The Roxy

The Roxy is at 9009 Sunset Blvd, on the West Hollywood part of the Strip, a couple of blocks west of the Whisky. Lou Adler and Elmer Valentine opened it on September 20, 1973, with David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher as partners. The black stucco front and the round R sign up on its pole look about the same as they do in old photos.

Inside, it's a small, dark club. The floor is general admission and standing room unless a show is marked otherwise, so if you want to be near the stage, line up early. Rock, indie and pop bands fill most of the calendar, and plenty of them are on their first or second trip through LA.

On a typical night the doors open somewhere between 7 and 8, and the last song lands around midnight, which leaves time to keep going on Sunset. The Roxy has a strict no re-entry rule. Once you walk in, you stay in until you head home, so grab your jacket from the car first. The bar takes cash, cards and tap-to-pay, and there's food too.

Leave the backpack at home. Anything bigger than 14 by 14 inches gets turned away, along with water bottles, Hydro Flasks and umbrellas. A small bag is fine, but expect security to look through it.

Parking is the hard part. The club doesn't have a lot of its own, and on a sold-out night the paid garages along the Strip go quickly while street spots in the hills above get scarce. A rideshare to the door saves a lot of circling, and it means nobody has to drive home after last call.