best american music venuesWhat makes a great venue?

My friend Sofia Talvik and I call them “unicorns” — those rare performance spaces that sound great, feel great, and inspire the audience too.

Consequence of Sound has compiled a fun list of 100 such unicorns, concentrating on great American music venues, covering rooms and outdoor spaces of all shapes and sizes, from a small strip mall oasis to Madison Square Garden.

I think I’ve played on half a dozen of these stages, seen great shows at quite a few more, and plan to tackle the rest before my 500th birthday.

How about you? What do you think makes a great venue?

Let us know about your favorite venue (in any country) in the comments below.