The variety of Tucson nightlife defies stereotypes about the kind of entertainment a Western town has to offer. In fact, most clubs offer alternative rock instead of country and western music. The blues is very much alive in Tucson, with local acts taking turns at the Boondocks Lounge, Berky’s Bar, Margarita Bay and various other clubs. Check weekly listings in the papers for details. Venues for live jazz are rarer; try the Cafe Sweetwater on 4th Avenue on Friday and Saturday nights, or the Cascade Lounge at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort for light dinner jazz on Thursday to Sunday afternoons.

While the western section of downtown is dominated by the temples of high art, the eastern part belongs to the “dark” forces of alternative rock, centered around the legendary Club Congress on the ground floor of the equally famous Hotel Congress. It’s featured as “The World’s Darkest Nightclub”, and once you’ve stepped inside, you will see why it deserves that title (if you can see anything at all). Right across the street from the club there is the Rialto Theatre, a vaudeville theater that has been restored to its glorious old past, now featuring big names in blues and rock from out of own.

For the quintessential experience in Mexican music, go to El Mariachi on Drachman Street and check out the restaurant’s house band, International Mariachi America. There are, of course, various places for country and western, but for the most authentic brand, you’ll have to drive to the out-of-the way Li’l Abner’s Steakhouse on a Friday or Saturday night. If you enjoy country dancing, join the up to 3,000 patrons crowding into the dance floor at the New West on Ina Road, an establishment which frequently features famous country and western acts such as Asleep at the Wheel.