11 Jacksonville-Area Music Venues Every Local Should Know

Jacksonville is fortunate to have a broad-range of music-focused establishments, from intimate listening rooms to mid-sized indie clubs to big ol’ amphitheaters (theatres if we wanna get fancy).

And while the suburban sprawl of the consolidated city of Jacksonville (plus St. Johns County to the south) certainly presents a challenge, to those debating a visit to a venue across town, I’m here to tell you: It’s always worth the drive. Even if you haven’t heard of the headliner, thanks to some of the best talent buyers in the biz, it’s a decent bet that you’ll discover something to love at a Northeast Florida venue.

To get you primed for your next night of music on the First Coast, here’s JME’s list of 11 area venues that every local should know about.

SALES performing at Jack Rabbits, March 28, 2019 – photo originally appeared on the Jaxson

Jack Rabbits | San Marco

Recommended If You Like: Emerging indie artists; punk, metal, hardcore; influential legends; Reggae; local acts in all genres

For the past 25 years, this San Marco club has hosted thousands of concerts in its 300-person-capacity space, and their batting average for bringing in notable up-and-coming and legendary musicians, usually working in the indie/underground, reggae and metal spectrums, is pretty darn good. No frills: just cold beer, quality live sound and music most nights of the week. And it’s become a tour-stop favorite for indie greats including Mike Watt, Melvins, Built to Spill and Southern Culture on the Skids, among others.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Courtesy of the Florida Theatre’s website

The Florida Theatre | Downtown Jacksonville

Recommended If You Like: Classic-rock icons; radio mainstays; tribute acts

Recognized by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, boasting still-impressive 1920s-era Mediterranean Revival architecture and with a capacity of 1,900, the Florida Theatre represents a rite of passage for Northeast Florida natives, locals and visitors, and has featured concerts from classic and indie rockers including Brian Wilson, Hot Tuna, the Pixies, and Bob Weir and the Wolf Brothers.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Intuition Ale Works | Downtown Jacksonville

Recommended If You Like: Americana; Alt-Country; Folk; Singer-Songwriters; Blues; Indie Rock

A SRO capacity of 500, a quality sound system and a selection of in-house craft brews makes the Bier Hall at Intuition Ale Works a go-to venue for many local fans of live indie, Americana and alt-folk music. Among notable past headliners, All Them Witches, The Mountain Goats, and Yonder Mountain String Band have graced the Bier Hall stage.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Blue Jay Listening Room | Jacksonville Beach

Recommended If You Like: Folk; singer-songwriters; Americana; blues; country; jazz

The listening room rules are straightforward: Shut up and listen. But the experience at this fun-sized (80 cap) Jax Beach venue is singular. The Blue Jay hosts local and internationally-touring songwriters in a broad-range of genres, who take to the Blue Jay stage to share songs and intimate stories with an audience that – with prodding from venue runner Cara Murphy – is listening intentionally. Tuesday night jazz jams and monthly songwriter showcases highlight the venue’s regularly-scheduled programming, which includes concerts nearly every night of the week.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Jacksonville’s Ducats performing at The Walrus | Courtesy of the artist

The Walrus | Murray Hill

Recommended If You Like: Indie rock; electronic; punk, post punk and new wave; locals in all genres

Yes, it’s a vegan cafe and juice bar by day. And a 100-capacity live-music venue by night. But the Walrus is much more than that. A community space that’s located on what’s become one of Jacksonville’s hippest strips (Edgewood Ave. S.), the Walrus is a place to hear emerging artists from the ranks of Northeast Florida’s diverse music scene and buzzy acts from around the country. Music nearly every night of the week. Most shows are ticketed at the door.

