Best of Boston

2004 Best Club for Live Music, Large

Avalon Ballroom

In Boston, the “mists of Avalon” refer not to the foggy shores hiding King Arthur’s final resting place, but the dry ice curling around the feet of the club’s performers. Whether your taste is for Aimee Mann or Franz Ferdinand, the light show and acoustics in this cavernous ballroom are fantastic—as is its size, which is midway between nosebleed big and sell-out small.

15 Lansdowne St., Boston, 617-228-6000,