Icons Sports Grill Open Mic Review: A Gilbert Open Mic With a Big Stage and Bar Vibe
Not every open mic is a listening room.
Sometimes the better question is whether you can play your music while people eat, drink, watch sports, talk with friends and generally go about their night without letting any of it throw you off.
That is the experience Emma and I have had at Icons Sports Grill open mic in Gilbert.
We have attended the Wednesday open mic more than once, most recently on September 23, 2026. Icons has one of the better stages we have encountered, professional sound, a welcoming host, and unusually generous 15-minute performance slots.
It also happens to be a full-on sports bar.
That combination makes this open mic very different from places like TCA, Coyote Oaties or North Mountain Brewing.
Depending on what you want from an open mic, that can actually be useful.
Quick Details: Icons Sports Grill Open Mic
Venue: Icons Sports Grill
Address: 1475 W. Elliot Rd., Gilbert, AZ 85233
Open mic: Every Wednesday
Sign-up: 5:30 PM; Music: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Sign-up system: First 12 performers are entered into a randomized digital wheel
Set length: Three songs or up to 15 minutes from our experience
Cost: Free, with no food or drink minimum during our visits
Host: Ian
Stage: Large elevated stage with concert-style lighting
Sound: Full PA, microphones, monitors and instrument connections
House instruments: Acoustic guitar and cajon available from the host
Full backline: No Parking: Large free lot directly outside
Food: Full sports-bar menu
Drinks: Full bar and nonalcoholic options
Atmosphere: Sports bar with a dedicated live-music stage
Best for: Cover musicians, beginners, performers practicing bar gigs, collaborations, and musicians who enjoy a social rather than silent listening environment.
Icons officially confirms that its Wednesday open mic runs from 6 to 9 PM, with sign-up starting at 5:30 PM. Icons Sports Grill
The Signup Wheel Makes This One Different
The first unusual thing about this open mic happens before anyone plays.
A sign-up list sits on the stage. From our experience, the first 12 performers are entered into a computer system.
Then, around 5:45, Ian puts a wheel up on the large screen and spins it.
The computer randomly determines the performance order.
I actually like this.
At many open mics, retired musicians or people with flexible schedules can arrive extremely early and claim all the best spots before somebody getting off work even has a chance.
At Icons, getting there at 4 PM does not necessarily put you ahead of somebody who arrives at 5:40.
If you make the first group, the wheel decides.
Most nights we have attended, there have been enough spaces for everyone to eventually perform anyway.
Fifteen Minutes Is a Big Plus
Most of the open mics Emma and I review give musicians two songs or roughly 10 minutes.
Icons gives you three songs or up to about 15 minutes from our experience.
Vino Di Sedona is one of the only other open mics we have visited so far that offered that much time.
Those extra five minutes make a bigger difference than they sound.
You have enough time to settle in, try different material and actually feel like you played a short set rather than two songs disappearing before you became comfortable.
For a beginner, that can be valuable practice.
For an experienced musician, it gives you room to experiment.
Ian Makes the Night Easy
The host, Ian, is one of the strongest reasons we would return.
He is a professional musician, friendly with newcomers and regulars, and very efficient with sound.
There is no endless soundcheck.
You tell him what you need, he connects you, gets the levels right, and moves the evening along.
He also keeps an acoustic guitar and cajon available.
Even better, you can ask him to join you.
Ian played cajon with us, and his ability to listen and immediately fit into a song made our set more fun.
He can also play guitar and sing.
That kind of host changes an open mic from simply waiting for your name to be called into an opportunity to actually make music with people.
This Stage Is Better Than You Might Expect From a Sports Bar
The stage itself is impressive.
It is large, elevated and accessed by steps. There is easily room for several performers, and we had four people playing together without feeling crowded.
There is no complete house backline, but the stage has the connections, microphones, monitors and PA support needed for multiple musicians.
Then there is the lighting.
The lights change throughout performances and give the stage much more of a concert atmosphere than the average open mic corner.
Icons' own website highlights its spacious live-music stage as part of the venue, alongside its sports TVs and other entertainment. Icons Sports Grill
From a musician's perspective, they built a genuinely good performance area.
The Catch: This Is Definitely a Sports Bar
The challenge is what surrounds that stage.
Icons is not pretending to be a listening room.
The official venue description emphasizes both live music and multiple high-definition televisions for sports, which is exactly what you see when you walk inside. Icons Sports Grill
Near the stage, musicians gather at tables waiting for their turns.
On the other side is the sports-bar crowd.
The bar itself faces away from the stage, and televisions cover that side of the room.
Most of those customers are not there for open mic.
That became especially obvious during our first visit over the summer when the United States was playing in the World Cup.
People had come specifically to watch the game.
Then open mic started.
The television audio disappeared, and live music took over.
Some sports fans were clearly unhappy, and several eventually left.
When the U.S. scored and the crowd erupted, whoever was performing was temporarily drowned out.
