Gary Clark Jr. Lights Up the Beacon Theatre

Gary Clark Jr. built his name on a tone that sits between Texas blues and garage rock, thick and overdriven, closer to a growl than a clean lead. On record he moves through soul, hip-hop, and punk, yet the live show leans hard into the guitar. A full band fills in behind him, drums and bass holding a wide pocket while he stretches single notes until they bend.

The Beacon Theatre opened in 1929 as a movie palace, and the gilded plasterwork and roughly 2,800 seats still wrap the stage in a warm, vertical room. Sound carries cleanly from the orchestra up through two balconies, and a loud guitar reads as detail rather than mush. The sightlines stay honest even from the upper rows, which makes the cheaper seats worth a look.

Doors at a Beacon show usually open an hour before the set. Aim to arrive by seven for the 8pm start and a drink at the lobby bar. The venue sits at Broadway and 74th, a short walk from the 72nd Street stop on the 1, 2, and 3 lines. Reserve dinner on the early side, and expect 6pm tables to fill fast on a show night, then walk over before the lights drop.