The A and R in A&R Music Bar stand for two things, according to PromoWest. One is artist and repertoire, the record business job of finding bands and building them. The other is art and rock, which is what covers the walls.
Upstairs from The Basement
A&R sits at 391 Neil Avenue in the Arena District, above The Basement and right next door to KEMBA Live!. PromoWest took over management of the building in 2003 and opened The Basement on the lower level in 2005. So the two rooms share an address, a company and a lot of the same crowd.
That shared address trips people up. A show listed at 391 Neil can be upstairs at A&R or downstairs at The Basement, and they are two separate rooms. Check which one is printed on your ticket before you get in line.
The room
A&R is a full bar first and a concert room second, and it does not pretend otherwise. The walls carry poster art, photography and memorabilia from decades of PromoWest shows, which makes waiting on the opener more interesting than usual. It holds a few hundred people, the kind of room where you can get close to the stage without a fight.
The bar has a large outdoor patio. On nights when KEMBA Live! has a show, PromoWest uses it as a hangout for that crowd before and after, so the patio can be busy even when nobody is playing inside. The room also hosts radio broadcasts, band interviews and meet and greets.
The booking runs wider than the size suggests. PromoWest lists Imagine Dragons, Charli XCX, Biffy Clyro, Lindsey Stirling and Ghostface Killah among the acts that have played here.
Parking and getting there
- The McConnell Garage is across the street, and the Arena District has more garages and lots within a few blocks.
- Garage parking can usually be bought ahead of time. That helps on nights when Nationwide Arena and KEMBA Live! both have something going, which fills the whole district.
- COTA buses run on Neil Avenue and High Street, both an easy walk from the door.
- Rideshare works, but expect a slow crawl out of the district right after a big arena event lets out.
Quick tips
- Ages and door times vary by show and are printed on your ticket.
- If you are seeing a KEMBA Live! show, the A&R patio is the closest place to meet friends beforehand.
- A room this size can sell out quickly. If a show here matters to you, do not wait until the day of.
More small club shows turn up on our indie calendar.