Live on Route 66

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees at Route 66, UNM Area
2026-09-17 11:05 - 13:05 (America/Denver) | Isotopes Park
Triple-A Pacific Coast League ball between the Isotopes and the Salt Lake Bees, with a 5:05 first pitch at one of the better mid-size ballparks in the country. Isotopes Park sits right on Central, so the Sandia Mountains are doing their thing beyond the outfield wall as the sun goes down, which is a genuinely good way to spend a Thursday evening. Tickets through Ticketmaster, but the box office works fine if you want to skip the fees.

Pints with Purpose Fundraiser on Route 66 | Wells Park
2026-09-17 19:00 - 22:00 | Painted Lady Bed & Brew
A fundraiser night at Painted Lady Bed & Brew on Central, with proceeds going to Barrett House, which provides transitional housing and support services for women in recovery. Painted Lady is a genuinely unusual room, a working bed and breakfast with a taproom attached, so the crowd tends to be neighborly and the energy stays relaxed even when it’s busy. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so buy ahead rather than counting on a walk-up spot.

International Thursdays at Bourbon & Boots on Route 66
2026-09-17 19:00 - 2026-09-18 00:00 | Bourbon & Boots
Bourbon & Boots runs its weekly International Thursdays late into the night, with a DJ format built around a rotating global playlist that shifts depending on who’s behind the decks. The 1 a.m. start is the thing to clock here: this is not a come-early situation, and the room doesn’t find its footing until well after midnight. If you’re driving Central home afterward, you’re already on the right road.

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees at Route 66's Ballpark
2026-09-18 00:00 - 23:59 | Isotopes Park
Triple-A Pacific Coast League ball at one of the better mid-size stadiums in the country, where the Isotopes host the Salt Lake Bees for a late-season matchup. Isotopes Park sits right on the corridor, and at altitude the ball carries, so even a quiet offensive night tends to produce something worth watching. Tickets are through Ticketmaster, so buy direct to avoid the third-party markup.

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees at Route 66, UNM Area
2026-09-18 18:35 - 20:35 | Isotopes Park
Late-season Triple-A ball at one of the better mid-size stadiums in the country, where the Isotopes host the Salt Lake Bees in a Pacific Coast League matchup. September nights in Albuquerque cool off fast, so a layer is worth throwing in the bag even if the afternoon felt like summer. Tickets are through Ticketmaster, so buy direct to avoid the third-party markup.

Killer Lloronas at the Historic Lobo Theater in Nob Hill
2026-09-18 19:00 - 22:00 | Historic Lobo Theater
Five short plays in two acts follow a young immigrant girl navigating two cultures at once, written and performed by an Albuquerque troupe that has been building this kind of specific, locally-rooted work for a while now. The Lobo’s theater seating puts you genuinely close to the stage, so the quieter moments land differently here than they would in a bigger room. General admission means earlier arrival earns better seats, and the bar is open before curtain.

Fright Night Open Mic on Route 66 in Wells Park
2026-09-18 20:00 - 22:00 | Painted Lady Bed & Brew
Locals take the mic to tell real ghost stories at this open mic night inside Painted Lady’s Brews & Boos series, a seasonal run that leans into the building’s own considerable history. The Painted Lady itself dates back to the early Route 66 era and has enough documented weirdness that the storytellers don’t have to travel far for material. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so don’t count on walk-up availability if the earlier events in the series sold out.

Tablao Flamenco Friday Dinner Show | Route 66 Albuquerque
2026-09-18 20:00 - 22:30 | Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque
A tablao-format flamenco show with live guitar, cante, and baile performed over a Friday dinner service at Hotel Albuquerque, one of the few venues on the corridor doing this with any regularity. Specific performers are still TBA, so the cast is a variable, but the room itself is well-suited for this, closer in scale to an Andalusian tablao than to a stage-and-audience concert hall. Tickets through Hold My Ticket suggest this sells ahead, and a dinner show format usually means reserved seating, so earlier is smarter than later.

Tablao Flamenco Friday Show | Route 66 Old Town
2026-09-18 20:00 - 22:30 | Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque
Friday night flamenco at Hotel Albuquerque puts live bailaores, a cantaora, and a guitarrista in one of the few dedicated tablao settings in the Southwest. The room is intimate enough that you will feel the footwork through the floor, which is either thrilling or distracting depending on where you sit, so request a table toward the center rather than the rail. Performers are TBA at time of listing, but the format itself is the draw here, and this production has enough institutional consistency that the unknown names rarely disappoint.

Live Improv Comedy at The Box, UNM Area Route 66
2026-09-18 21:00 - 22:00 | Outpost Performance Space
A live improv comedy show at The Box, the small black-box theater on Central that has been quietly doing the work for years while bigger venues get the attention. The room holds maybe 60 people, which means you are never far from the action and the performers know it. Grab tickets in advance, because this format tends to sell out without making much noise about it.

