As India finds itself on the global map of live entertainment, we turned to some of the country’s most accomplished musicians to share their favourite performance venues. Their picks of the best places to perform live not only spotlight beloved auditoriums and clubs, but also reflect a collective longing for a more robust, artiste-centric live music ecosystem.
‘A high-end experience’: Bickram Ghosh picks NMACC, Mumbai
For percussionist Bickram Ghosh, the Grand Theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai is presently India’s finest venue. “It has all the amenities,” he says. “I performed there during the Waves Summit, and I was blown away. The stage is excellent, the acoustics are immaculate, and the backstage facilities are top-notch.”
What impressed him even more was the auditorium’s design from an audience perspective. “I sat among the crowd just to experience it fully. It’s all custom-made for a very high-end experience — both for artists and for those who come to listen.”
But Ghosh, who has seen the industry evolve over decades, also strikes a note of caution. “We still don’t have even half the number of auditoriums this country needs. Whether it’s a 200-seater or a 20,000-seater, there simply aren’t enough spaces. And most existing ones aren’t equipped well. Big concerts often need to rent or outsource equipment — that shouldn’t be the case.”
What sets NMACC apart, he adds, is that it is future-facing — with multiple venues under one roof, ranging from the intimate Cube to the versatile Studio Theatre and the magnificent Grand Theatre. “It allows younger musicians to grow into the space — literally. We need more such multi-tiered venues.”
Ehsaan Noorani bats for a range of venues
Ehsaan Noorani, of the iconic Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio, echoes the need for both scale and diversity. He’s partial to Jio Garden in Mumbai for medium-scale events and recalls how Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad successfully hosted Coldplay’s concert. “But the problem is, many Indian venues aren’t purpose-built. You end up working around limitations.”
Noorani praises older venues like Palace Grounds in Bengaluru for their natural ambience and names indoor halls like the NCPA and Nehru Centre as ideal for jazz and classical music.
“With aggressive marketing, there's a load of sponsors willing to front finances for these shows. Exposure to YouTube and streaming platforms have made them more accessible to everyone and thus there is a bigger audience,” he adds.
Rudy Wallang prefers Shillong’s sonic sanctuary
In the northeast, where music is more than mere entertainment, Rudy Wallang, frontman of Shillong’s blues-rock stalwarts Soulmate, doesn’t hesitate in naming his top pick: The Evening Club in Shillong.
“It’s one of the best live venues in India right now,” says Wallang. “The sound system is excellent, the architecture centres around the stage, and the people who run it genuinely care about the music. That makes all the difference.”
Amyt Datta on artiste-first infrastructure
Kolkata’s resident guitar guru, Amyt Datta, picks The Piano Man Jazz Club in New Delhi as his favourite for its rare quality: thoughtful design. “It’s built with the performance in mind. A lot of venues try to retrofit a stage into a commercial setting — that’s not the same. At The Piano Man, the infrastructure truly respects the artiste.”
Datta also fondly remembers B Flat in Bengaluru — now defunct — as one of the few spaces where an organic community of listeners and performers thrived.
The Nandy Sisters bat for college fest venues
Antara and Ankita Nandy, better known as the Nandy Sisters, share the perspective of new-age, upcoming performers in the music scene. For them, the joy of performing comes not just from the acoustics or scale of a venue, but from the heartbeat of its audience.
“Every place has its own essence,” they say. “As musicians, it feels best when the audience reacts to your music with energy and emotion.”
Their top pick? Not a plush auditorium, but college fests and youth festivals. “The energy among young audiences is absolutely infectious — it makes us want to sing more, and sing better. There’s a thrill in that kind of raw, electric atmosphere.”
And they, too, sing praises of the Grand Theatre at NMACC. “The audience there is refined, poised, and highly engaged, which pushes us to prepare better and keep learning. Concerts like these elevate the entire performance experience.”
Yet, for the Nandy Sisters, no venue compares to the emotional resonance of Kolkata. “Performing at home will always be a different experience. It just feels like… us.”
Yeh dil maange more…
What unites these voices is a clear-eyed recognition: India is no longer starved of an audience or capital. As Bikram Ghosh points out, “There’s serious money in entertainment now — government, corporate, private sponsorships — all are flowing in. And more importantly, people are buying tickets, paying thousands of rupees. That was unthinkable a decade ago.”
But demand alone isn’t enough. Infrastructure hasn’t kept pace. Many large-scale events are still held outdoors with rented rigs. Dedicated indoor arenas remain few and far between. And even in the metros, the options for 200-to-5,000-seater venues that are artiste-ready are woefully limited.
“We need proper music venues which can be used for other purposes too. Starting from club-sized venues to larger ones. I guess entertainment tax is pretty high, so maybe an amicable tariff of tax would encourage more smaller venues. We need the music club culture here in India and demarcated entertainment zones,” Ehsaan signs off.