There is definitely a huge selection of places to go see live music in Philly. From the huge venues like Wells Fargo Center and the BB&T Pavilion over the bridge in Camden, to the smaller places like the Troc, Union Transfer and the Fillmore. Most of the time, however, you’ll find me at the even smaller places, like Rumor, Coda, or The Dolphin, shuffling my way around the dance floor to a DJ spinning some deep house. I tend to enjoy the smaller places for a few different reasons: crowd, dance floor and cost.
There are certain nightclubs that market to the crowd that wants to buy bottles, girls in stilettos, guys in their latest button down with the sleeves rolled up. I get it, people want the Atlantic City feel without the cost of a hotel room and the hour long drive. These clubs book HUGE acts… A-Trak, ZEDD, and Gramatik to name a few. But the dance floors are AWFUL. The crowd can be bro-ey and typically rowdy. For a lover of EDM music, if I can’t cut up some shapes and glide around on the dance floor… and if the crowd isn’t friendly it’s just not enjoyable for me. Let the stilettos and button ups have their bottles and night club… I’ll take my kicks and get sweaty elsewhere, believe me… within minutes of dancing around I’m sweaty.
I love finding good spots that play good music so my friends and I can get our groove on, sometimes they’re in very unsuspecting places. The Dolphin on Broad in South Philly has become one of my favorites. Reasonable prices, great dance floor and the crowds typically pretty awesome. Voyeur is also a GREAT time, although it’s definitely not small. This hidden gem has one of the best sound systems in the city. Three different rooms playing different styles of music. It does get crowded, but most of the time people are super chill and friendly. There’s always a cover but drinks aren’t too bad.
I’ve also found a few spots in the area that I’d like to check out some bands, there are a few spots on Broad and on 9th Street that I can hear some bands jamming out when I walk by. Even though house music is what I primarily listen to, you can’t replace the sound and feeling of a handful of people playing and singing live.
Do you have any suggestions for a good place to dance in Philly? Drop a comment below! 🙂
Image taken at the Fillmore during Gramatik’s performance
Denise's Clef Notes 
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