Stopped here for an after-wedding party on a Saturday in May. There was a solid crowd and we lucked into some live music playing! I know we're in Vail but seriously the prices - $9 Coors drafts, and I got a $16 elderflower G&T (it was tasty though). Cool to find a low-key bar with this atmosphere in a place like Vail - loved all the stain glass windows. Great vibes! read more

"Marketing manager" wouldn't even call him that was a dickhead from the moment we walked in. Guy is 42 years old wearing a tie dye under armor shirt. Most unprofessional staff I've ever seen. Bartender poured beers 3/4 full and acted like it was our problem. Wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy until the tie dye boy quits. What a disgrace to vail I hope no one spends their hard earned money here. read more

visit on 6/30/25 Really poor customer service by the bartender. She was unwelcoming, rude and snotty. I went in because I am a long time local and the music on the loudspeaker was inviting and wandered in for old times' sake. I was so disappointed and will never set foot in your establishment again. Vail has gone downhill by reputation and my experience at Shakedown confirms what others are saying. read more

I reserved 16 seats for our combined bachelor/bachelorette for $1,000. We did not get the seats we paid for. All night strangers were in our seats and the staff was not helpful whatsoever. We're in the process of escalating this legally. It was a straight up scam. Do not go here. Edit: you'll also see that the owner is essentially saying we lied on my Google review. We actually said to the staff "our frustration is not with you, it is with management, we understand you probably weren't prepped or made aware of this party." My partner and I have both worked in the service industry and are always respectful because we've been there. Also, from the photos you'll see that these people were not part of our group. Our group is in their early 30s. We clearly did not get what we paid for. Scott is running an absolute sham of a bar. read more

See all

A local favorite according to my friend who lives in Vail that I was visiting. The place was packed- my drink was knocked out of my hand by people trying to squeeze through the crowd. The live band had everyone up and dancing, and the bar was crowded with a line to get drinks. I'd say this is a fun place to go if you're intoxicated & trying to have a good time, or if you love live music and don't mind crowds. read more

Great local spot for live music!! The owner Scott is passionate about music and he brings in some great talent!!

Super fun spot to see some live music and grab a beer with friends. It got a bit crowded pretty quickly, but the energy was super fun and it didn't matter that it was crowded. The band that played was great, and I hope to go back again soon. The -1 star is only for the group of 6'5 men that chose to stand right in front of my view of the stage and then proceeded to elbow me in the head with their dance moves. Not the bar's fault, of course. read more

Use to be the music and always had live music. Cover $10 late in the week and weekend. Ok beer selection.

Updated age restriction on website, dealt with an issue I'd previously complained about. Thanks y'all

Giving this place 2 stars because the singer was great. The "security" working the door was a joke. They were young kids that didn't help when we needed them. A worker from Blu Cow Cafe next door came in threatening us because he thought we didn't pay for our bar tab - which we did. He got in our face and we had to tell him to back off. We tried to get security involved but they did absolutely nothing. They just stared at us and then warned us that we were going to be asked to leave because my friend told them to help get the guy from Blu Cow out of the bar. read more

$50 for a Coors Light pitcher. Enough said... Came here with a party of 7 for a friends birthday. Ordered two pitchers at the bar and sat at a table. Repeatedly asked while sitting at table if we needed anything when clearly we still had drinks. Once we finished our two pitchers we ordered 1 more pitcher and upon leaving were charged for two. We explained that it must be a mistake and we were told that we were WRONG. Credit card charge disputed. read more

Shakedown Bar - Music Venues Near Me - Vail, Colorado

See all

I went in to buy a Diet Coke in a bottle, she charged me $4.34 I responded isn't that a bit much for a coke- her response (arrogant) well your in vail. Go to the place next door they charge $2.98. The lady unfriendly and arrogant- don't waste your time there spend your hard earned money elsewhere- rip off read more

