Still, despite losing venues like Churchill's Pub and Las Rosas during the pandemic, the music scene has found a way to thrive.
If you want to see the Beyoncés and Taylor Swifts of the world, head to the oversized venues like the downtown Kaseya Center and Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. In late 2023, the Fillmore Miami Beach returned, again filling in the 2,700-seat theater space the area needs.
When it comes to small venues, Miami needs more. However, newer spots like the Sandbox in Miami Beach and ZeyZey in Little Haiti have helped fill the void.
So, if you are searching for live music in Miami, here are 11 concert venues that make the cut.
Björk performed with a 32-person string orchestra at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
Photo by Santiago Felipe
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-949-6722
arshtcenter.orgDesigned by famed architect César Pelli, the Adrienne Arsht Center was plagued with cost overruns before it officially opened its doors in 2006. During its first few seasons, it had to go dark during the summer months to stay within budget. But despite its rough start, the Arsht Center has become the cornerstone of Miami's cultural venues. It hosts operas, ballets, and Broadway musicals but often sees musical acts grace the stage. The Roots, Björk, Patti LaBelle, Morrissey, and B.B. King are some of the acts that have performed at the venue, with the Knight Concert Hall seeing the bulk of the live music performances. With the perfect acoustics, the concert hall is easily one of the best venues to see a concert.
Bar Nancy
2007 SW Eighth St., Miaminancy305.comThe Little Havana cocktail bar often gets overlooked as a music venue, but it hosts local bands regularly. The acts that grace its stage are often of the indie-rock, punk, and metal varieties, but jazz, acoustic, folk, and hip-hop musicians are no strangers to performing here. Bar Nancy often books more the established local acts, meaning if you are searching for the new blood of the Miami music scene, you'll have to look elsewhere. Still, it deserves props for being the only underground venue in the historic neighborhood.
The Fillmore Miami Beach
1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach305-673-7300
fillmoremb.comIn 2022, the Fillmore Miami Beach announced it would be closing to accommodate the renovations and expansions happening at the Miami Beach Convention Center next door. The venue is operated by Live Nation, which moved many of the Fillmore-type shows to the FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park. With a capacity of 10,000, the amphitheater saw many acts perform to a paltry turnout — some even canceled their Miami stops when they failed to sell enough tickets to the show. Thankfully, the Fillmore reopened at the end of 2023, offering a much more manageable 2,700 seats. LCD Soundsystem, Lizzo, New Order, Robyn, the Deftones, and many more have performed at the space that previously hosted tapings of The Jackie Gleason Show in the 1960s.
FPL Solar Amphitheater at Bayfront Park
301 Biscayne Blvd., Miami305-358-7550
bayfrontparkamphitheater.comLocated at Bayfront Park, unofficially the city's front lawn overlooking Biscayne Bay, the FPL Solar Amphitheater boasts a 10,000-seat capacity and picturesque views. While watching a concert here during the summer months is a gamble — afternoon rainstorms pose a big threat — it is still a great spot for live music. Performances by Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, the Cure, the Kid Laroi, and countless editions of Ultra Music Festival have taken place here. During the mild winter and spring temperatures, there's arguably no better place to watch a national touring act perform live.
Gramps
176 NW 24th St., Miami305-699-2669
gramps.comOne of the last remaining vestiges of the Wynwood that never was, Gramps regularly hosts local bands and visiting acts. Concerts take place either under the outdoor, palapa-covered stage or Shirley's, the bar's backroom space. Acts range from experimental electronica and indie-pop to metal, punk, and hip-hop, but all have one thing in common: They're emerging acts with a cult following. Breakeven Booking and Endoxa Booking often book the shows here, with ticket prices averaging around $15. The maximum price I've ever seen for a show is $35.
