Edition: Music of St. Louis
Culture & Attractions: Keep on Rollin' by the River
Author: Brian Audrey and Erin Callier
When it comes to original, live music in St. Louis, the city played a major role during the hallowed Golden Age of jazz music. These days, the city is 
making great strides to recapture the city’s past glory as a launching point for pointedly original American music—and it shows.
IN THE LOOP
Long crowned St. Louis’s off-beat culture capital, the Loop in University City stretches roughly six blocks on Delmar Boulevard. The Loop’s premiere concert venue, The Pageant offers an impressive lineup and is a must-visit if you’re looking for a quintessential St. Louis experience. Down the street, Blueberry Hill is a St. Louis institution where local Chuck Berry plays a monthly gig. Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room features nationally touring bands, while the Elvis Room mainly showcases St. Louis bands and last-minute shows.
PLAY US A SONG
For the “Piano Man” and “Sweet Caroline” lover in us all, The Big Bang and Jive and Wail fit all the criteria of typical dueling piano bars—audience participation, the soothing sway of alcohol and the joy spawned by the amazing lack of talent in strangers.
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
If you’re looking for a chic club where the décor and atmosphere rock harder than the music, Bluebird is not the venue for you. This low-key, nofrills downtown club is an absolute must for musical pioneers looking for obscure, yet truly great music. With stained glass windows and dark wood conspiring to create an ultra-cool ambience, Soulard’s Lucas School House features local and national bands that are yet to make it big, but are worth the cover, nonetheless.
AINT’ IT GRAND?
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at Powell Symphony Hall is just one of the many musical entities located in the extraordinary Grand Center. From Beethoven to The Wizard of Oz, the Symphony always ensures an eclectic evening. Known as “The Carnegie Hall of St. Louis,” the Sheldon Concert Hall offers variety, from classical to folk, and boasts acoustics that cannot be rivaled locally. Just down the street, Jazz at the Bistro is a St. Louis gem that gives audiences a true, can-youdig-it jazz experience.
RHYTHM & BLUES
With its Cajun cuisine and live jazz or blues every night, Broadway Oyster Bar brings New Orleans to our end of the Mississippi, offering all the fixin’s for a fun night out. Once a house of ill repute, BB’s Jazz, Blues and Soups bills itself as “part music club, part music museum.” Night after night, BB’s offers first-rate music that anyone, from a jazz or blues connoisseur to a novice listener, will undoubtedly enjoy.
MUSICAL ATTRACTION
The Fox Theatre brings Broadway to St. Louis with a consistently entertaining lineup of nationally touring musicals. Nothing short of grandiose, the Fox channels the spirit of days-gone-by, when a night at the theater was the ultimate experience. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis has perfected the art of mixing quirky, lesser-known productions with those that are more universally known and established. Also, there is no such thing as a bad seat in either of the Rep’s theaters.
Lucas School House
1220 Allen Ave., St. Louis, MO 63104
A St. Louis club whose rich wood and fixtures ooze class, hosting hot musical acts from around the country.
Jazz at the Bistro
3536 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103
Enjoy an up-close and personal jazz experience in the sophisticated atmosphere of this club, where the hottest rising stars, Grammy winners, and legends can all be found.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
130 Edgar Rd., St. Louis, MO 63119
One of St. Louis's leading professional theatre companies. The Rep presents musicals, comedies, and dramas, contemporary and classic, on two stages in the Loretto-Hilton Center (Season runs September-April). In addition, they offer three shows at The Grandel Theatre in Grand Center (Season runs September-December).
The Jive and Wail
7376 Manchester Rd., St. Louis, MO 63143
The Jive and Wail is a dueling piano bar that plays classic hits, encouraging you to clap along and enjoy your night off.