I wanted to give this bar a good rating. But I can't. Paid 4 cover charges at $10/piece (total $40), but they charged me $160. I called twice and emailed twice, but they never returned my call. Since I cannot get anyone's attention to refund my credit card, I'm stuck with a 1-star review. Come one guys, just a simple call and fix the problem you created would have sufficed. read more

We had SO much fun at Shakedown Bar while we were in Vail. They opened at 4pm on one of the days we were there and the place was packed by 5:30pm with people dancing to the band. We loved the music and the service was also great. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. read more

Shakedown Bar - Bar area - Music Venues Near Me - Vail, Colorado

I generally look forward to coming here from Miami a few times a year, and seeing some old friends. I waited in a long line to find the $20 cover Must be paid in cash in a day I had to cancel a lost ATM. Door guy would not let me put it on car tab or ask Scott, the owner, who's generally there. Kinda makes the bar lose the warmth it used to have, even though I know I'd love to hear the music. read more

This place is funny to me. Has a dive bar vibe but it's in Vail so there's an interesting mix of locals and incredibly rich people looking for some "different" fun. The space is kind of small and can get loud but they've got a solid live music set up with surprisingly good acoustics. Great spot to listen to some live music. The drinks are what you'd expect. Decent price for the city you're in, but the variety is lacking. They've got 5 or 6 taps with your standard beers and then 1 or 2 rotating. I would definitely go back if i'm in town, but options like this are kind of slim so there isn't much competition. It can get a little "rowdy" late at night so be prepared if you're not into that...but it's still Vail so probably the tamer than what you'd expect from a normal dive bar. read more

The bands are good if you like a bunch of old guys pretend like they are still in a high school band. Bring back Phil Long. Play more fun dance music. Stop thinking that people want to hear the band tune their instruments for twenty minutes. Place will always be crowded given the lack of options in the village but it was more fun when it was the Club and they did not take themselves so seriously. read more

Was having a good time and feeling the place until we got the bill. Ton of drinks we never ordered and waitress argued with us until we had no option other to pay so we could leave. Classic shake down. read more

BOOOOO! They are SO shady. This place seriously sucks. The bouncer took my girlfriend's ID the night before her flight out. He basically did everything short of making her beg to get it back and then told her that he had planned on selling it to the bar since they sell fake ID's. Wrong move, dumbass. I have lawyers in my family and friend's group. That is illegal. DOOR GUY! DOOR GUY! DOOR GUY! He also threatened to call the cops over and "tell them" about my "underage" friend trying to use a fake to get in. She is 30, dipshit. Call the cops. It's you that will be arrested for the little scam that you're running. And charging $20 pp to get in... to that? Lol. No. If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. Trust me... there's a pattern here. Run. There are nicer bars in Vail that don't treat their customers like this or run fake ID rings. read more

They literally shake you down. There were imaginary pitchers on our tab. Rather than check on it, the waitress got argumentative. We paid and left but obviously not happy about being double charged. read more

bartenders will charge you for drinks you did not order and live performers will scam you for songs they will not perform, then charge you for song requests read more

My complaint is directed to the owner and management. If this is not you, move on. We left a bag with the front manager that contained evening merchandise purchases. We were assured we could pick it up at the bar when we were ready to leave. Only there for half hour and the bag was gone. Your employee claimed he had never seen us before. read more

Had a blast listening to the bands, definitely a must do when visiting Vail! Great atmosphere.

This is one of those institutions of Vail you have to check out. They have a fairly reliable musician who sings dirty lyrics on the weekends for years. He insults the crowd to the cheers of the crowd and buys everyone shots. It's an all ages crowd (21-81) so be prepared for anything and I mean anything. I saw an old man up on skiis dancing on stage and singing with him. It was hysterical! read more

Shakedown Bar is the best live music venue in the village. Stop by and have a drink, then try and want to leave... I dare you.

