GoDanceLB.com Listings

Dance Bands & Concert Bands

Nowadays most bands play for spectators, not for dancers   
So it's most likely that a live band is concert style.
But not all bands are for watchers; some are dance bands  

Some dance places book bands for dancers. Starting Gate on Katella is a great example of this since the dance floor is full on Fridays & Saturdays. A few other LB-area places with dance floors book bands for dancing but the floors are rarely full.

Some bands play music that gets the particular crowd dancing.
Some bands play music that doesn't get the people dancing; and some of those bands want it that way.

I've seen many bands that keep the crowd dancing; and some others that can't get anyone up, or that can thin out a dance floor.

Alegria

Alegria  /  Alegria MySpace

Good dancing, but tiny floor / a primary focus is Flamenco shows
Entertainment Line Up

115 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Sevilla

Sevilla  / Sevilla Nightclub  /  Sevilla MySpace

Flamenco Shows

140 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Rhythm Lounge

Rhythm Lounge  /  Rhythm Lounge MySpace  /  Events

Bands on weekends
Management:  "Concert style"

245 Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Blue Cafe

Blue Cafe  /  Blue Cafe MySpace

Sadly the Blue Cafe might be out of commision: Blue Cafe not open

[Warning:  If you subscribe to the newsletter the service they use provides no way to ever unsubscribe; and they now do not send anything relevant to Long Beach, but only to the Huntington Beach location]

210 Promenade, Long Beach, CA 90802

Cellar

Cellar MySpace   / Cellar Facebook  /  Cellar Live Music Meetup  /  LA Urban Singles

Schedule appears to not have regular days for events

201 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802

Cat Man Blu

Cat Man Blu  /  Cat Man Blue Facebook  /  Calendar

The layout and music is generally concert style; dancing is in front of the band and blocks the view from the tables. The byline is "Eat, Drink & Listen"; it's much more of a listening place than a dancing place, but some bands do like dancing going on.

51 S Pine, Long Beach CA

Auld Dubliner

Auld Dubliner  /  Calendar Long Beach

Not particularly a dance place or a concert place, more of a socializing place with high energy music where dancing can happen

71 S Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Sgt Peppers

Sgt Peppers  /  Sgt Peppers MySpace  Concert style

Pianists: Wednesday-Sunday
Management:  "It's a show" / "Not dancing"

91 S. Pine Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Mai Tai Bar

Mai Tai Bar  /  Mai Tai MySpace

97 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802

Hornblower Cruises

Hornblower Cruises

Rainbow Harbor Dock 6, 100 E Shoreline Dr, Long Beach CA 90802

Sky Room

Sky Room

40 S Locust Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802

Sea Bird Jazz Lounge

Sea Bird Jazz Lounge  /  Calendar

Concert style, no area for dancing; but this would be a nice place for it.  At this time their entertainment schedule is rather uncertain; singer-band occassionally.

730 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802

Clancy's Irish Pub

Clancy's  /  Calendar  /  Clancy's Irish Pub MySpace 

Band or DJ various nights > No room to dance

803 E Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802

Ocean Buffet (Dragon House)

Cambodian Disco / apparently no website

101 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA, 90802

Pike Restaurant & Bar

Pike Restaurant & Bar MySpace  /  Calendar image

1836 E 4th St, Long Beach CA

Que Sera

Que Sera / Que Sera MySpace  / Calendar

Usually bands for watching; sometimes DJs; and sometimes both band & DJ

1923 E 7th St, Long Beach CA

Prospector

Prospector  /  Prospector MySpace  >  Concert style 

2400 E 7th St, Long Beach CA 90804

La Palapa

La Palapa  /  Calendar   >  Concert style

4020 Olympic Plaza, Belmont Shore, Long Beach, CA 90803

Ripples

Ripples  /  Calendar

5101 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach CA

McKenna's

McKenna's On The Bay

190 Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA 90803
Alamitos Bay Landing,
Note:  Google Maps doesn't 'know' Alamitos Bay Landing;
additionally it gets the point wrong for this group of four there;
but it does get it reasonably close

