (12/28 and 12/29).
Even Smaller?
Philly has a ton of small venues to see indie bands usually for a decently low cost, so if you’re looking for the likes of The Fruit Bats, SKATERS or Mitski, you’ll probably find them at venues like Milkboy Philadelphia, Boot & Saddle, Theatre of the Living Arts or Johnny Brenda’s.
With prices being more wallet-friendly and these venues only holding anywhere from 300 to 500 people, these are a nice way to dip your toe into the vast music culture Philadelphia has to offer.
For the month of December, Theatre of the Living Arts is having New Politics, The Plain White T’s and The Mowgli’s (all on 12/11), and Boot & Saddle will feature Thurston Moore Group (12/6).
With these venues being general admission, prices for all tickets are usually set anywhere from $20 to $40.
Heart of Philly
Looking for a step up from someone’s graduation party or that kid from high school’s basement to see bands like Mal Blum, Okey Dokey, Adult Mom or Chastity Belt? These tiny venues, holding 200 people at most, are the heart of Philly music culture. Underground Arts, First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Everybody Hits and the PhilaMOCA are all great examples of this type of experience.
This month, VARSITY will perform at Everybody Hits Philadelphia (12/20), and both Thank You, Scientist and Beach Slang are coming to Underground Arts (12/11 and 12/12, respectively). Prices for these venues rarely go over $100 and are sometimes free.
Small bands are the heart and soul of live music culture, and being able to pay as much as you would for a poorly made shirt from Forever 21 or a Panera Bread salad to be one with the culture is something unique.
Even if the whole music culture idealism doesn’t necessarily resonate with you, it is still a good way to spend your time in the city.
So before you gear up for another night of not getting into the club or heading to a frat basement, maybe try out Underground Arts or Union Transfer for a new, interesting, maybe even transcendent experience.
