We love our music. Rock, alt-country, pop, hip-hop, classical, salsa and jazz – you name it, Coloradans flock to it.
Our critics draw on all their late nights on the town to give you the inside track, whether you’re heading for the town’s biggest venues or tiniest clubs.
budweiser event center
the place: As the most rural event center in this group, the 7,200-seat Budweiser Event Center gets the biggest variety of entertainment. Part of the 374,000-square-foot Larimer Country Fairground Complex, it’s a hub for big livestock events, monster-truck rallies, ice-skating events and demolition derbies. It’s also the home to semipro hockey and women’s basketball, and it has hosted performers from David Bowie to Trillville, which plays there Feb. 10.
best seat: If the event didn’t sell and the house is set up at half house, the lower regions of Sections F through R are all great seats. At full house, you want to be on the floor, DDD through FFF.
worst seat: Find out where the stage is, and make sure you’re not lined up on either side of it. Nothing’s worse than not being able to see or hear the performer.
food: Primovolo, 4630 Royal Vista Circle, No.1 in Windsor is just one exit north of the center and serves up thin-crust pizzas, basic pasta dishes and sandwiches. For a tropical twist before the show, try Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill, 431 Main St. in Windsor. It features fresh Hawaiian food such as coconut chicken or ahi poke, a Hawaiian version of ceviche
parking: In Loveland, one thing they don’t lack is parking.
restrooms: This venue opened in September 2003 with a bent toward comfort and convenience. Restrooms here are A-OK.
buell theatre
the place: This massive 2,880-seat theater, the largest in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, opened in 1991 as a home for touring Broadway productions, last year accommodating nearly a half-million people for shows such as “Wicked.” But it also hosts comedy and concerts such as George Carlin, Josh Groban and Nick Cave. This won’t help you for concerts, but here’s your best advice for long theater runs: Don’t go until at least the second week. Everyone complains about the sound at the Buell, but it’s the road shows that come in with their own sound systems, and it often takes them a about week to tweak it right.
best seat: Big surprise: orchestra level, in the middle. But don’t be fooled by the “orchestra” tag. That incorporates all 1,770 seats on the main level, and the back rows are way back. You want to sit in the front 30 rows, or the cost just isn’t worth it. Because the theater is so vertically built, the few rows that make up the mezzanine (second level) feel really close to the action. There is actually a bit more knee room up there because at the last minute, the city got greedy and crammed in about 300 more orchestra seats than comfort can accommodate.
worst seat: Broadway houses should never exceed 2,000, so if you’re in the back balcony, you’re already an afterthought. You’re so far away and the sound is so lousy, you would be better off down at the bar watching on a closed-circuit monitor. And beware of orchestra seats on either extreme side. Not only are sightlines askew, some of the VIP boxes perched along the side walls will obstruct your view further.
food: Stop off on Larimer Street before the show and try Bistro Vendome, 1424 Larimer, one of Denver’s top French bistros. It sends out a satisfying bowl of mussels, a rich and bacony country salad, and a solid steak frites with an especially good Roquefort sauce alongside. Also close by is the Samba Room, which delivers one of downtown’s best mojitos, plus some surprisingly good Latin-fusion fare. Try the coconut shrimp – really. For lower cost options, Sam’s Diner at 15th and Curtis streets offers lots of choices.
parking: It’s better now that the Colorado Convention Center’s 1,000-space covered lot has joined the city’s 1,551-seat attached lot. It’s still lousy to charge you $8 to park for a show, but there are alternatives. Light rail now stops next door at the Convention Center, or you can park cheaper on the downtown outskirts and take the 16th Street mall shuttle, though nighttime return buses are sketchy at best. And remember, street parking meters are free on Sundays.
restrooms: It wasn’t terribly bad before they recently cut off patron access to the bathrooms in the Boettcher. Now it’s not unlike a game at Invesco Field at Mile High: Women will spend intermission waiting in line. You do the math: 2,880 seats. 82 toilets (49 for women).
ellie caulkins opera house
the place: This European-style theater, with its lyre shape and cherry-wood detailing, opened in September inside the gutted interior of the former Auditorium Theatre. The 2,268-seat theater has given a huge boost to the city’s cultural scene, providing a much-
needed home for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet. Though the opera house was touted as one of the top 10 in the world, its acoustics have yet to fully live up to expectations, and the design and configuration of its seats have stirred controversy.
best seat: In terms of the sound and seeing the action on stage, the best seat is in the front row of the mezzanine – the theater’s first balcony. For dance-lovers who like a more overhead view of the choreographic patterns onstage, the front row of the loge (the second balcony) might be best.
