The Great American Music Hall is one of San Francisco's oldest and most beautiful music venues, opened in 1907 — just after the earthquake — as a flamboyant restaurant and bordello. Behind an unassuming Tenderloin façade, the interior is a small jewel box of marble columns, ornate balconies, frescoed ceilings, and gilded carving, giving even a sweaty rock show the air of an event in a European opera house.
Today it hosts an eclectic programme — indie rock, jazz, folk, comedy, soul — in an intimate room where you are close to the stage whether standing on the floor or seated on the balcony above. Many touring acts cite it as a favourite place to play. Buy a ticket to something, anything, just to experience a gig in the room; it is one of the best places to hear live music in the city.