The Ground
34 NE 11th St., Miami305-375-0001
thegroundmiami.comLocated in downtown Miami at Club Space's ground floor, the concert venue is perhaps one of the more underutilized venues in the city. Since its 2017 opening, the Ground has hosted various musical acts spanning genres from indie rock and metal to R&B and electronic. Some highlights include a before-she-was-big performance by SZA, Shygirl, Bikini Kill, Helado Negro, Jpegmafia, Wavves, and Overmono. Unfortunately, live shows don't happen with the frequency the space deserves. It's the perfect indoor venue for touring acts that expect to pull around a crowd of 500. Here's hoping bookings become more regular moving forward.
Kaseya Center
601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami786-777-1000
kaseyacenter.com
Known for a long time as the American Airlines Arena — and then an embarrassingly short time as FTX Arena — the Kaseya Center's primary purpose is to serve as the home of the Miami Heat. Its secondary use is often to host arena-sized concerts. Since opening in 1999, the venue has hosted every pop act imaginable, from Britney Spears to Taylor Swift and Janet Jackson. It also hosted the MTV Video Music Awards in 2004 and 2005. If a chart-topping act will perform in Miami, you better believe the Kaseya Center will be where they play.
Miami Beach Bandshell was designated a historic landmark in 2022.
Photo by DubEra/Courtesy of North Beach Music Festival
Miami Beach Bandshell
7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach305-672-5202
miamibeachbandshell.comFormerly known as the North Beach Bandshell, the venue got its current name after the behest of the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board. The venue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2022, and it's easy to see why. Designed by architect Normal M. Giller and opened in 1962, the Bandshell features a distinct Miami modern style. It fell into disuse and disrepair in the 1980s and '90s, but ever since the Rhythm Foundation took over the operations in 2015, it has hosted various events every week. It was recently retrofitted with awnings to protect the audience from the sun and rain.
During its short existence, Oasis Wynwood has already become one of Miami's favorite live-music venues.
Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg
Oasis Wynwood
2335 N. Miami Ave., Miamioasiswynwood.comBy all accounts, Oasis Wynwood shouldn't have succeeded. The sprawling outdoor food hall meets concert venue opened in 2021 amid the pandemic. But the venue has thrived under the guidance of Coyo Taco and 1-800-Lucky cofounders Sven Vogtland and Alan Drummond, who spearhead its food and entertainment options. While it hosted everything from a Wynwood Pride performance by Charli XCX to the jazzy electronica of Bonobo, Oasis' forte has been the Latin music dominating the charts. Tokisha, Feid, Jhay Cortez, Mora, Young Miko, and Sech have all performed here, making it the place in Miami when you want to check out the best in Latin trap, reggaeton, and pop.
The Sandbox Stage
6752 Collins Ave. Suite B, Miami Beach786-763-2524
instagram.com/thesandboxstageLocated in the backroom of the Sand Bar + Kitchen in North Beach, the Sandbox is the heir apparent of Las Rosas and Churchill's Pub's crown. While out-of-town acts play here occasionally, this venue is squarely for local acts. This is a no-frills space with a more-than-decent sound system and stage for acts to perform. If Miami musicians are going to grow and prosper, they will need more venues like the Sandbox to perform. It makes room for the city's more established acts and up-and-comers still fine-tuning their sound and style.
Since opening in the summer of 2023, ZeyZey has become Little Haiti's go-to outdoor venue.
Photo by World Red Eye
ZeyZey
353 NE 61st St., Miami305-456-2671
zeyzeymiami.comThe Center for Subtropical Affairs found great success putting on outdoor concerts in its Little River space. So when it closed to make way for Understory, there was hope it would continue doing the same — however, the new operators don't seem interested in doing that. Enter ZeyZey, located at the eastern edge of Little Haiti, which offers the outdoor venue space the area sorely needs. With Isabella Acker of Tigre Sounds at the helm of its music programming, the venue has flourished, booking alternative Latin music. Hunter of the Alps, La Dame Blanche, Locos Por Juana, and Simón Grossmann have all performed here. However, there is one caveat. When ZeyZey's opening was announced in 2023, it was considered temporary. Here's hoping its success has its operators reconsider.
