Familiar signifiers of the Houston brand include energy, NASA, major-league sports, Fortune 500 titans, museums and its sizzling culinary scene. Despite producing greats such as blues master Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins, Grammy winning crooner Lyle Lovett and megastar Beyonce Knowles, however, the quick association with music is not always there.
Founded here in 1969, ZZ Top’s enduring fame includes its spectacular mid-’70s Worldwide Texas Tour: Taking Texas to the People, which involved performing on a Texas-shaped stage with native animals including a Texas longhorn, buzzards and rattlesnakes.
There are deeper layers to Houston’s musical legacy, with seminal ’60s and ’70s venues such as The Catacombs, Love Street and Liberty Hall figuring prominently in the psychedelic and rock movements. Long since bulldozed and forgotten, however, their impact is generally lost, contributing, perhaps, to Houston never achieving the national identity enjoyed by Austin and other major music centers.
Yet several hallowed Houston music halls are keeping the past alive, while exciting homegrown talent such as rave-reviewed (multiple 2014 Houston Press Music Awards) singer Kam Franklin and her band The Suffers, her remake of No Place I’d Rather Be accompanying the Greater Houston CVB’s latest tourism campaign, are making waves on the national scene. From pioneering clubs to grand stages, Houston is one hot gig for groups looking to tune up their agendas.
Old School
Celebrated in the 2010 documentary For the Sake of the Song, Anderson Fair Retail Restaurant remains one of America’s most important folk and acoustic music venues. Founded in 1969, “AFair” launched performers and songwriters including Lyle Lovett and fellow Grammy winners Lucinda Williams and Nanci Griffith. For intimate connections to Houston’s musical history, this no-frills, cash-only, smoke-free Montrose institution is as authentic as it gets.
Another legendary shrine is the Eldorado Ballroom, an epicenter of African-American music from 1939 to the early ’70s. Reborn in 2003, the largely preserved venue continues to host performances along with meetings, events, conferences and other gatherings. Live at the Eldorado is a new program designed to help fund restoration of this Texas landmark.
Since 1977, Fitzgerald’s in the Heights has been the go-to venue for rising local stars and big-name greats, including James Brown, Tina Turner, Steve Ray Vaughan, R.E.M. and The Ramones. Hosting live music and events several nights a week, two-level, two-stage Fitz’s, housed in a 1918 building, is available for private events, with multiple spaces including an expansive back patio.
Located in a converted 1920s warehouse in East Downtown Houston (EaDo) close to the Convention District, Warehouse Live is a rocking choice for live shows and private events. Hosting acts ranging from Blondie and Bruno Mars to rising local stars The Ton Tons, winners of multiple 2014 Houston Press Music Awards, the venue also offers two spaces ideally equipped for groups. The blank canvas Ballroom can be dressed for occasions ranging from seated dinners for 250 to standing receptions for 1,500, separate VIP area included. The adjacent Studio, meanwhile, offers an intimate environment for smaller gatherings, with decor including banquettes and chandeliers.
Opened in November, downtown newcomer Prohibition Supperclub & Bar revives Houston’s first theater, the Isis, from 1912. Combining the beautifully preserved theater space with a restaurant and bar, the multifunctional venue stages entertainment such as Prohibition-themed parties and burlesque shows, and is available for private rental.
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Founded in 1957 in Austin, Continental Club is legendary among live music venues. The Houston outpost, opened in 2000, maintains this neon-lit tradition with a red-velvet stage hosting a wide range of music acts. The Midtown club anchors a popular stretch of Main Street lined with popular bars and restaurants, including adjacent Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge, offering group seating, a spacious outdoor patio and regular performers such as Fistful of Soul, “Best Club DJ” in the 2014 Houston Press Music Awards.
Also downtown on Main Street, The Nightingale Room is a newly opened bar focused on music and dancing, with hundreds of vinyl records on its walls. The venue pays homage to 1920s local musical legend Sippie Wallace, known as the “Texas Nightingale.”
Finely Tuned
Headlining Houston’s marquee venues is the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Home to resident performing companies such as Broadway at the Hobby and Theatre Under the Stars, this Theatre District institution is also a stellar showcase for live music. Both available for group rental, the spellbinding 2,650-seat Sarofim Hall and intimate jewel-box Zilkha Hall, seating 500 people on two levels, are pure magic.
Home to the Houston Symphony and the Society for the Performing Arts, Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, founded in 1966, is an architecturally stunning choice for musical and stage performances, along with corporate meetings, galas and other functions.
The Jones is part of Houston First Theaters, which includes the equally splendid, event-capable Wortham Center. Home to Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera, the Wortham features the 2,405-seat Brown Theater and 1,100-seat Cullen Theater. Located in Hermann Park, Miller Outdoor Theatre (www.milleroutdoortheatre.com) uniquely offers eight months of admission-free professional entertainment.
Near the Hobby, the 2,700-seat Bayou Music Center offers superior sightlines and acoustics for enjoying concerts, comedy and other shows. With catering from Wolfgang Puck, the venue hosts large events, accommodating 800 for banquets and up to 1,930 for receptions.
In the Convention District, the former Houston Pavilions complex has been rebranded as GreenStreet. Nearing completion on a comprehensive overhaul, the multiuse district includes House of Blues, a rocking choice for live music on three stages, plus two restaurants, special event rooms and the famed Foundation Room for private functions.
North of Houston in The Woodlands, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheater with lawn seating that hosts major music acts such as ZZ Top and Jeff Beck, set to perform in May. Summer home to the Houston Symphony, the venue offers private group space at the Woodforest Bank Club and House of Blues Hospitality Tent.
Longtime Meetings Focus contributor Jeff Heilman sings Houston’s praises to anyone who will listen.
