Best of Boston

With top-notch bookings (courtesy of promoters Bowery Boston) and the city’s best-designed concert experience, the Sinclair is the House of Blues, only more intimate; the Paradise, without poles obstructing the sightlines; the Middle East downstairs, with a balcony and style. And no other venue can sustain this level of buzz, with surprises like Converse’s weeklong run headlined by Passion Pit, Slayer, the Replacements, and Chance the Rapper this past spring.