Instead of dropping cash on big tickets this summer, many of us will be divvying up our entertainment budgets, looking for a mix of deals that will keep the music playing for less.
A free show here. A bargain festival there. Maybe a $7 club show downtown or a trip to the mountains for a concert in the park.
When people are cutting their personal budgets across the board, it makes sense that the good times have to roll more cheaply. A budget that covered a $300 Rolling Stones concert ticket in 2007 is more likely to be spread out on a series of purchases.
The truth is, though, fans can hear plenty of music while spending less and summer can rock — even without Mick, Keith and the boys.
Here are a slew of top-notch options for concerts this summer — five in each price range: totally free, sanely priced and OMG-expensive. There’s a lot more music out there, so be sure to check our more comprehensive music map on Page 3E — and keep up with The Post’s Entertainment section on Fridays for show announcements and on-sale dates.
TOTALLY FREE CONCERTS
Sonnenblume: May 25, Bolder Boulder course, downtown Boulder. Talk about a big party. The Bolder Boulder drew more than 54,000 entrants in 2008, and organizers are expecting more this year. The race certainly keeps the runners entertained, with more than 30 acts along the 10-kilometer course. Catch the intense pop sounds of Sonnenblume at mile marker 5.5 at the Village Shopping Center — whether you’re running or not — and also don’t miss the Magic Mice, King for a Day, Meniskus and the many others. (bolderboulder.com)
The Penniless Tune: June 6, Ziggie’s Saloon, 4923 W. 38th Ave., Denver. There’s some fascinating progressive folk music coming out of Amarillo, Texas, and locals will get treated to some of it when the Penniless Tune stops into Ziggie’s in north Denver for a couple of shows on June 6 at 3 and 8 p.m. Our news for you: The 3 p.m. show is free. (ziggieslivemusic.com)
The Railbenders: June 24, Elway’s, 2500 E. First Ave., Cherry Creek. The fifth annual Live from Elway’s Backyard Summer Music Series already looks like a raging party, and local faves the Railbenders are getting things started with a June 24 show on the makeshift stage behind the fancy steakhouse. Word to the wise: Get there early, because the Railbenders know how to pack out a patio. (elways.com)
Spring Creek: July 15, America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive, Colorado Springs. As part of the Gettin’ Down Downtown Summer Concert Series, which takes over the park most Wednesdays in June through August, this show will make for a breezy evening under the stars. For a preview, check out the Lyons-based bluegrass band’s fine new CD, “Way Up on a Mountain.” Other performers in the series include Dakota Blonde and the Nostalgics. (getting )
The Avett Brothers: Aug. 19, Telluride Sunset Concert Series (Mountain Village); Aug. 20, Steamboat Springs Free Summer Concert Series (Howelsen Hill Amphitheatre). The Avett Brothers are one of the most innovative rock bands of their generation — and at the same time, the North Carolina four-piece is headlining bluegrass and folk festivals the world over. Before pay shows at the Boulder Theater and Denver’s Ogden Theatre, the brilliant group (which just recorded with super- producer Rick Rubin) will play these two free mountain-town shows. (resortqueststeamboat.com and , respectively)
SANELY PRICED CONCERTS
Flight of the Conchords: Saturday, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison. This New Zealand-born folk-comedy duo has been celebrated for its witty HBO show and its smartypants Sub Pop album. Iron & Wine supports the band at the Red Rocks date. ($34.50-$39.50, )
Green Day: Aug. 15, Pepsi Center, Denver. Cash-strapped parents gearing up for the Jonas Brothers (an $83.50 top ticket on June 24 at the Pepsi Center) are thankful that their older children’s heroes, Green Day, have much more reasonably priced concert tickets. ($21-$45.50, ticket )
Toby Keith: Aug. 21, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village. Toby Keith is one of country music’s biggest stars, as evidenced by this headlining gig at the largest outdoor amphitheater in the region. And his Ford F-Series sponsorship, which gets top billing next to his name on the ticket stub, keeps the tickets fairly priced. ($25-$60, )
The Killers: Sept. 9, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison. These Las Vegas boys are big enough to headline Coachella, and yet they keep their tickets around the $50 mark? The facial hair can be hideous, but this is a classy move. ($42.50-$52.50; )
Telluride Bluegrass Festival featuring Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Emmylou Harris and others: June 18-21, Telluride Town Park. All that dough — $185 — seems like a lot until you get to Telluride, where the pass buys you four days and four nights of some of the best pickers the world has to offer. This year’s lineup has something for indie-rock snobs, too, with the addition of Conor Oberst and Jenny Lewis. ($60-$185, )
OMG-EXPENSIVE CONCERTS
Leonard Cohen: June 2, Red Rocks, Morrison. I get it. Leonard Cohen hasn’t toured North America in, like, a billion years. (15 years, actually.) And so his Red Rocks date is monumental — not unlike memorable shows from Van Morrison and other famous recluses in past years. But still, $250 to get up close? ($49.50-$250, )
The B-52s: June 22, Denver Botanic Gardens. Admittedly this isn’t a crazily priced ticket — until you consider what you’re getting for your $80. The B-52s? Really? A tired ’80s band that’s already played Colorado twice in the last year? ($72.50-$77.50, )
Mile High Music Festival featuring Tool, the Fray, Widespread Panic and others: July 18-19, the fields surrounding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City. Sticker shock comes easy when the prices are this high. But fans of FM-friendly rock ‘n’ roll will find a lot in this lineup to smile about, and that certainly lessens the blow of a $193.50 (including fees) two-day festival pass. ($90-$162.50, )
Aerosmith: Aug. 1, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Greenwood Village. I get that hard-core fans will pay anything to see their favorite classic- rock outfit. Even in this economy. But it still takes a lot of guts to ask your fans to fork out more than $200 (including service charges) per ticket to see you play decades after your prime. What’s that, Aerosmith? ZZ Top is opening? Sorry, guys. Still not enough. ($35-$175)
Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick: Aug. 24, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Again, in no alternate universe does it make sense to pay more than $100 to see a hair-metal act best known for a 1987 single called “Pour Some Sugar on Me” — or a man most celebrated for a lowest-common- denominator reality TV show. ($25-$125, )
Contact Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
Club shows — talent at a reasonable price
Falling somewhere in between the free shows and the moderately priced concerts are the rock-club shows — the shows with $5 to $15 tickets that fans buy to support independent music and see emerging talent.
Here are 10 of this summer’s most exciting club shows:
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, tonight, Hi-Dive, $10 (hi-dive.com)
Mike Watt and the Missingmen, May 18, Larimer Lounge, $15 (bigmarkstickets.com)
Cloud Cult, May 19, Bluebird Theater, $13.50 (ticketmaster.com)
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, May 27, the Walnut Room, $11 (thewalnutroom.com)
Wovenhand, May 29, Swallow Hill Daniels Hall, $12-$14 (swallowhill.com)
Bocumast Records Showcase featuring Natural Selection, Revenge of Astrophagus, Wire Faces, Aenka, Iuengliss, BDRMPPL, Dormir, Hunter Dragon and others; June 6; Meadowlark; $6 (at the door)
Langhorne Slim and Samantha Crain, June 7, Hi-Dive, $10 (hi-dive.com)
The Chain Gang of 1974, June 18, Fox Theatre, $8-$12 (foxtheatre.com)
The ninth annual Denver Post Underground Music Showcase featuring more than 200 bands; July 23-26; Hi-Dive, 3 Kings, Skylark Lounge and 20 other South Broadway venues; $15-$25 (theums.com)
Vetiver, July 28, Bluebird Theater, $12.50 (ticketmaster.com)
Ricardo Baca
