Arlington Music Hall

You're parking off Center Street and already hearing the bass bleeding through the brickwork before you even hit the box office line. Arlington Music Hall doesn't hide behind a sketchy dive facade since it's an old-school single-screen movie theater turned live stage right in the middle of downtown. You're walking past the classic marquee out front and handing your ticket to a guy who doesn't bother looking you in the eye because the lobby's packed tight with people trying to grab a overpriced tallboy before the opening act hits the stage.

The floor inside slopes down sharp toward the stage, which means you've got a killer sightline from almost anywhere you end up standing. It's got those old velvet seats if you want to sit back, but everybody's crowding down the aisles anyway once the headliner straps on their guitar. Sound bounces around the plaster walls pretty loud, so you'll want to grab a set of earplugs if you're hanging right by the main stack on the left side of the room.

Security keeps things moving without being total jerks about it, and the bathrooms in the back are cleaner than you'd expect for a historic venue holding a thousand screaming fans on a Friday night. You're heading out the side exit doors right into the cool Texas air while the roadies start wheeling speaker cabs out to the van parked in the alley.