With Superbowl XLIX right around the corner, there has been a lot of debate about who has the better football team, New England or Seattle. We decided that we wanted to add a musical spin to that discussion and find out which city has a better music scene. Boston and Seattle are known for being popular music cities with a rich musical history. Each city has their own famous musical venues as well as famous musical performers that got their start in their respective cities. We broke down each city to find out once and for all, who has the better music scene: Boston vs Seattle.
We can’t say for sure who will win the Superbowl between these two awesome cities, but we will figure out who deserves to be on top for their music. Vote below for what city you think dominates the music scene!
BEN UTECHT, FORMER COLTS TIGHT END, TURNED PROFESSIONAL SINGER
Boston
Boston has a very rich and rooted musical history. First off, the original House of Blues was in a converted art house in Cambridge, Mass. The Paradise Rock Club has been one of more popular music venues in the Boston era since the early 80’s and has played host to many popular acts such as the Arctic Monkeys and U2. Another classic venue is the Great Scott, which is known from booking some of the best acts in the area. Travel and Leisure magazine ranked Boston #11 on their list of America’s Best Music cities.
Boston is also known for spawning some of the most legendary musical acts. Big acts like Aerosmith, Boston, the Pixies, and the Cars can all call Boston home. Other artists such as Bela Fleck, New Kids on the Block, and Dropkick Murphy’s all got started performing in the Boston circuit. These artist are the reason why Boston has one of the most deep and eclectic musical scenes.
Seattle
Seattle makes its own noise in the music world as Examiner ranks it #10 and CityLab ranks it #5 for its music scene. Unlike Boston, Seattle isn’t so much about traditional music like East Coasters tend to love so much. Seattle’s music scene was against traditional values and for all intents and purposes it was against “the Man” when it helped jump start the Grunge movement in the early 90’s. Grunge is “generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, growling vocals, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics.” It hit the mainstream in the 90’s with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, and Alice in Chains. Grunge isn’t Seattle’s only claim to fame, many famous musicians hailed from the city as well. Big names like: Jimi Hendrix, Foo Fighters, Fleet Foxes, Judy Collins, The Postal Service, Heart, Chris Cornell and many more.
