15 Best Music Venues in New York State

I've been lucky enough to see so many incredible concerts in 25 years of life. My first concert was a big one. Back when the MVP Arena in Albany was still known as the Pepsi Arena, I got to see Journey, Styx, and REO Speedwagon altogether in concert. I was 3-years-old at the time. I think that's a pretty great way to get introduced to live music (even if I somehow took a nap at one point during the concert. Don't come at me, I was 3!!!).

How I (Almost) Met Green Day at Madison Square Garden

Another favorite concert of mine was seeing Green Day at Madison Square Garden. Funny story about that: my aunt was friends with Green Day's manager because they knew each other from high school. He offered her some tickets, and then she asked me if I wanted to come. This was in the middle of their 21st Century Breakdown Tour. We go down to the city and have an amazing time.

Now mind you, this was the early 2010's. Receiving emails on your phone was just starting to become a thing. When my aunt opened up her laptop the next day to check her email, she saw that during the concert, Green Day's manager emailed her asking where exactly we were so that he could send security over to escort us backstage to meet the band. When we found that out, we were so distraught! But hey, it makes for a great story, and it was still one of my favorite concerts ever.

Best Music Venues in New York

We are so lucky here in New York to have so many incredible venues. My favorite concert ever was Matchbox Twenty at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. The show blew me away. I've yet to see a terrible concert at Bethel Woods. Bethel Woods is one of those places where I love sitting on the lawn because the energy of crowd is palpable. I saw my first show at The Egg last year in Albany, and it was so good! I feel lame saying that I finally went last year because I spent 4 years living in Albany, and I never went during that time. Oh well!

What is New York's Best Music Venue?

We asked, and you answered. These are the Top 15 Music Venues in New York as voted by you, the New Yorker. We got a lot of answers come in for this poll, whether it was on Facebook, Instagram, or through the app, so we whittled it down to the 15 most prevalent and repeated answers across the platforms.