TSU NAMI at Effex Rooftop | Route 66 Downtown ABQ
2026-09-18 21:00 - 23:00 | Effex
TSU NAMI headlines the rooftop edition of We House Fridays, pulling from stutter house and UK garage, two genres that reward a sound system with actual low-end. The Effex rooftop gives you Downtown Albuquerque at night as your backdrop, which on a clear September evening is genuinely hard to argue with. Start time is unconfirmed, so check the ticket link before you plan your arrival.

Birthday Metal Blowout on Route 66 | Launchpad Downtown
2026-09-18 21:00 - 2026-09-19 00:00 | Launchpad
Four bands, one birthday, and a bill that leans hard into the heavier end of the Albuquerque scene. Launchpad’s room is built for exactly this kind of stacked weekend show, where the floor fills early and the sound desk gets a proper workout. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so grab them before the door because this kind of personal-stakes show tends to sell on loyalty alone.

Bravo The Bagchaser Live at El Rey Theater, Route 66
2026-09-18 21:00 - 2026-09-19 00:45 | El Rey Theater
Bravo The Bagchaser, the Sacramento rapper who built a following through raw street narratives and consistent independent releases, headlines the Nothing Given Tour at one of Central Avenue’s better rooms for hip-hop sound. DJ Trill handles sounds between sets, which usually means this crowd stays warm the whole night rather than cooling off between acts. The show runs late by local standards, so plan accordingly if you have somewhere to be Saturday morning.

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees at Route 66 | UNM Area
2026-09-19 00:00 - 23:59 | Isotopes Park
Triple-A Pacific Coast League baseball on Central, the Isotopes hosting the Salt Lake Bees in what is reliably one of the better ways to spend an evening in this neighborhood. The park sits right on the corridor and the sight lines are genuinely good from almost every seat, which is not something you can say about every minor league stadium. September nights here can turn cool fast, so bring a layer even if the afternoon felt warm.

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees | Route 66 UNM Area
2026-09-19 18:35 - 20:35 | Isotopes Park
The Isotopes host Salt Lake in a late-season Triple-A Pacific Coast League game at one of the better mid-level ballparks in the country, with sightlines that are genuinely good from almost every seat. A Friday night start at 6:35 local time means the Sandia Mountains are lit up behind right field for the first few innings, which is the kind of thing that sounds like a cliche until you’re actually sitting there. Tickets through Ticketmaster, so buy direct to avoid the third-party markup.

Built To Spill at El Rey Theater on Route 66 Downtown
2026-09-19 20:00 - 22:00 | El Rey Theater
Built To Spill, the Boise outfit that helped define what overdriven, melodically obsessive indie rock could be in the ’90s, plays El Rey with local singer-songwriter Paul Schalda opening. El Rey’s long room and solid sound system suit this band well, since their live sets tend to stretch and wander in ways that reward a good PA. Tickets are through Ticketmaster, so grab them before fees make you reconsider your choices.

Tablao Flamenco Saturday Show | Route 66 Albuquerque
2026-09-19 20:00 - 22:30 | Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque
A full tablao-format flamenco show at Hotel Albuquerque, with dancers, a singer, and a guitarist performing in the tradition that has made this recurring series one of the more serious flamenco presentations in the Southwest. The Old Town-adjacent hotel setting is polished without being stiff, and the room is small enough that you’re never far from the action. Specific performers haven’t been announced yet, so check back on the ticket page if the lineup matters to your decision.

Tablao Flamenco Dinner Show on Route 66 Albuquerque
2026-09-19 20:00 - 22:30 | Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque
A seated dinner show built around traditional tablao flamenco, with dancers, a singer, and a guitarist performing in the Old Town-adjacent ballroom space at Hotel Albuquerque on Central. The room is formal enough that showing up in shorts feels wrong, and the stage-to-table proximity means you will hear every footstrike and feel it, which is the whole point. Specific artists are still TBA, so check back before you book if the lineup matters to your decision.

Live Improv Comedy at The Box, UNM Area, Route 66
2026-09-19 21:00 - 22:00 | Outpost Performance Space
Improv Theatre takes the stage at The Box for an hour of unscripted comedy built entirely in the room, with the audience as a co-conspirator. The Box is a small, focused black-box space where nothing hides, which either sharpens a troupe or exposes them, and Improv Theatre tends to handle that pressure well. Grab tickets ahead of time since the room fills faster than people expect.

Wax Motif & VNSSA at NHCC Barelas | Route 66
2026-09-19 21:00 - 23:00 | NHCC National Hispanic Cultural Center
Three names from the heavier end of house music, Wax Motif and VNSSA in particular having built real momentum on the festival circuit, playing a venue better known for visual art and cultural programming than for DJ sets. The NHCC’s event spaces can work well for this kind of show when production is dialed in, but the room configuration varies a lot by event, so confirming the specific space inside the complex before you go is worth a few minutes. Start time is unconfirmed as of this listing, so check the ticket link before you plan your night.

