Food and Drinks
Hank's Travel Best > Trips
By Hank Leukart
July 16, 2013
Best rock concert venue in Seattle
The Showbox at the Market (Seattle, Washington)
D
uring the time I lived in Seattle, I went to over 20 rock shows at the Showbox at the Market, including Liz Phair, The Eels, Spiritualized, Beta Band, Beth Orton, Badly Drawn Boy, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus, the Shins, Stars, Leona Naess, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Built to Spill, the Dandy Warhols, and Brand New. I spent so much time at the Showbox because it’s the perfect venue for seeing live music: it’s small enough that there’s not a bad place to stand (or sit), but it’s big enough that it’s not too overcrowded for popular acts. And, because the Showbox, founded in 1939, is such an integral part of American music history, I felt shivers every time I walked inside. The art-deco theater is best known for being at the center of music counterculture during the Grunge Era, giving a stage to bands like Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, TAD, and the Screaming Trees, but it also played a role in the region’s local music scene during the 1950s, hosting Era Merrilee & the Turnabouts, the Kingsmen (of “Louie Louie” fame), and the Wailers. Even Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Muddy Waters, and the Junior Wells Band played here during the Jazz Era. WB
1426 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98101. 888-929-7849. www.showboxpresents.com.
To read the whole story of the trip on which I discovered The Showbox at the Market, read: Staying 18 forever — Pop punk rock stars inspire eternal youth at their intense rock concerts.
Ben Kweller of Death Cab for Cutie plays at the Showbox at the Market in Seattle, Washington.
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