Houston is BIG and it can be hard to find good live music. Oh, there’s live music: you can see everything from your nephew’s garage band to Queen Bey at the Toyota Center. But, if you’re looking for, ahem, enjoyable live music (no offense to your nephew) without the hundred dollar price tag, Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge and The Continental Club have got you covered!
Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge is more of a bar-with-music than a music-venue-bar like its sister and neighbor The Continental Club. With regular acts like “Fistful of Soul” and “The Allen Oldies Band,” this is an awesome place to listen to your favorites and have a beer. There’s even a little space you can dance with your sweetheart if the mood strikes you.
Weekend nights can get packed, and although most of their open days there’s no cover until 10pm (open Tues-Sat), there’s usually someone available to take cash donations and some of their bigger acts may require a cash contribution. The drinks are also pretty inexpensive but there’s a firm $10 minimum credit card charge.
Big Top’s sister venue, connected by their spacious back patios, is the illustrious Continental Club—and when Continental Club is bumpin’, you can hear it from the street! It started as a BYOB supper club in 1957 in Austin and has grown into a staple of Americana “from coast to coast.” It finally reached the Houston scene in 2000, moving into what used to be a general store in the 1920’s with authentic vintage fixtures.
This place is a little more of a true music venue if the object of your evening is the music itself. Continental has local bands AND enough touring to ensure frequent variety. They host all kinds there, from jump-around shows to ‘listen and enjoy from seats.’ There’s also a huge patio they share with Big Top and an extra room that is basically built for making out—so take a date! In fact, they’ve even got no-cover dance lessons coming up! If you want to know what kind of live music you’re in for and ticket prices, check the schedule in advance and be prepared to have an incredible weekend!
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