worst seat: Because it’s new, adjustments are still being made to its seating. But the least desirable seats can be found in the rear boxes, especially those on the loge that require sitting on uncomfortable high chairs. Although the columns at the front of the boxes do not block the view, they frame it in an odd way and are distracting.
food: There are lots of nearby options (see Buell Theatre entry), but if you’re feeling flush, try Kevin Taylor at the Opera House just downstairs. Taylor is one of Denver’s most talented chefs, and the menu here is totally opera-appropriate, especially the roast game hen with bread and butter pudding, and glazed endive.
parking: Although the narrow circular ramps are not to everyone’s liking, the least busy and most convenient parking is in the Colorado Convention Center garage, with its entrance off Speer Boulevard. A short walk across a pedestrian bridge over Champa Street takes patrons into the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
restrooms: Designers made a point of boosting the number of toilets in the Caulkins Opera House. It has 106, compared with 40 in the Auditorium Theatre and 82 in the Buell Theatre. There are still some lines during intermission, but part of the wait can be attributed to patrons not yet knowing where all the
restrooms are.
fillmore auditorium
the place: The Fillmore is the crown jewel in promoter Chuck Morris’ musical empire. He and his crew made an almost intolerable venue into a treasured favorite.
best seat: Other than VIP and handicapped seating, the Fillmore is almost always a general-admission venue. The best place to stand depends on your height. If you’re 6 feet or taller, you want the floor space equidistant between the stage and the soundboard. It’s a killer sweet spot. If you’re shorter than 6 feet, then weasel your way in on the elevated areas on the sides (if you’re lucky you’ll secure one of the few tables there) as close as you can get without the ushers hassling you away from the stairwells and walkways.
worst seat: If you value your personal space, the worst place at the Fillmore is the front. Because when the headliner comes on, it’s going to get messy – and sweaty.
food: Once you’ve rocked out, try Parallel 17, 1600 E. 17th Ave. It’s open until 2 a.m. on weekends, so after the show drop into this Vietnamese bar-tapas joint for a glass of sangria and a spectacular Banh Mi sandwich. Another option if you’re passing on the nachos at the Fillmore is Gabor’s, 1223 E. 13th Ave., where you can enjoy a beer while you wait for your chicken cordon bleu sandwich, a gross-good combo of grilled chicken, ham, cheese and a gooshy bun.
parking: There are a few lots around the Fillmore that sprout up signs on show nights, but the surrounding neighborhoods don’t require permits. You’ll have better luck parking on the north of Colfax Avenue (Uptown) than the south (Capitol Hill).
restrooms: You’ve gotta pity the female concertgoer at the Fillmore, spending 20 minutes in line while Nine Inch Nails tears the stage apart. But remember that there are also less-populated restrooms in the public hallway behind the stage.
lecture hall at the colorado convention center
the place: Lodged into the stylish but still sterile Colorado Convention Center, this poorly named venue (currently in search of a name-sponsor) is the newest addition in this field, having opened last year. By day it looks like a lecture hall. Thankfully it doesn’t sound like a lecture hall. The sound is tight and responsive, and the flexibility of the space makes it a promoter favorite.
best seat: Row 1 in the second section back, Lower Section 2. Anything here, from seat 201-234, will treat you right – with sightlines and foot room galore. This is also handicapped seating, so it could be tough to nail down.
worst seat: The outer edges of Sections 1 and 3, especially after Row 18. The stage starts to disappear.
food: Stop into Café Berlin, 323 14th St., before the show for a beer and a plate of the city’s best wiener schnitzel (not to mention a quickie education in midcentury German cabaret music) before the show. Café Berlin lives up to the German stereotype of efficiency; just let your server know you’ve got seats later, and they’ll time your meal like a train schedule. The center is two blocks away, just enough to walk off that spaetzle.
parking: Convention Center parking (1,000 spaces) is affordable and easy with an on-ramp right off northbound Speer, after Stout Street and before Champa Street.
restrooms: Convention centers are outfitted to host more people than the Lecture Hall’s 5,000-person capacity. You’ll have to walk a little, but you won’t wait.
pepsi center
the place: The Pepsi Center opened Oct. 1, 1999, with a sold-out performance by Celine Dion. The arena is a surprisingly good music venue, considering its size. (It can seat up to 20,000 for concerts.) Some shows fall flat here, and the sound is always the deciding factor. But as acts always bring in their own audio equipment, it’s impossible to tell what will hit and what will miss. For example, the Rolling Stones hit, Shania Twain missed; Prince and Eric Clapton hit, Destiny’s Child and Foo Fighters missed.
