9 classic Bay Area concert halls — and what to listen to when you’re there

Long ago, Bay Area residents left their homes to be entertained. Before TV, record players or even radio, the local concert hall was the place to see vaudeville or grand opera, popular touring bands, famous singers or silent movies accompanied by the music of a live organ.

By the early 1900s, nearly every Bay Area enclave had its own live performance space. Some of these venues felt like small palaces, as splendid as the finest big-city opera house. Others began as neighborhood clubs or community halls...