• Cruise Control & Speed One Live

    Inside Out
    Downtownlive musicTickets

    Two acts, a ticket link, and a 5 a.m. close time: this is a genuine late-night at Insideout, the kind of night that doesn't get started until most of Albuquerque is already asleep. Insideout is a compact room on Central, which means the sound hits hard and personal whether the crowd is three deep or...

  • Famous Friend, Floats & The Citie at Launchpad

    Launchpad
    Downtownall agesTickets

    Three local acts on one bill at Launchpad, the Downtown corridor room that has been the proving ground for Albuquerque rock and punk for decades. Sunday late-night shows here tend to draw the people who actually care rather than the people who just showed up, which usually makes for a better crowd than a Friday....

  • Tie-Dye Workshop on Route 66 at Gaia’s Kava Root

    Gaia's Kava Root
    UNM Areaarts & cultureDetails

    Tina, a local instructor, leads a two-hour tie-dye workshop at this kava bar and community hangout on the UNM stretch of Central. The $5 bring-your-own or $10 buy-there shirt pricing...

  • Sword & Red Fang Live at Sunshine Theatre

    Sunshine Theatre
    Downtowngeneral admissionTickets

    Two of the more respected names in contemporary heavy rock share a bill at the Sunshine, with Sword's desert-sun riff worship sitting comfortably next to Red Fang's beer-soaked, video-friendly stomp. The Sunshine's general-admission floor can pack tighter than you expect for a room this size, so arriving early puts you in a much better position....

  • The Sword & Red Fang at Sunshine Theater Downtown

    Sunshine Theatre
    Downtownall agesTickets

    The Sword and Red Fang is a genuinely well-matched double bill, both bands trading in the kind of slow-grinding, riff-forward heavy rock that rewards a loud room, and Sunshine's PA delivers. The floor gets packed tight for shows like this, so arriving close to doors puts you in a better spot than waiting on the...

  • No Cure & Big Ass Truck at Launchpad Downtown

    Launchpad
    Downtownall agesTickets

    Five bands across a single night at Launchpad, anchored by No Cure and Big Ass Truck on a touring bill that leans hard and loud. Launchpad's room is compact enough that there's no bad spot, but the floor fills fast once the headliner's window approaches, so arriving mid-bill is smarter than arriving late. Tickets are...

  • Five-Band Rock Night at Launchpad

    Launchpad
    Downtownall agesTickets

    Five bands on one ticket at Launchpad, running from early evening into the small hours of a Thursday night on Central. Big Ass Truck has been a Memphis institution since the nineties, which makes this a genuinely unusual booking for a room this size. Five bands means late sets, so know going in that whoever...

  • Comedy Night at Gaia’s Kava Root

    Gaia's Kava Root
    UNM AreacomedyDetails

    Stand-up comedy at one of the more low-key spots on this stretch of Central, where the bar runs kava and kratom instead of well drinks. The room is intimate enough that a bad set has nowhere to hide, which tends to raise the stakes for everyone on stage. Admission details aren't posted yet, so check...

  • Lobo Sports Vault Grand Opening

    Historic Lobo Theater
    Nob Hillbar sceneDetails

    The Lobo Theater's new dedicated sports room opens to the public Thursday night, doors at 6, running until midnight, with memorabilia on the walls and specials and giveaways rolling through the evening. What's genuinely interesting here is the venue itself: watching a game inside a 1939 Streamline Moderne movie palace is a different proposition than...

  • Alex Salcido Live at Tractor Brewing Wells Park

    Tractor Brewing Wells Park
    Downtownsinger-songwriterFreeDetails

    Alex Salcido is a founding voice of The Harmed Brothers, the Ludlow, KY indie-folk outfit, and his solo sets tend to run closer to John Prine's storytelling tradition than the polished Americana side of his influences. Tractor's Wells Park patio is one of the better free-music rooms on the corridor when the August evening cools...