San Francisco Nightlife Tips by mydreamquest

Nightlife Spot: The Great American Music Hall

The GAMH is my favorite venue in San Francisco to see a concert. I've seen the following bands perform here:

The Chameleons, The Walkmen, Mark Kozelek (former lead singer of the Red House Painters), The Appleseed Cast, Cat Power, and Mates of State.

GAMH usually headlines alternative bands that are fresh and just making it big before they become huge and play only at major venues.

Other performers/bands that have performed here include: Vinyl, Jello Biafra (spoken words, former singer of the Dead Kennedys), Doves, Alpha Blondy, Vanessa Carlton, and many others.

If you recognize any of the bands I mention, you should come by one day and see a gig there. It is located near O'Farrell and Van Ness Avenue where there are plenty of pubs and restaurants. I suggest you go to the Edindburg pub a few blocks away.

It has good bar food, fish and chips and such and you'll more often than not spot bandmembers hanging out there (especially bands from the UK) prior to performing.

I took this picture in October 2001, when the Chameleons, a great Manchester Band of the 80s, reunited for a tour.

If you go to the web site, you can purchase tickets on-line and even pick up tickets via will call, meaning, that you can pick up the tickets at the club on the day of the show.

If you like alternative, music, you will love this place.

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Theme: Concert
Dress Code: Dress like you would when you go to a concert. Jeans, Black Leather and black turtle neck is what the typical person wears.
Phone: (415) 885-0750
Address: 859 O'Farrell Street, SF, CA 94109
Directions: Near Van Ness and O'Farrell. From Downtown, you can take MUNI to the Van Ness Station and take the 47 Van Ness heading towards Fisherman's Wharf.
Website: http://www.musichallsf.com/

Nightlife Spot: Bottom of the Hill

Located at the bottom of San Francisco's Potrero Hill, the Bottom of the Hill is a nice hidden gem of a place to see a concert. The interior looks like an old salsa club and it is a rustic place to watch bands that are just making it or great bands past their prime

I saw Creeper Lagoon and Earlimart perform here. Both great alternative bands that sound similar to The Breeders, Elliott Smith, and Third Eye Blind.

If you've heard of the great Oxford band Ride, their former lead singer performed here recently and if you've heard of the Great North Carolina pop punk band Archers of Loaf, the band's lead singer who is in another band now, performed here.

It's a nice hole in the wall and usually, the shows do not sell out here. It's not the Fillmore or the Warfield theatre, where the big gigs are, but it is still well worth going to if you want to see some up and coming Californian and some National and International bands to perform.

There is a very good bar and grill place to eat dinner, a block away, called the Yankee Doodle Dandy.

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Theme: Concert
Dress Code: Casual, jeans ok.
Phone: 415-621-4455
Address: 1233 17th Street
Directions: 17th and Missouri.
Website: http://www.bottomofthehill.com/

Nightlife Spot: Bottom of the Hill

Here is Creeper Lagoon performing there.

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Theme: Concert
Dress Code: Casual
Phone: 415-621-4455
Address: 1233 17th Street
Directions: 17th and Missouri at the bottom of Potrero Hill.
Website: http://www.bottomofthehill.com/

Nightlife Spot: Slimms

I saw the Legendary Pink Dots, Adorable, and Idlewild perform here.

Compared to the others, I like this club the least because it is narrow and long. The exterior has a nice, brick look about it, but the interior is sort of sloppy to me.

Here a bunch of pictures I took at the Lengendary Pink Dots concert I went to about a year ago:

http://www.geocities.com/virtual_tones/lpdsf2002.html

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Theme: Concert
Dress Code: Casual.
Phone: (415) 255-0333
Address: 333 11th St
Directions: see web site for details.
Website: http://www.slims-sf.com/

Nightlife Spot: Nob Hill Masonic Center

Just saw an interesting exhibit called "The Universe from Within" where there are actual corpses preserved thru "plastination" and you can observe them up close. For $17.00, you can see this exhibion of real bodies of men, women, and children. It's eery but kind of interesting. There's one thing where it has a body completely sliced up like deli meat and then stretched out about 20 feet.

I have taken exams in this building and I even saw George Carlin live here about 6 months ago around January 2005 or so.

If you are coming to SF, check out the schedule to see what they have going on here. There might be something interesting for you to see.

They also have trade shows, jazz concerts, and other live performing arts.

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Theme: Other
Dress Code: Casual.
Phone: 415.776-4702
Address: 111 California Street
Directions: Near California and Jones Street near Grace Cathedral.
Website: http://www.masonicauditorium.com/

Nightlife Spot: Asia SF

Located in San Francisco's upper Soma (South of Market Street) District, where there are many dance clubs and live night clubs, Asia SF is a fun place to hang out to grab a few drinks, eat some unique Asian Fusion style food and watch transgender dancers entertain in a fun, lively, and social atmosphere.

For around $70/person, you get around 3 drinks, very good food, and you are entertained by around five different dancers. The MC is the funniest dancer who interacts with the audience. She is a doll. Funny as a man; and as lovely and graceful as a woman.

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Theme: Eating and Drinking
Dress Code: Casual. Jeans are ok; but you will not look out of place if you come in with a suit as many come here after work.
Phone: (415) 255-2742
Address: 201 9th Street
Directions: 9th Street and Howard
Website: www.asiasf.com