USA Today’s Top 10 Concert Venues List

USA Today recently published a list of top 10 concert venues. The list is heavy on amphitheaters, which seems reasonable when you’re considering the overall atmosphere and concert-going experience. Somewhat surprising is that two sports venues made the top ten list.

Here are the USA Today Top 10:

Red Rocks Amphitheater – Denver.  No surprise here. This amphitheater with a beautiful natural setting and great acoustics tops just about everyone’s list.

The Ryman Auditorium – Nashville.  The Ryman may not be the home stage for the Grand Ole Opry anymore, but it’s still considered by many to be the heart of country music.

Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion at Meadowbrook – Gilford, New Hampshire.  This is one of the smaller venues on the list, but touted as a great destination for a weekend get-away.

Madison Square Garden – New York City.  It’s one of the best known large arena in the U.S. for good reason. There’s a lot of history there and they continue to host great shows.

Fenway Park – Boston.  This is the first of the non-full time entertainment venues that made the list. The Boston Red Sox baseball stadium hosts a series of summer concerts.

The Gorge Amphitheater – Quincy, Washington.  Another outdoor venue in a beautiful setting. This sits high above the Columbia River and provides camping opportunities for concert-goers.

Greek Theatre – Berkeley, California.  A popular University of California venue that is designed like a Greek amphitheater.

Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles. Iconic entertainment venue with great acoustics.

The Tabernacle – Atlanta.  This former church now hosts music performances.

Circuit of the Americas/Austin 360 Amphitheater – Austin, Texas. The other sports venue that made the list. Circuit of the Americas is a racetrack, but the track now share’s it’s campus with this popular outdoor music venue.