That experience helped me understand what I both like and dislike about Icons.
My One Big Wish for the Room
This part is purely my opinion.
At one point in the room, it looks like the two areas could almost be separated.
I wish they were.
If there were a real divider between the sports side and the music side, Icons could potentially have the best of both worlds.
Sports fans could hear the game, cheer, and talk.
Musicians could perform for people who specifically chose the music room.
Then, when the game ended, patrons could wander over and see who was playing.
As someone who spent a lifetime around athletics before music became such a big part of my life, I understand both sides.
Years ago, I would have been the guy at the sports bar wondering why live music suddenly drowned out the game I came to watch.
Now I am one of the musicians onstage.
Neither group is wrong.
They simply came for different things.
What Kind of Music Works Best?
From our experience, familiar covers get the easiest reaction from the general bar crowd.
Classic rock in particular fits naturally.
We heard plenty of covers spanning rock, country and other familiar genres.
If somebody launches into a song the room already knows, there is a better chance of getting heads to turn from the televisions.
Originals are absolutely welcomed too.
Emma and I have played both.
But I wouldn't choose Icons as my first destination if my main goal were to quietly test a new original and hear detailed audience feedback.
For that, I would choose a dedicated listening room.
What Icons is good for is learning whether your music can function in a real bar environment.
Can you keep playing while people talk?
Can you create enough energy that somebody who did not come for music suddenly notices?
Can an original get a sports-bar patron to turn around?
That is a different skill.
And it is useful.
Collaboration May Be the Best Part
The musicians may not sit silently through every set, but the social environment creates another advantage.
You actually get to talk to people.
On our latest visit, we connected with DK, a harmonica player, who joined us.
That connection has now led to plans for him to play with us at a future gig.
Another guitarist asked a few singers if they wanted him to accompany them because his usual singing partner could not attend.
That kind of spontaneous collaboration happened throughout the night.
There is something to be said for an open mic where you are allowed to socialize without somebody glaring at you because you whispered while another performer was playing.
Sometimes the conversations happening between sets become just as valuable as the set itself.
Beginner-Friendly for a Different Reason
I would call Icons beginner-friendly.
Not because the performers lack experience.
Many are very capable musicians.
It is beginner-friendly because the room does not put enormous pressure on you.
Most of us learn by playing covers before we ever write original material.
Covers fit perfectly here.
And if you make a mistake, there is a strong possibility half the bar will never notice.
You can get on a real stage, use a professional PA, experience concert-style lighting, and practice a 15-minute set without feeling like 50 musicians are silently analyzing every note.
That has value.
Food, Drinks, Parking and the Practical Stuff
Icons has a large sports-bar menu with burgers, sandwiches, wings, appetizers, fries, tots, and other traditional bar food. It also has a children's menu. Icons Sports Grill
The bar serves beer, wine, and cocktails. Icons Sports Grill
Emma and I did not eat during our visits because the menu was not a good fit for the food sensitivities we were working around, and we do not drink alcohol.
For somebody looking for the classic sports-bar combination of drinks, wings, burgers, and a game on TV, however, this venue is built around exactly that experience.
Parking is simple.
A large lot sits directly outside, and load-in is easy, with no stairs until you reach the stage.
The restaurant itself is also large, with plenty of tables, booths and seating.
Would We Go Back?
Yes.
The biggest reason is simple.
It is close to home.
But that is not the only reason.
We like Ian, the 15-minute sets, the sound, the stage, and collaborating with musicians like DK.
And I think there is value in practicing how to perform when you are not the center of attention.
If you can get somebody at the bar to turn away from a television because an original song caught their ear, maybe you have something.
And if they do not?
You still got 15 minutes of stage time and another night of experience.
Who Is the Icons Open Mic Best For?
I would recommend Icons for beginners, experienced bar musicians, cover artists, acoustic performers and musicians who enjoy jamming and networking.
It is especially useful for anyone wanting practice in the kind of environment they may eventually encounter at paid bar gigs.
If your goal is to perform three originals for a quiet audience that analyzes every lyric, I would choose another open mic.
If your goal is to plug in, play, meet musicians, try a collaboration and learn how to hold your own in a real sports-bar environment, Icons has a lot going for it.
That distinction is exactly why we review open mics.
The question is not whether one venue is universally better than another.
The question is:
Does its vibe fit what you need as a musician?
At Icons, now you know what you're walking into.
About the Author
James Mattison is a musician and blog writer for the Desert Vibe Podcast. He is one half of Emma & James Music, an Arizona-based husband-and-wife music duo performing mostly original music with select covers that fit their soulful, guitar-driven style.
Emma Mattison is known for her expressive vocal style and also manages the website, social media, marketing and online presence that help Desert Vibe reach listeners and musicians across Arizona.
Together, Emma and James are exploring live music events around the Valley for Desert Vibe's “What's Vibin' in the Desert” segment, sharing firsthand reviews designed to help musicians understand what to expect before trying a new open mic.
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