Looking for live music in Indianapolis? You’re in the right place. From blues at Indiana’s oldest bar to punk shows at a hundred-year-old dive, from jazz seven nights a week on Mass Ave to summer amphitheater shows on the river, Indy has a stage for every kind of music fan — and this guide covers all of it.
Where the Music Is: Indy’s Live Music Neighborhoods
Broad Ripple & SoBro
The north side’s classic music strip. The Vogue, a converted 1938 movie theater, anchors the neighborhood with national touring acts, while The Jazz Kitchen has kept SoBro swinging for more than 30 years. Nearby, The Melody Inn hosts punk rock nearly every night, and The Mousetrap is the city’s home for jam bands.
Fountain Square
Indy’s indie-music heart. HI-FI books tomorrow’s headliners in a 500-cap room inside the Murphy Arts Center, with its outdoor Annex hosting bigger shows all summer. Around the corner you’ll find White Rabbit Cabaret’s mix of bands and burlesque, and Square Cat Vinyl — a record store where you can catch a band with a beer in hand.
Downtown & Mass Ave
The Slippery Noodle Inn — Indiana’s oldest bar, pouring since 1850 — hosts live blues most nights of the week. On Mass Ave, the Chatterbox Jazz Club offers jazz seven nights a week in a gloriously cramped room, and The Rathskeller’s summer biergarten stage is one of the happiest places in the city to hear a band. For bigger shows, Old National Centre’s three rooms, the Everwise Amphitheater on the river, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse cover everything from club gigs to arena tours.
Find What You’re Looking For
- Best Places for Live Music in Indianapolis — our full venue guide, neighborhood by neighborhood
- Open Mic Nights in Indianapolis — where to play (or watch) around the city
- Live Music This Weekend — our hand-picked guide, updated every week
- Free Live Music — concerts that cost nothing but your evening
Beyond Indy
The music doesn’t stop at the county line. Hamilton County — Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville — has everything from free summer amphitheater series to the 24,000-seat Ruoff Music Center. Our guides to live music across Indiana are growing city by city.
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