Jannus Live

Jannus Landing to Jannus Live

Bob Barnes, Bill Pendergast and Gene Bryant opened Jannus Landing in 1984. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were its first big name act, in December 1987, and their return in 1989 brought enough noise fines that the venue nearly closed. After renovations in 1999 and 2009, it reopened in March 2010 under operators Jeff Knight and Bill Edwards and took the name Jannus Live.

Radiohead, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Eminem, Katy Perry and The Black Keys have all played the yard.

The courtyard

Jannus Live is outdoors and standing room only, with space for about 2,000. Two tall stage poles hold a tarp that gives the place a circus tent profile. Club Detroit, a bar inside the complex, has a small balcony that looks over the crowd. The whole thing sits in the Downtown St. Petersburg Historic District, a block north of Central Avenue, so dinner and a drink before doors are a short walk in any direction.

Rain and timing

An outdoor yard in St. Pete means summer storms. Most pass through in the late afternoon, but a slow one can push back doors or a set. Wear something that can get wet, skip the umbrella, and check your ticket for the weather policy and door times. In the cooler months, a light layer is plenty.

Parking and the SunRunner

There is no lot of its own. Two public garages sit within a block, the Sundial garage on Second Street North and the SouthCore garage on First Avenue South, and downtown has plenty of street parking.

The SunRunner rapid bus line, which runs between downtown and St. Pete Beach, has a station on First Avenue North between First and Second streets, right around the corner. It has run later service on Friday and Saturday nights, so check the schedule before a weekend show.

For a seated night downtown, see the Mahaffey Theater on the bayfront. Indie bills here show up on the indie and alternative calendar, and every area date is on the St. Pete page.