Field Notes: Stories From Around the Music

Stories, guides, and community notes from around the music. Field Notes covers live venues, physical media, road trips, collecting, and the people and places that make the culture worth following.

That Night

You might know the record without knowing the show it came from. That Night gets into the performances behind our Venue Series shirts, the rooms where they happened and why those dates matter. Pick a story and give the recording a listen.

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Latest Field Notes

Route 66 at 100: Five Rooms That Tell Its Music Story

Route 66 at 100: Five Rooms That Tell Its Music...

Route 66 connected more than towns. Five surviving music rooms show how American entertainment changed along the Mother Road, before, during and after its highway era.  

Route 66 at 100: Five Rooms That Tell Its Music...

Route 66 connected more than towns. Five surviving music rooms show how American entertainment changed along the Mother Road, before, during and after its highway era.  

A Short History of Live Music in Toronto

A Short History of Live Music in Toronto

From Massey Hall and Maple Leaf Gardens to Yonge Street, Yorkville and Queen West, Toronto’s live music history was built room by room.

A Short History of Live Music in Toronto

From Massey Hall and Maple Leaf Gardens to Yonge Street, Yorkville and Queen West, Toronto’s live music history was built room by room.

Three Movies That Understand Why We Keep Records

Three Movies That Understand Why We Keep Records

Three movies that understand why records are about more than playback. From High Fidelity to Empire Records and Vinyl, these films get the collecting, the shops, the obsession and the...

Three Movies That Understand Why We Keep Records

Three movies that understand why records are about more than playback. From High Fidelity to Empire Records and Vinyl, these films get the collecting, the shops, the obsession and the...

Gifts for Record Collectors Who Already Have Everything

Gifts for Record Collectors Who Already Have Ev...

Buying another record sounds obvious until you meet the collection. A practical guide to gifts that fit the person without duplicating their shelves.

Gifts for Record Collectors Who Already Have Ev...

Buying another record sounds obvious until you meet the collection. A practical guide to gifts that fit the person without duplicating their shelves.

Stadium Concert Survival Guide: Floor Tickets, Gates, Bags and the Long Way Home

Stadium Concert Survival Guide: Floor Tickets, ...

Stadium concerts are not arena shows with more seats. They are full-scale event operations with huge perimeters, field access, sport-specific sightlines, transit bottlenecks and very little room for bad planning.

Stadium Concert Survival Guide: Floor Tickets, ...

Stadium concerts are not arena shows with more seats. They are full-scale event operations with huge perimeters, field access, sport-specific sightlines, transit bottlenecks and very little room for bad planning.

Arena Concert Survival Guide: Seats, Floor, Bags, Entry and Getting Out

Arena Concert Survival Guide: Seats, Floor, Bag...

Arena shows are less about surviving the weather and more about understanding the building. Your entrance, ticket type, level, phone, bag and route home can all change the night. TAGS:...

Arena Concert Survival Guide: Seats, Floor, Bag...

Arena shows are less about surviving the weather and more about understanding the building. Your entrance, ticket type, level, phone, bag and route home can all change the night. TAGS:...

Amphitheatre Survival Guide: Lawn Seats, Weather, Parking and the Long Walk Back

Amphitheatre Survival Guide: Lawn Seats, Weathe...

Amphitheatre shows are part concert, part weather system, part parking operation. Here is how to handle the lawn, heat, rain, traffic, chairs, bags and getting out after the encore.

Amphitheatre Survival Guide: Lawn Seats, Weathe...

Amphitheatre shows are part concert, part weather system, part parking operation. Here is how to handle the lawn, heat, rain, traffic, chairs, bags and getting out after the encore.

Small Room Survival Guide: What to Bring, When to Arrive and How Not to Be That Person

Small Room Survival Guide: What to Bring, When ...

Going to a small concert venue? Learn what to bring, when to arrive, how GA floors work, bag and coat-check rules, hearing protection, parking, merch, and small-room etiquette.

Small Room Survival Guide: What to Bring, When ...

Going to a small concert venue? Learn what to bring, when to arrive, how GA floors work, bag and coat-check rules, hearing protection, parking, merch, and small-room etiquette.

Club & Concert Hall Survival Guide: Floors, Balconies, Bags and Getting Home

Club & Concert Hall Survival Guide: Floors, Bal...

Heading to a club, ballroom or concert hall? Learn how to handle GA floors, balconies, seating, bags, coat check, cashless venues, parking, transit, mobile tickets and getting home.

Club & Concert Hall Survival Guide: Floors, Bal...

Heading to a club, ballroom or concert hall? Learn how to handle GA floors, balconies, seating, bags, coat check, cashless venues, parking, transit, mobile tickets and getting home.

What Is Frisson? Why Music Gives You Chills

What Is Frisson? Why Music Gives You Chills

That sudden shiver when a song hits exactly right has a name. Frisson is part music, part memory, part anticipation, and part reward system.

What Is Frisson? Why Music Gives You Chills

That sudden shiver when a song hits exactly right has a name. Frisson is part music, part memory, part anticipation, and part reward system.

Why We Still Keep Concert Ticket Stubs

Why We Still Keep Concert Ticket Stubs

A paper ticket got you through the door. Years later, it can still tell you where you were, who you saw and which version of yourself was there.

Why We Still Keep Concert Ticket Stubs

A paper ticket got you through the door. Years later, it can still tell you where you were, who you saw and which version of yourself was there.

What Was Your First CD?

What Was Your First CD?

People forget plenty of purchases. Their first CD apparently isn’t one of them.

What Was Your First CD?

People forget plenty of purchases. Their first CD apparently isn’t one of them.

The 10 Best Small Music Venues in the U.S., According to Jam Fans

The 10 Best Small Music Venues in the U.S., Acc...

We asked jam fans where they actually want to see a show. These are the small rooms that kept coming up.

The 10 Best Small Music Venues in the U.S., Acc...

We asked jam fans where they actually want to see a show. These are the small rooms that kept coming up.