Live Music in Europe

Europe's live music scene is one of the world's richest — a continent where every city of any size has a thriving concert culture ranging from orchestral performances in purpose-built 19th-century concert halls to intimate 200-capacity basement venues where tomorrow's artists play tonight. The breadth of European live music reflects the continent's cultural diversity: world-class classical concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Musikverein in Vienna; jazz at the Ronnie Scott's in London and Duc des Lombards in Paris; electronic music at Berghain in Berlin and Fabric in London; indie and alternative at Sala Apolo in Barcelona and Paradiso in Amsterdam. For the full picture of Europe's live music landscape, the key insight is that each city has its own musical identity — London for variety and scale; Berlin for electronic culture; Paris for jazz and world music; Barcelona for an eclectic indie scene that embraces both local and international acts.