Dane Cook’s “charm” has so far failed to translate to box-office success, his past few silver-screen turns (“Good Luck Chuck,” “Employee of the Month”) yielding more groans and yawns than praise. But Cook, first and foremost a stand-up comedian, should be given credit for his fast-paced, frequently absurdist humor – even if he’s sometimes as far from original as one can get. Tickets for Cook’s Dec. 8 show at the Wells Fargo Theatre are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. ($32-$102, Ticketmaster)
Blue Man Group seems incapable of slowing down, revisiting Denver just a few months after opening its exhibit at the Children’s Museum. The percussive performance-art trio – backed by an eight-piece band – will play the Pepsi Center on Nov. 25 on its “How to be a Megastar 2.1” tour. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($49.50-$85, Ticketmaster)
Tool quickly sold out its Buell Theatre show in spring 2006, which led shut-out fans to rejoice when the band announced a September show at the much-larger Coors Amphitheatre that year. The influential art-metal act likely will have no problem filling the even more cavernous Pepsi Center when it plays there Nov. 21. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($42.50-$55, Ticketmaster)
Aimee Mann returns to the Boulder Theater on Dec. 8 for the second installment of her popular annual Christmas Show. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 ($26-$34,
).
Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God are veteran road buddies of MTV2’s “Headbanger’s Ball” tour and major players in the nu-metal world. The bands will co-headline the Fillmore Auditorium with DevilDriver and Soilwork on Dec. 12. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($34-$38, Ticketmaster)
The Lemonheads sounded surprisingly vital during the band’s last Denver stop, singer Evan Dando hitting all the high notes and peppering his set list with classics from “It’s a Shame About Ray.” It’s welcome news that the alt-pop godfathers will return Dec. 7 with a Gothic
Theatre show. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m.
Saturday. ($18, Ticketmaster)
“Dead Man Walking,” a book that most remember as the Oscar-winning film starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn, will see life as an opera at CU-Boulder’s Macky Auditorium Oct. 26-28. A panel discussion featuring Sister Helen Prejean, the book’s author, and others will take place Oct. 26 at Grusin Music Hall at the College of Music on campus. Tickets are on sale now. ($20-$35, )
Pink Floyd’s Laser Spectacular is more than a cheesy show for stoners at the local planetarium, set to the music of everyone’s favorite U.K. psych-rockers. The grand environs of the Paramount Theatre will host the Jan. 18 show, supposedly the longest-running, most advanced laser show around. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($25, TicketHorse)
