Mercury Lounge

Description
The Bowery Ballroom’s smaller, cooler cousin gets a lot of the good stuff before it reaches the masses—not that its excellent bookings are a secret. Recent gigs by the Fiery Furnaces and Broken Social Scene were swift sellouts. The space, located right smack on Houston, isn’t ideal for large crowds—the narrow bar area that funnels into the show room often ends up jamming patrons in a frustrating no-man’s-land. Bartenders have seen it all (including indie-minded celebrities who pop in to see up-and-coming bands), and if you’re professional and courteous, they’ll usually return the favor.