Death Cab for Cutie gradually has sloughed off the “indie” portion of its “indie heartthrobs” tag since releasing “Plans” on Atlantic Records last year – the album moved 90,000 units in its first week and entered the U.S. charts at No.4. Not bad for an act that once eschewed mainstream interest for political reasons. Check out the band – driven by singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard’s smart, bittersweet melodies – when it visits the Fillmore Auditorium on Aug. 6. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($26, Ticketmaster)
Willie Nelson rose to mainstream fame in the mid-’70s, but he had been an accomplished songwriter and performer for two decades by then. Many associate him with outlaw country icons like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, but his gentle, bearded ways have led him through jazz, swing and even reggae in recent years. Tickets for his Sept. 3 Red Rocks Amphitheatre show with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($45, Ticketmaster)
AFI seems like elder statesmen of punk compared to most acts, having formed 15 years ago and weathered several pop-punk and emo popularity cycles. The hardcore band hits Denver twice in July. First AFI headlines the Fillmore Auditorium (July 11, with the Dillinger Escape Plan and Nightmare of You), then returns as part of the Warped Tour (July 23). Tickets for the July 11 Fillmore show go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($22, Ticketmaster)
The Allman Brothers Band may be a decade or two past its cultural sell-by date, but it still draws jam-band aficionados in huge numbers. Expect a crowd that’s equal parts Old Spice and patchouli when the Allmans play Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sept. 1 with Yonder Mountain String Band. Allman Brothers member Warren Haynes and his group Gov’t Mule will play Red Rocks the next night, also with Yonder Mountain, and a special acoustic set featuring Haynes and Gregg Allman. Tickets for both shows go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($37.50-$52, Ticketmaster)
– John Wenzel