Star Party Cruises > Blues & Reggae

Star Party Cruises

160 N Marina Dr, Long Beach CA 90803
Alamitos Bay Landing,
Note:  Google Maps doesn't 'know' Alamitos Bay Landing;
additionally it gets the point wrong for this group of four there;
but it does get it reasonably close

Buster's

Buster's  /  Entertainment

The music at Buster's is good for dancing; but ... the presentation style of the band (Flyer) makes for a lot of stop-start-stop-stop-start-oops-stop dancing.

In terms of the 'show' side, this is a rare place where the audience (yes it's a real audience) positions it's chairs to face the band, and when they are performing there isn't much table chatter going on. The place is like theater-style or like a 'floor show' when Flyer is playing (or talking or joking).

When you want to go out with your mate or your date and you want some good long breaks from having to keep up a conversation, this is a good place to go. You can watch Flyer put on a good show, get up and dance a little, and pick up your conversations during the breaks.

I hate to not have this in the 'Dance' category, but Flyer is a band that puts on a stage-show rather than plays-for-dancers.

168 Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA 90803
Alamitos Bay Landing,
Note:  Google Maps doesn't 'know' Alamitos Bay Landing;
additionally it gets the point wrong for this group of four there;
but it does get it reasonably close

Khoury's

Khoury's  / Calendar

The keyboardist who played for years at El Dorado Restaurant is now at Khoury's on Thursdays; the Maloof West Coast Swing group that formerly met at Khoury's is no longer there (the parking cost was damaging their attendance, and now the parking is a bit lower cost again); Khoury's is no longer having bands for dancing or atmosphere as they once did; the Bellydance show on Sundays by Mirage Belly Dance Duo [Entertainment tab] is gone, and Tonya and Atlantis present a showcase on Wednesdays.

110 Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA 90803
Alamitos Bay Landing,
Note:  Google Maps doesn't 'know' Alamitos Bay Landing;
additionally it gets the point wrong for this group of four there;
but it does get it reasonably close

Gaslamp

Gaslamp

6251 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach CA 90803

DiPiazza's

DiPiazza's  /  Calendar  /  DiPiazza's MySpace     >  Concert style

Bands
Management: "Not dancing"

5205 E Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach CA 90804

Liquid Lounge

Liquid Lounge  /  Calendar  /  Liquid Lounge MySpace  

Band a/o DJ various evenings
Management: "Not dancing"

3522 Anaheim St, Long Beach CA 90804

Alex's Bar

Alex's Bar  /  Calendar   

Bands a/o DJ
Management:  "Not dancing"

2913 E Anaheim St, Long Beach CA 90804

Phil Trani's

Phil Trani's  /  Flashback band

3490 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach CA 90807

Tracy's Bar & Grill

Tracy's Bar & Grill  /  Entertainment

5511 E Spring St, Long Beach, CA 90808

El Dorado Restaurant & Lounge

El Dorado Restaurant MySpace

3014 N Studebaker Rd, Long Beach CA 90808 

Boomers

Boomers MySpace

5456 E Del Amo Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90808  

Cowboy Country

Cowboy Country / Cowboy Country MySpace  /  History & Facilities  / Calendar  /  Lessons  

3321 E South St, Long Beach CA 90805

Copacabana

Copacabana  /  Copacabana MySpace

2688 E South St, Long Beach CA

Starting Gate

Starting Gate Biker Night / Starting Gate Karaoke  

Starting Gate draws a consistently floor-filling dance crowd, plus more folks, on Fridays & Saturdays. They've been booking good dance bands for years, including some of the bands (Midwest Coast, ...) that were on monthly rotation at the Atrium before it closed a few years ago (so sad)

5052 Katella Ave, Los Alamitos CA