Three music venues have been crowned the best in metro Phoenix in an Arizona Republic readers poll that divided voting into separate categories based on size.
We broke it down that way because a place as big as State Farm Stadium is clearly checking different boxes than a dive bar known for hosting loud garage-rock bands or an acoustically breathtaking concert hall tucked in a musical instrument museum.
Was that right decision? I can't say for sure.
One reader asked what the criteria could possibly have been. We left that for the individual voter to decide. I’m sure it all came down to the acoustics for some readers while others didn’t spare a thought for sound.
It’s often memories more than anything that make a person feel a tight connection to
a music venue. How can comfortable seating, good sightlines and state-of-the-arts acoustics compete with “I saw the most amazing concerts of my life there?”
Anyhow, these are the venues that won. Congratulations to all three.
Best large music venue: Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre was crowned the best large music venue with 34% of the vote.
Rachel Hill, the venue's general manager, said, "We're honored to be named Phoenix's Best Large Venue and grateful to the fans, artists and dedicated crew who make every show memorable."
The 20,000-capacity outdoor venue has been an entertainment destination for Arizona music fans since 1990, when Billy Joel christened what was then called Desert Sky Pavilion at 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix, with his The Storm Front Tour. This is back when Billy Joel was touring in support of new releases.
The venue seats 8,106 concertgoers under a pavilion roof and an additional 12,000 on the lawn behind the main stands.
In its 36-year history, the venue has hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Metallica, David Bowie, the Police and Fleetwood Mac.
It’s also been featured on albums by R.E.M. (two tracks on their classic 1996 release "New Adventures in Hi-Fi"), Fall Out Boy ("Live in Phoenix") and Green Day (a version of "Cigarettes and Valentines" on their live album "Awesome As (Expletive)."
Best midsize music venue: Wild Horse Pass
Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass was crowned best midsize music venue with 29% of the vote.
“To be recognized by the people who actually walk through our doors is incredibly special,” Anastasia Palmer Johnson, Wild Horse’s corporate director of entertainment, replied when told the casino had won The Arizona Republic poll.
“Over the last three years, we've been intentional about building more than a venue — we've built an experience. From the artists we bring in, to the hospitality behind the scenes, to the incredible team that makes every show happen, we've worked hard to create a place guests want to come back to again and again.”
Being named best midsize venue is “an honor,” Johnson says, and “a reminder that putting the guest experience first is always the right investment.”
Gila River Resorts & Casinos – Wild Horse Pass is a AAA Four-Diamond Award-winning hotel less than 20 minutes from Sky Harbor Airport. It's located at 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd. on the Gila River Indian Community near Chandler.
Best small music venue: Crescent Ballroom
Crescent Ballroom was voted best small music venue with 20% of the vote. And the victory arrives on the eve of a special anniversary.
Charlie Levy, who opened the iconic downtown venue in October 2011, says it's "such an honor to be voted best small venue in Phoenix by the readers. ... It means that after 15 years, people still think of Crescent Ballroom when it comes to live music in Phoenix."
Prior to the opening of Crescent Ballroom at 308 N. Second Ave., downtown Phoenix was essentially a ghost town after 6 p.m. unless there was a big event at the arena, the ballpark or a theater.
Things have changed since Levy's flagship venue, the 550-person capacity Crescent Ballroom, opened — not the least of which was Levy expanding his cultural footprint.
In 2015, he opened Valley Bar, a 250-capacity basement club on Central Avenue, just a short walk from Crescent.
Two years after that, he partnered with Live Nation on his most ambitious venture yet — the Van Buren, the opulent 1,850-capacity crown jewel of the downtown Phoenix music hub on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Van Buren.
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: These are Phoenix's top concert venues, according to readers
