Best of Boston

The neon marquee cuts through this developing neighborhood’s sterile modernism like proof someone around here gets it. Inside, Roadrunner strikes that impossible balance—a 3,500-capacity venue big enough to attract major acts,but intimate enough that you’re not squinting at ant-size performers. While the surrounding blocks feel like they were designed by algorithms, the live-music pulse inside makes you remember why Allston used to be Rock City.