Asylum   

121 Center St
Portland, ME 4101
207-772-8274

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Monster Magnet, Moby, Motorhead, Everclear and G. Love are some of the alternative and hard-core bands that have played at Asylum -- one of the best places to hear live music in Portland. Even Bruce Springsteen might agree -- he was here in 1999 to hear one of his former backup singers. He was drinking Cuervo 1800, says bar manager Stephanie Madore. He drank it like a champ.The club also books hip-hop acts and reggae artists like Jimmy Cliff, who played here to a crowd of nearly 400. Saturday nights a DJ spins popular dance music and hip-hop. This high-tech dance club can accommodate about 700 people. The fiber-optic ceiling looks like blinking stars, and the track lighting throughout the club adds to the contemporary ambiance. The bar stools, chairs and tables are metal, and the walls are solid purple, orange and maroon.The club doesnt serve food, but you can eat across the buildings foyer at the Sports Bar, which is open daily. Big sellers there are the chicken wings, chicken-and-cheese subs and a variety of juicy burgers. The bars share a pool table located in between them. -- Lauren Kafka