best seat: The back area on the floor is typically safe. (Sitting in the front is fun but never aurally rewarding.) But for an always safe bet, navigate the front rows of Sections 106-120.
worst seat: This is an arena. If your section number starts with the number “3” (i.e. 312), bring your binoculars – and try to arrange yourself facing the stage and its likely video screens.
food: Got game? Even if the Nuggets don’t on the night you’re at the Pepsi Center, the Blue Sky Grill at the Pepsi Center does. Buffalo, venison and elk, that is. Also on offer at this re-creation of the uber-Western Q Creek Ranch in Wyoming: steaks, salmon, salads and, of course, burgers. The other high-end option inside the venue is The Ridgeline. If money is no object, skip the center’s mini-pizzas and pretzels, and treat yourself to a buffet-style pregame (or during-game) dinner at this spot on Club Level concourse. Menus change with each service, so call ahead to find out what the chef’s cooking. Caveat: entree to this neo-Colorado ski-lodge-style joint is limited to Club Level patrons and courtside or rinkside ticket holders.
parking: Parking is easy but expensive. Just follow the lines of cars on Auraria Parkway. Or be smart and park on the Auraria campus for half the price. Even cheaper: Take the light rail’s C Line to the Pepsi Center stop.
restrooms: Again, this is an arena. But it’s act-specific. Women’s restrooms are a logjam from open to close at a Barry Manilow or Rod Stewart show. But they’re more manageable at Coldplay. (Men rarely wait more than a few minutes. This is primarily a basketball-hockey arena.)
world arena
the place: Built right off Interstate 25 in Colorado Springs in 1998, the World Arena isn’t the most sightly structure. But inside it has all the same amenities you’ve come to expect. It holds about 9,400 for concerts, and it has hosted everyone from Linkin Park to the Eagles, Journey to Gretchen Wilson, who plays there Feb. 10.
best seat: Sections 112 and 113 are the most consistently solid. The outside edges of the floor also are proper.
worst seat: You want to avoid the upper reaches of any section starting with “2.” Depending on the layout of the stage, the first few rows of 206 and 219 can be perfectly fine seats. But when you’re way up top, closer to the arena roof than the actual act, the bounce-back is unavoidable.
food: No one expects you to get through that concert on fumes leftover from lunch. What you need is a hearty plate of wiener schnitzel and sauerkraut from Eidelweiss, 34 E. Ramona Ave., a landmark German restaurant in Colorado Springs. If you’re lucky, you’ll wander in on a night when they’re featuring live accordion music! How better to wind down after that Kenny Chesney show? If you are in more of a Latin mood, Amanda’s Fonda, 3625 W. Colorado Ave., offers some of the finest Mexican eats in the state. Regulars mix with drive-bys over bowls of green chile and bottles of beer. If it’s a nice day, grab a table on the patio outside and enjoy a plate of taquitos, available in beef, chicken, or potato.
parking: There’s plenty of parking ($5), but it’s a pain, given the arena lot’s proximity to I-25. Be prepared for a backup of traffic before showtime, and if you’re a local, find a different route to the arena.
restrooms: You feel it if it’s a sold-out show. Otherwise it’s a mostly harmless experience.
Getting intimate
The five best small rock clubs in Denver:
LARIMER LOUNGE
2721 Larimer St. A great rock room, and the owners are serious about renovation and making the space better. But the reason it’s No.1 is the booking. In February alone: Low, The Giraffes, She Wants Revenge, Early Man and Archer Prewitt.
HI-DIVE
7 S. Broadway A hipster haven where the national acts are getting bigger and bigger, partially with the help of the larger Nobody in Particular Presents. But local musicians have made this warm, chummy room a mainstay and a favorite.
WALNUT ROOM
3131 Walnut St.: This is without question the best small rock venue in town. Problem is, it’s the killer pizza spot more than it is the killer rock club. The calendar here is inconsistent with locals and nationals. The recent addition of Mark Sundermeier (ex-booking manager at the Soiled Dove) could mean it will be more consistent.
15TH ST. TAVERN
623 15th St.: It’s gone away, come back and who knows how long it will last. But even though the booking has gone downhill, it’s still a good, dirty rock club.
SKYLARK
140 S. Broadway: Not every scene has a raging rockabilly bar, so Denver is lucky to count the Skylark as our own. When it moved into its larger digs, we were worried it had lost its intimacy. Truth is, the ‘Lark is better than ever for live music with a bigger stage for playin’ and floor for dancin’.
-Ricardo Baca
