An insider's guide to the best live music venues in New Orleans (2024)

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Singer-songwriter Andrew Duhon shares the best live music in his hometown New Orleans, from acoustic sets at The Tigermen Den to candlelit piano acts at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar.

New Orleans, with its famous "Big Easy" vibe, fabulous food and exhilarating live music scene, might just be America's biggest party – and not only during its iconic Mardi Gras celebration. Its eclectic neighbourhoods straddling the snaking Mississippi River are home to a year-round bevvy of musical acts, spanning styles from funk to blues to the New Orleans-bred genres of jazz, Cajun-infused zydeco and hip-hop subset Bounce.

We asked Andrew Duhon, a NOLA-based singer-songwriter, to help us find his hometown's best live music venues. "This isn't just any other city that we're living in," said Duhon. "This is a special place to wander around, and the stories are everywhere, through every aged wooden French-style door that opens up into a beautiful courtyard in the French Quarter."

But with so many stories – and venues – to choose from, Duhon, who performs all over the country with his folk and blues trio, gravitates towards places that "feel" like New Orleans. "To stand on the corner at a place like BJ's in the Bywater and talk to the local folk," he said. "Half of them you might recognise and be familiar with and the other half, you're going to be friends in five minutes and enjoy a show inside."

Duhon remains especially influenced by the city itself, which he believes unconsciously inspires every NOLA-based creative and lives in its best music venues. "I can come home and feel that sense of history in a room like that and a welcoming back. I think that is truly unique to New Orleans."

Here are eight of Andrew Duhon's favourite spots to catch live music acts in New Orleans.

William Morgan/Alamy

1. Best large venue that stages national acts: Tipitina's

"The first place that comes to mind is Tipitina's," said Duhon, citing the rustic juke joint that has been one of New Orleans' most revered music venues since it opened in 1977. "It was named after a song by [iconic New Orleans pianist] Professor Longhair. So even the name is of New Orleans."

Tipitina's is found in Uptown New Orleans and hosts an immense variety of excellent NOLA acts like bounce artist Big Freedia and a jam-packed calendar of Mardi Gras programming. "They will have nationally touring acts come through," said Duhon. "They're a big enough room to have that sort of thing happen. But there's also plenty local stuff going on there. And it feels like New Orleans at Tipitina's, you know, it's not a sterile room. It's very special inside and the music that they have is special, too."

Website: https://tipitinas.com/

Address: 501 Napoleon Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115

Phone: (504) 895-8477

Instagram: @tipitinas

William Morgan/Alamy

2. Best for making a night of it: the Maple Leaf Bar

For visitors planning a whole evening in New Orleans, Duhon recommends the funky watering hole theMaple Leaf Bar, also Uptown, which has hosted live acts since 1974.

"It's a little smaller, less nationally touring acts getting through there," said Duhon of the music club, housed in a bi-level 19th-Century frame town home. "But it was home to many of the forefathers of New Orleans music [who] used to play there, and it remains a great venue."

The Maple Leaf Bar's acts offer hot sets in genres including funk, blues, zydeco, R&B and jazz, and while the bar is most known for providing a platform for up-and-coming local artists, it also welcomes the occasional, surprise drop-in sesh by household name musicians, like legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen and NOLA native jazz musician Jon Batiste.

"It's also next door to an excellent restaurant for New Orleans food which is called Jacque-Imo's," said Duhon. "So, you can make a perfect little night of it. You book yourself table at Jacque-Imo's, get yourself something to eat, and then go see a funk band next door. I mean, what's not to love?" Duhon recommends the alligator cheesecake: "Seems like a must."

Website: https://www.mapleleafbar.com/

Address: 8316 Oak Street, New Orleans, LA 70118

Phone: (504) 866-9359

Instagram: @mapleleafnola

William Morgan/Alamy

3. Best listening room : Chickie Wah Wah

For the discerning music lover who wants nothing more than to sit down and listen in a chill space with a co*cktail in their hand, Duhon recommends heading to Chickie Wah Wah, an unassuming white brick cottage on the Canal Street streetcar line offering a constant line up of great musical acts. "The owner passed away a few years back and there was word that it might go away," said Duhon. "But since then, I'm glad to report that new owners – all of them just understanding and loving New Orleans – are doing good things with that room. And I think it's a great spot to catch a show."

Chickie Wah Wah's intimate space is a magnet for a New Orleans-style blend of musical styles. "They'll do the singer-songwriter type things, you know, broad in that sense," said Duhon, who enjoys performing at Chickie Wah Wah when he's in town. "It can be anything from country to rock and roll to local Cajun music, but, you know, something that you can sit and listen to."

Website: https://chickiewahwah.com

Address: 2828 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119

Phone: (504) 541-2050

Instagram: @chickiewahwahnola

William Morgan/Getty Images

4. Best dive bar with eclectic line up: Le Bon Temps Roule

If a dive bar immediately conjures up images of a barely functioning jukebox, allow your horizons to be broadened with a visit to Le Bon Temps Roule – or Le Bon Temps, as it's affectionately called by locals.

"It's a dive bar with a live music room in the back," explained Duhon. "It's dark and woody and yeah, it feels like New Orleans in there."

Le Bon Temps Roule is nestled on a corner of Magazine Street, housed in a historic late 19th-Century building painted an eye-catching red. Visitors can relax with a game of billiards as they take in the vast array of acts, from soul to hip hop DJ sets, or enjoy a hearty pub menu of burgers and sandwiches, washed down with a Bloody Mary, the house co*cktail.

