Some of the nation’s most beloved musicians will take the stage at a variety of Denver events this summer, including Zac Brown Band playing the first-ever show at Coors Field and the Red Rocks Summer Concert Series at the nation’s No. 1 outdoor music venue.
Visit Denver, the city’s biggest booster organization, compiled a list of summer music festivals and concerts to celebrate the Mile High City.
“Tour buses have been bringing the best musicians to Denver long before the Beatles took stage at the Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre in 1964,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO, Visit Denver. “The residents and visitors to this city appreciate all forms of music and all types of venues, making Denver more than a regional draw, but rather a music destination. It not only hosts the world’s biggest stars, it’s also a magnet for up-and-coming talent, alternative musicians and artists of every category.”
Coming up on its 75th anniversary in 2016, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre annually churns out a lineup of sell-out-worthy performances and 2015 is no different, securing more than 100 concerts featuring every genre from pop (Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith) to rock and country (Neil Young, Wilco and Tim McGraw), from alternative (Decemberists and Avett Brothers) to top EDM shows (Bassnectar and Pretty Lights).
The Westword Music Showcase on Saturday welcomes Flume, The Black Angels, MisterWives, Robert DeLong, Wave Racer, Roadkill Ghost Choir plus more than 100 local bands and artists. Colorado is home to internationally renowned experimental bands, pioneering folk artists and Grammy winners.
Ushering in the July Fourth weekend, three-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum artist, the Zac Brown Band, will play the first-ever Coors Field concert. The country music group brings its “Jekyll + Hyde” tour to Denver on July 3 for one show only.
East Colfax, which has seen a live music boom in the last few years, is looking to join the list of Denver’s many neighborhood music events with the first-ever Bluebird District Music Festival. Its initial 2015 lineup will bring A. Tom Collins, Dragondeer and the Blue Rider to Goosetown Tavern, Southside Bar Kitchen, Park House, Park House Outdoor Stage, Lost Lake Lounge and Bluebird Theater from July 10 through 12.
July 23 through 26, brings the Underground Music Showcase, Denver’s premier indie music festival, now in its 15th year. This year’s incarnation showcases more than 400 local and national act performances across four days in nearly 20 venues including headliners STRFKR, DIIV and Tennis.
Now in its 11th year, Riot Fest & Rodeo comes to Denver again Aug. 28 through 30 with all performances at the National Western Complex. Early bird tickets are now available.
A modern take on a 1940’s supper club, where the art of music, drinking, and dancing collide, RiNo’s Nocturne celebrates America’s rich cultural heritage through the art of hospitality.
In the downtown corridor, Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox is a new restaurant-bar-music venue sandwiched between Larimer and Lawrence streets. Ophelia’s, which opened in April, now occupies a large portion of the historic Airedale building, which first opened in 1889 as Kopper’s Hotel and Saloon.
The Syntax:Physic Opera is becoming a staple for the hipster South Broadway crowd, with Wash Park corporate professionals rubbing elbows with Baker neighborhood artists. Thursday through Saturday, The Syntax offers three to four local indie bills. Tuesdays are a Songwriter’s Open Mic, Wednesdays the Comedy Open Mic with Denver comics working-out new material and every Thursday features live jazz after supper.
Colfax, the longest business street in America, is also considered the “wickedest” due to the number of live music venues, bars and clubs along its 26-mile stretch. 1 Up on Colfax is a newer venue known most days for arcade games and music performances, most of which welcome guests 18 and older.
Classic venues still welcome music aficionados. The Fillmore Auditorium at Colfax and Clarkson was completed in 1907. The Fillmore Auditorium has risen to be one of the most prominent forces in the Denver music scene, hosting a number of concerts by big names such as Rise Against, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Umphrey’s McGee, Marilyn Manson, Nelly Furtado, Joss Stone, James Blunt, Erykah Badu and Five Iron Frenzy.
The Ogden Theatre, three blocks west on Colfax, was built in 1919 by the same designer as the Bluebird Theater. Originally hosting live performances such as weekly organ recitals, dances, lectures and vaudeville acts – most notably, the legendary Harry Houdini – by 1937, it had been converted to a movie theater that featured everything from the classics to the avant garde. In the ’80s it also featured the cult movie classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Today, the theater found its niche and has become Denver’s premier concert venue featuring approximately 150 concerts per year. The Ogden Theatre is an official Denver landmark and a national historic landmark.
Two hours outside Denver in Rye, the Sonic Bloom Festival amplifies the blossoming local electronic music scene and has garnered national attention for its curated lineup of international artists. Held Thursday through Saturday, the musical festival also features performance and installation art, live painting, yoga movement, speakers and workshops.
The 2013 floods of Colorado demolished many venues, stores and homes in Lyons, but the rain didn’t wash away this city’s heart. Its passion for bluegrass is back with a rebuilt venue for The Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, Aug. 24 through 26. Sujan Stevens opens the festival, just an hour outside downtown Denver.
To learn more about Denver’s diverse music scene, go to www.visitdenver.com.
(Evan Semon photo)
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