Built To Spill at El Rey on Route 66 | Downtown ABQ
2026-09-19 21:00 - 2026-09-20 00:00 | El Rey Theater
Doug Martsch and Built To Spill bring their sprawling, guitar-heavy catalog to El Rey, one of the better rooms on the corridor for a band that rewards a good sound system. El Rey runs long on show nights, so the 9 PM local start time is real, and Paul Schalda opens. Grab tickets in advance; this one has the profile to sell out.

Hand M. Puppet's Variety Show at The Box, UNM Area
2026-09-19 21:30 - 22:30 | Outpost Performance Space
Bryan Lambe’s puppet-fronted variety show takes over The Box Annex, the smaller secondary room inside The Box Performance Space on Central. The Annex is an intimate black-box setup, so there is no bad seat and no hiding from the performer, which suits a variety show just fine. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so grab them ahead rather than gambling on the door.

Long-Form Improv Comedy on Route 66 | UNM Area
2026-09-19 22:15 - 23:00 | Outpost Performance Space
The One Night Stanleys perform long-form improv under the On the Mainstage banner at The Box, one of the few actual black-box theater spaces on the corridor. Long-form improv lives or dies on the ensemble’s chemistry, and The Box’s intimate configuration means you’ll feel both the hits and the misses, which is honestly part of what makes it worth attending. Grab tickets through Hold My Ticket before the door, since this room fills faster than people expect.

Isotopes vs. Salt Lake Bees | Route 66 / UNM Area
2026-09-20 13:35 - 15:35 | Isotopes Park
The Isotopes take on the Salt Lake Bees in a Pacific Coast League matchup at one of the better minor-league ballparks in the Southwest, sitting right on the Central Avenue corridor. Isotopes Park earns its reputation on atmosphere rather than capacity, so even a modest crowd feels close to the action, and the sight lines from the third-base side are genuinely good. Tickets are on Ticketmaster, and the 7:35 start gives the late-summer heat enough time to break before first pitch.

Tablao Flamenco Sunday Matinee on Route 66, Albuquerque
2026-09-20 17:00 - 18:00 | Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque at Hotel Albuquerque
A traditional tablao format, meaning bailaoras, a cantaor, and a live guitarist performing together in a structured show rather than a loose cultural showcase. Hotel Albuquerque’s dedicated flamenco space is an intimate room where the footwork hits you in the chest, so proximity is part of the point. Performers are TBD at this stage, which matters if you are coming specifically to see a certain artist, but the format itself is consistent week to week.

Melt-Banana at Launchpad on Route 66 Downtown ABQ
2026-09-22 21:00 - 2026-09-23 00:00 | Launchpad
Melt-Banana is a two-person Japanese noise-punk outfit that has been doing exactly what they do, at full intensity, since 1992, and live they are genuinely disorienting in the best way. Launchpad is a small room, which means there is nowhere to hide from the volume and nowhere you’d want to be. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so grab them early since this one has all the makings of a sellout.

Melissa Aldana Quartet at Outpost | Route 66 UNM Area
2026-09-23 20:30 - 22:30 | Outpost Performance Space
Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana brings her quartet to Outpost Performance Space for the 20th Annual New Mexico Jazz Festival, and this is a legitimate get for the festival. Outpost is a proper listening room, which means the crowd actually listens, so if you want to talk through a show, this is the wrong night for it. Tickets through Hold My Ticket, and this one will sell.

Mustard Service & Pity Party Live on Route 66 Downtown ABQ
2026-09-23 20:30 - 23:30 | Sunshine Theatre
Four bands, one night at the Sunshine, with Mustard Service bringing the Paradise Tour through Downtown on what is technically a Wednesday night given the 8:30 PM local start. The Sunshine’s standing room floor rewards getting there early when a bill runs this deep, and four acts means the opener hits before most people have finished parking. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so sort that out in advance rather than counting on a smooth door.

NITE with DJ Ren + Moonside on Route 66 Downtown ABQ
2026-09-23 21:00 - 2026-09-24 00:00 | Inside Out
Two DJs, one late-night set at Insideout, running from what is effectively 9 p.m. Wednesday local time through 6 a.m. Thursday morning once you convert from UTC. Insideout is a small room on Central, which means the sound hits differently than it would in a warehouse, so expect it to feel immediate and a little relentless. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so grab them ahead if you plan to go deep into the night.

Millionaire$ My Super Sweet 16 Tour | Downtown Route 66
2026-09-23 21:00 - 2026-09-24 00:00 | Launchpad
Millionaire$ headlines this four-act bill at Launchpad, rolling through on their My Super Sweet 16 Tour with Davvn, Notions, and Slowburn in support. Launchpad’s stage puts you close to the action in a way that bigger rooms can’t replicate, and the local openers here are worth arriving early for. Tickets are through Hold My Ticket, so skip the door line.
