The Vibe
Pop's Blue Moon is the kind of place that takes a little finding but rewards the effort. Tucked into The Hill — St. Louis's historic Italian neighborhood — this intimate bar has been a neighborhood institution since 1999, combining a genuine hole-in-the-wall atmosphere with consistent live music six nights a week. The lava lamps glow, the drinks are cheap and stiff, and the crowd is the kind of regular crowd that knows each other's names.
Tuesday nights at Pop's offer something rare: a two-format open mic that serves both acoustic and electric musicians in the same evening. It's an acknowledgment that great music doesn't require a single template, and that a Tuesday night should have room for a fingerpicked acoustic set and a full-band electric jam in the same room.
The Music
The evening starts with acoustic performances from 8 to 10 PM — singer-songwriters, folk players, solo acoustic sets of any genre. At 10 PM, a three-piece house band takes over as the backing ensemble, and the format shifts to electric sit-in territory. Blues, rock, soul, and everything adjacent gets a workout in the late-night electric session.
Third Tuesdays are special: the Super Jam, which brings in members of prominent local acts for a more celebratory, collaborative atmosphere. It's worth marking your calendar for.
For Musicians
No cover means the barrier to entry is as low as it gets. Sign up when you arrive. The house band for the electric session provides solid backing, and the PA handles the acoustic early set. Yonders Eats provides pizza on Tuesday nights, so performers can fuel up between sets. Drinks are some of the most affordable in the city — a feature that regular musicians deeply appreciate.
What to Expect
Come early for the acoustic set if that's your style, or arrive around 10 PM when the electric energy kicks in. Either way you'll find a room that feels like the best version of a neighborhood bar: unpretentious, genuinely musical, and full of people who are there because they want to be, not because it's the trendy thing to do.