Very rude and mean people working here. It's been nearly 2 years since my visit but it still makes my blood boil when I remember back to that night. These ignorant people ate more interested in being self righteous than pleasing customers. Shakedown Bar is the absolute pinnacle of "customer service is dead"!! read more

Super fun place. Tourist-city, but a great place to meet up for live music. Beers are cheap, margaritas are strong. I recommend getting there early and getting a few pitchers because the lines get long, especially on the weekends. They occasionally get big acts and don't list them. We saw Blues Traveler on a random Wednesday one time. WOOHOO read more

Saw Kory Montgomery here after skiing yesterday. He was so good. Unfortunately, many did not realize Shakedown is open starting at 3:30 pm Apres Ski on Wed-Sun. I felt like he gave us a private showing. Music was great. Our wait staff person, Heidi, couldn't have been better. Don't miss this place!!! read more

Fan of live music. Great venue with a mix of acoustical and band performances. Katie and Chris Frey are now regulars.

Such a fun bar!! Get there early to avoid a cover because they have a live band at night. We were in vail for a wedding and went to Shakedown two nights in a row because we had such a fun time! The owner of the bar also performs and is very welcoming! Early in the night he gave everyone in the bar a free shot. Felt like a local place! read more

We went here last night to watch the basketball games, have some drinks and dance the night away. It was great. There were TVs everywhere for the boys, lots of high top tables and then 2 live bands. My only real complaint was that the second band was not very good... Not very good at all. My girlfriend and I were trying our hardest to dance but it was difficult with such meh music. What I love most about this place though is the eclectic clientele. There are people of all ages, half of the the people on the dance floor are in regular clothes and the other half are still in their ski pants. A great place for a night out of dancing and drinking after a long day on the slopes! read more

Disappointed. Used to come here and hear crowd pleasers. The band was too low energy and wouldn't play most of the requests. Went home sleepy. read more

The bartender told me that there was a $20 minimum when clearly that isn't the truth. I am a bartender and know for a fact that isn't true. Last weekend was my first weekend at Shakedown and I bought my friends drinks separately (vodka tonics at 6.50) and was never told about the minimum. I was able to close out at $6.50 plus a tip. I was the DD and was not drinking. First round the second time I came to shakedown was $14.00 and the second round was $10 both including the tip added. I just got home to check my bank statement and I was over charged and the prices are incorrect. This is illegal and the second time this has happened with Shakedown. I get that this is Vail but this is illegal to over charge the amount by atleast $5 a customer paid not once, but 4 times between two visits. Absolutely ridiculous. If anyone else has this issue, please report them like I have. read more

This place is a gem. Best spot for live music in Vail. Best house band in Colorado. Great mix of locals and tourists. Good prices. A must go late night on weekends if you're in town. read more

This club is not very bad. There are two waves of people that enter. Those that go at midnight and those that go in at 2am! Everyone was really young. They seem 18/19 etc....but the music was worth it! Saturday is the night to go. read more

We loved this local bar! The band was wonderful, and the service was outstanding! The bartender, Marisa, made sure we had drinks all night. Great spot to visit for live music and local fun. read more

Fun place to see live music in Vail. I've been several times and while the crowd sometimes leaves a little bit to be desired, there's always been someone on stage playing live music and it's usually been pretty good, to boot. Strong drinks, clean(ish) bathrooms. Eh, what more do you want from a bar, really? read more

The band was late They missed the bus story Hvac need upgrading The bar lady needs to smile once a while And needs to be more friendly this is service oriented industry Think twice read more

Went to this fabulous bar a few weeks ago with a group of 11 skiers. To our surprise, we were seated immediately and greeted by a friendly and attentive staff. We opted for a number of pitchers of beers and appetizers. One should be warned: their nachos are as addictive as crack cocaine. (I suggest getting them with pork vs. chicken). However, the best part about this bar is its live music. When we were there, the musicians were unbelievably talented. If in the Village, give this place a chance, you won't be disappointed. read more

In the heart of Vail Village, the Shakedown Bar stands in complete contrast to it's affluent surroundings. A dingy downstairs dive bar that features live music, moderately priced beverages and blue collar atmosphere. Best known as an apres ski spot, late night entertainment is also scheduled on weekends during the season. Expect a small cover charge and jammed packed venue where seating can be difficult to find. read more