Rolling Stone names a North Carolina city a top spot in US for live music. Here’s why
North Carolina is home to one of the top cities to catch live music, an entertainment magazine says.
Rolling Stone put Raleigh on its list of “The Best Music Scenes Right Now,” a collection of hot spots from across the country and the world.
The spread in the magazine’s February issue includes eight cities “where live music has exploded.”
So why was Raleigh named such a great place to rock out?
The magazine says the city and other places that make up the Triangle region have attracted artists and become a “hotbed of independent music.”
“Country and folk no longer run the game: The area is now a wellspring of hip-hop talent,” according to the article.
For music lovers, Rolling Stone gives a nod to some of Raleigh’s annual events, including downtown’s Hopscotch Music Festival and International Bluegrass Music Association conference.
Last year, rapper J. Cole added his Dreamville Festival to the lineup, drawing a crowd of about 40,000 to Dorothea Dix Park, The News & Observer reported.
Also getting a shout out is Cat’s Cradle, a long-standing concert venue in the town of Carrboro and about a mile from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The recognition comes after several artists with ties to Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill received nominations for this year’s Grammy awards, The News & Observer reported.
Other cities on Rolling Stone’s list were Brooklyn, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Nashville, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Portland, Maine. The spread also features write-ups for smaller cities and locations outside the continental United States.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Rolling Stone names a North Carolina city a top spot in US for live music. Here’s why."