The Boulevard of Rock and Roll
The Sunset Strip is a 2.4-kilometre stretch of Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood — between Havenhurst Drive and Sierra Drive — that has been the epicentre of Los Angeles’ music, nightlife, and counter-cultural scene since the 1920s. The Strip’s clubs and venues launched or hosted virtually every major act in American rock history — The Doors at the Whisky a Go Go, Led Zeppelin at the Hyatt House (the “Riot House”), Guns N’ Roses at the Troubadour, The Byrds at Ciro’s (now the Comedy Store), and the punk and new wave scenes at the Roxy and the Viper Room.
A Sunset Strip tour drives or walks the boulevard, identifying the venues, narrating the stories (the debauched hotel stays, the legendary performances, the career-making and career-ending nights), and explaining how a short stretch of road in West Hollywood shaped American popular music.
Key Landmarks
The Whisky a Go Go — the club where The Doors were the house band in 1966–67 and where punk, metal, and alternative acts have played since.
The Roxy Theatre — a live music venue that has hosted everyone from Bob Marley to Bruce Springsteen.
The Comedy Store — the comedy club (in the former Ciro’s nightclub building) where Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, David Letterman, and Jim Carrey developed their acts.
The Chateau Marmont — the Gothic Revival hotel where Hollywood has misbehaved privately since 1929. The hotel’s guest list and incident list are equally legendary.
The billboards — the giant advertising billboards along the Strip are a distinctive visual feature, historically used for album and film promotion in ways that made them part of pop culture history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Sunset Strip still active?
Yes. The clubs (Whisky, Roxy, Comedy Store, Viper Room) still host live music and comedy nightly. The Strip’s nightlife scene is active, though the cultural dominance it held in the 1960s–1980s has dispersed across LA.
How long is a Sunset Strip tour?
Typically 1.5–2 hours as part of a broader Hollywood/Los Angeles sightseeing tour. Walking the Strip itself takes approximately 30–45 minutes.