"It's a great room," said Duhon. "Not too big. It's a dive venue and lovely. They'll do brass bands in the back; everything from country to brass."

Website: https://lbtrnola.com/

Address: 4801 Magazine Street, New Orleans LA 70115

Phone: (504) 897-3448

Instagram: @lebontempsroulenola

William Morgan/Alamy

5. Best for wandering from venue to venue with a drink in your hand: Frenchmen Street and Saint Claude Avenue

If certain venues "feel" like New Orleans, there are two streets – or corridors, in NOLA-speak – that encapsulate the vibe for Duhon. "Maybe you just picked up a co*cktail from one room, but you want to go to the next," he said. "You can bring that co*cktail along to the next room if you like. You can walk with your drink in New Orleans."

Duhon's favourite music venue-lined corridors are Frenchmen Street and Saint Claude Avenue. "When I was a kid figuring out my songwriter thing, Frenchmen Street felt pure," Duhon reminisced. "It felt like the tourists hadn't found [it] yet." Duhon concedes that gentrification is sneaking into the corridor, but the stalwarts remain. "The ones that come to mind are DBA, Snug Harbor [Jazz Bistro] and The Spotted Cat Music Club," he said. "DBA can be a mixed bag; everything from rock to jazz. Snug Harbor is strictly jazz. [There's a] seated area around a small stage, very intimate, quiet, a place where you can really tuck in and listen… and across the street, the Spotted Cat is a whole different take on jazz. That's a small room where there aren't seats; you're just shoulder to shoulder with the locals and a beer in your hand and on the stage is probably somebody crooning some jazz tunes, Dixieland."

On Saint Claude Avenue, Duhon likes [indie music room] Hi-Ho Lounge; metal, punk and underground band venue Siberia; Allways Lounge [cabaret]; alternative music spot Saturn Bar and Sweet Lorraine's [jazz club]. "I think either Frenchmen or Saint Claude are great options," said Duhon. "I wouldn't even have to look at a calendar… I could go to either one of those corridors and feel like I'm going to find something cool… A walk-in beverage, a couple of friends, or not. Make a couple of friends! That's New Orleans, you know?"

John Elk III/Alamy

6. The Best of Bourbon Street (from a local's POV): Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

When discussing Bourbon Street – the most iconic stretch in New Orleans' gorgeous yet heavily-touristed French Quarter – Duhon quickly supplied: "Locals don't go to Bourbon Street." However, he does like Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar – a piano bar housed in an early 18th-Century slate-roofed blacksmith's shop believed to be the first building to be used as a bar in the United States.

"You start on Canal Street, and you walk down Bourbon and it's a party, it's a party, it's a party," said Duhon. "About three blocks after that party starts to recede, there's one bar left, just about three or four blocks. They do have a candlelit piano in the back so occasionally you will find music in there. But it is a place where locals will go to have a drink. It's a great place for Mardi Gras day to convene."

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop – believed to have been used as a pirates' and smugglers' den in the 1700s – has survived several fires and is widely believed to be haunted. "But that's a special spot," said Duhon. "It existed long before electricity so it kind of feels like they're trying to keep that up. It's very dark in there with candles and whatnot."

Website: http://www.lafittesblacksmithshop.com/Homepage.html

Address: 941 Bourbon Street, New Orleans LA 70116

Phone: (504) 593-9761

Instagram: @lafittesblacksmithshopbar

BHammond/Alamy

7. Best Place to Feel the Ghosts of New Orleans Jazz History: Preservation Hall

To continue communing with New Orleans spirits, head a little further afield of Bourbon Street and find Preservation Hall in the French Quarter – Duhon's pick for a place where you can feel the ghosts of NOLA musicians past.

"Haunted would be the wrong word," said Duhon. "I would say [it's] probably the place where you can most feel that history… it's the one place I would say near Bourbon Street that is unadulterated by the tourism. [It's] the home of New Orleans jazz."

Preservation Hall has hosted nightly jazz shows since 1961, and is home to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. "All of the guys in that band, the Pres Hall Band, their life's work is New Orleans jazz," said Duhon. "And Preservation Hall is where it's preserved, as the name suggests, but if you're looking for a best place to feel the history, that's the spot. And they have, like, three shows a night. It's very good."

Website: https://www.preservationhall.com/

Address: 726 Saint Peter Street, New Orleans, LA 70116

Phone: (504) 522-2841

Instagram: @preservationhall

William Morgan/Alamy

8. Best New(ish) Venue: The Tigermen Den

Duhon loves his tried-and-true NOLA's iconic music venues, but every now and then, he makes a discovery in his own hometown. "Just a couple of weeks ago, I went to see a group of songwriters each take a set at a place called The Tigermen Den," said Duhon. "A corner building that I didn't know was a venue, but [I walked] through the gate and into this beautiful little patio where the owner of the building was serving co*cktails."

The Tigermen Den in the Bywater, housed in a former Creole dry goods store dating back to 1830, has been used as a music venue since 2011 and now also functions as a community cultural centre. But Duhon believes the musical ghosts of New Orleans are busily at play. "Inside it was like walking into a building from 100 years ago," he said. "And we all just sat in a room and listened to people with guitars sing their songs, one after the other. And it was beautiful." Duhon paused to add: "It felt like New Orleans."

Website: https://www.thetigermenden.com/

Address: 3113 Royal Street, New Orleans LA 70117

Phone: (504) 230-0131

Instagram: @the_tigermen_den

BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers.

Join more than three million BBC Travel fans by liking us onFacebook, or follow us onTwitterandInstagram.

If you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newslettercalled "The Essential List". A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Worklife and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday.