Skip to content

Readers Choice 2024

Read More ›

Best Concert Venue: Climate Pledge Arena

Aerial view of a large, illuminated triangular-roofed concert venue at night, surrounded by trees and city lights in the background.
Photo courtesy of Climate Pledge Arena

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Seattle magazine.

Before Climate Pledge Arena opened three years ago, major concerts increasingly bypassed the old KeyArena, preferring to play at the Tacoma Dome instead because of logistics and audio issues. Today, the sound system is close to perfect, the sightlines are excellent, and the venue boasts 30 women’s restrooms.

Hot Tip

People often forget that only clear bags or small clutches, purses, or wallets no larger than 4 inches wide, 6 inches high, and 1.5 inches deep are allowed, check-ins for other bags are blocks away.

Staff Pick

Neumos is my top choice for live music. It’s such an intimate venue, making every concert feel special.  — Emma Smith, account executive / social media manager

About Readers Choice 2024

Every year, our annual Readers’ Choice Awards round up Seattle’s best — from standout burger joints to the city’s most scenic spots. Whether you’re after fresh seafood, cocktails with a view, or a place to unwind, these are the places to be.

The Cult of Family Worship Center 

The Cult of Family Worship Center 

The Portland band sounds like a long-lost '70s relic, right down to the mysterious religious backstory.  

The internet may never be able to replicate the experience of digging through a box of vinyl and pulling out something completely inexplicable, something that might have only ever been heard by a few dozen people. In those albums, you can sense an untold story. Such private presses, what one might uncharitably call “vanity projects,”…

Seattle’s Brudi Brothers Go From Busking to Big Time

Seattle’s Brudi Brothers Go From Busking to Big Time

The local band is bringing its analogue Americana to Climate Pledge Arena with Kacey Musgraves.

In discussions of film and T V, there’s a phrase that sometimes comes up: “They have a face that looks like it’s seen an iPhone.” The same can be said of music, especially as vintage inspirations and pastiche have become more standard. Some bands sound like contemporary interpreters, some sound like tourists, and a few…

Henry Mansfield Wins a Spot at Northwest Tune-Up

Henry Mansfield Wins a Spot at Northwest Tune-Up

A new contest for Washington musicians wrapped earlier this month in Bellingham. Nearly 200 artists entered, and it came down to five finalists.

Earlier this month, Seattle-based queer indie artist Henry Mansfield won the final round of Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest at Wild Buffalo House of Music, earning a slot on the Northwest Tune-Up Festival main stage this July. Mansfield makes loud, anthemic pop rooted in storytelling, with songs that move between grief and joy and pull…

Nordic Pop Comes to the Nordic Museum

Nordic Pop Comes to the Nordic Museum

An afternoon concert brings Seattle singers, strings, and percussion together for a dreamy midwinter dance party.

January in Seattle is a mood. The light is thin all day, and by midafternoon it starts to collapse into night. It’s the time of year when any plan that involves leaving the house has to earn its keep. This is where Nordic Pop comes in. On Sunday afternoon, January 18, Seattle musician and producer…