As one of the liveliest places on the planet, it is no surprise that there are some wonderful places in South America with respect to live music. In this article, we’ll share our favorite cities on the continent to take in a show.
1) Bogota
Start your live music adventure in South America by spending several days exploring the nightlife scene in Bogota.
The capital city of a country known for its friendly and beautiful people, your nights out here will not only be filled with music, but with many opportunities to meet new friends as well.
6L6 Nightclub is a great place for rock and jazz between Thursday and Saturday nights, and it is claimed that San Sebastián Bar was one of the places where Shakira began her singing career.
One important note about Bogota: before checking any of the nightlife listed above, it is highly recommended that you hire a secure private car service in Bogota to drive you from one venue to the next, especially after dark.
While the security situation in Colombia has improved considerably in recent years, a steep divide between the rich and the poor means that robberies on poorly-lit streets are not unusual at night.
2) Buenos Aires
If you are looking to stay up all night, there are few better places to be in the world then Buenos Aires. Its play hard mentality with regards to nightlife means that it is easily one of the best cities in South America for live music.
Argentine jazz music is highly spoken of in many quarters, and the best place to take in its masters is at the Thelonious Club. Open everyday, an impressive array of Argentine and international acts can be seen in this intimate performance space.
If you want to take in Argentinian folk music and try some great cuisine from the north, grab a table at La Peña del Colorado. You’ll get to enjoy plenty of down to earth guitar-driven music, and some of the best empanadas you’ve had in your life, so don’t be shy to check this place out.
3) Rio de Janeiro
While Rio is well-known in the sports world for having held the Olympics and the World Cup over the past two years, it also scores highly in terms of live music as well.
Brazil is home to samba and bossa nova music, and you’ll find plenty of both at Bip-Bip. This is one of the more intimate musical venues that you’ll visit in South America.
In fact, it is so tiny that you are able to grab your own beers from the fridge in this bar, rather than having to wait for a waiter/waitress to bring one to you. Come on the weekends for samba, while those wanting to hear bossa nova should drop by on Wednesday.
If you want to hear bossa nova on other days of the week, you’ll want to head over to Vinícius Show Bar in Ipanema. A popular restaurant just off the beach, the food here is on point as well, so plan to have dinner here first.