Upcoming Shows | Instagram Page

Source: Facebook post from St Augustine Ampitheatre. Artist: Travis Scott

St. Augustine Amphitheatre (aka The Amp) | St. Augustine

Recommended If You Like: Jam bands; Americana; rock; big-time acts in every conceivable genre

Located on the south side of the Bridge Of Lions, right next to the coast, since 2007 this 4000-capacity outdoor venue has been attracting both musicians and music fans from around the globe. In 2019, Pollstar Magazine rated the Amp as the second-best amphitheatre in the nation and the third-best in the world. Since its inception, Amp has hosted concerts by the likes of Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, Slayer, Wilco and other notable acts of every conceivable genre.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Credit: The Ponte Vedra Concert Hall website

Ponte Vedra Concert Hall | Ponte Vedra

Recommended If You Like: Notable and legendary acts in every conceivable genre

Whether as a 450-seated theatre, or 900-person SRO venue, the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall features more than 140 shows each year, ranging from legendary singer-songwriters to indie rock, along with regular appearances by notable standup comedians. Over the years, the PVCH has presented shows by the likes of The Breeders, Lucinda Williams, Matisyahu, and is a regular stop for post-Dead-style jam bands.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Jacksonville’s The Julius Airwave performing at the Kona Clubhouse | Courtesy of the artist

Kona Clubhouse | Arlington

Recommended If You Like: Punk; metal; hardcore; indie rock; garage rock

As the oldest, continually-operating skate park in the world, Kona long ago established itself as a gathering place for anyone and everyone – especially outsiders and icons of counterculture (keep in mind, skateboarding was a counterculture activity until the late-’90s). With the Kona Clubhouse, the beloved park has expanded into the live music space, welcoming emerging and established touring artists of the punk/metal variety and, in short order, becoming a go-to spot for DIY-esque shows for local punk and indie rock bands, all while maintaining its inclusive ethos.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Rain Dogs. | Five Points

Recommended If You Like: Indie rock; singer-songwriters; metal, punk and hardcore; hip hop

Located right in the middle of the Jax’s historically bohemian district, this low-key watering hole has held it down for local and underground music since its inception. Songwriter showcases and DJ sets in the front room, affordable, raucous concerts in the back, Rain Dogs has – and continues to – serve as an incubator for Northeast Florida’s regional talent and a quality place to discover emerging touring bands.

Upcoming Shows

Daily’s Place Amphitheater | Downtown Jacksonville

Recommended If You Like: Pop country; popular artists played on the radio; California reggae; nostalgia acts

Located inside the stadium where the Jacksonville Jaguars play, the Daily’s Place amphitheater fills its annual concert calendar with a who’s who of recognizable standouts. From pop-country hitmakers like Darius Rucker to classic rock icons like Rod Stewart and nostalgia acts like Creed, Daily’s Place is – aside from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena – the place in Jax to see and hear artists with broad, mainstream appeal.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Underbelly | Downtown Jacksonville

Recommended If You Like: Rock; indie rock; reggae; electronic dance music; metal; punk; tribute acts

There have now been a few iterations of Underbelly, but after over a year in the dark in its second location on Bay Street in Downtown Jax, the club was reborn in 2021. And it’s as vibrant as ever, hosting everything from indie rock to electronic dance music to metal and no shortage of interesting tribute acts.

Upcoming Shows | Venue Website

Honorable Mention

These bars, restaurants, arenas and other establishments also host music regularly.

Source: Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena website

Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena | Downtown Jax

A big arena that brings in arena-sized shows.

Sunny War performing on the WJCT Soundstage | Photo by Bonnie Zerr

WJCT Soundstage | Downtown Jacksonville

Here at WJCT Public Media, we’ve got our own unique space – a real, live soundstage – and sometimes we put bands on it. Of late, we’ve had legendary Zambian rock band WITCH, guitar virtuoso Jesse Cook and American-roots artist Sunny War. More to come.

Credit Tim Gilmore, 6/4/2021. JaxPsychoGeo

VooSwar Restaurant & Lounge | Atlantic Beach

A legendary, off-the-beaten path establishment, the VooSwar has always hosted live music. But in recent years, they’ve rolled out a more consistent concert calendar.

The Moran Theatre inside the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts | photo from the venue’s website

Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts | Downtown Jacksonville

Home to the Jax Symphony and the FSCJ artist series, the cultural importance of the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts is unimpeachable. They also book big-name acts with some regularity.