Today-Saturday.Hip-hop.Dante Terrell Smith — the poetic, impossibly suave actor-rapper better known as Mos Def — has never been one to hold back, so it makes sense that his current tour is dubbed “The Ecstatic Tour,” after his June album of the same name. In addition to Def, the North American lineup features Reflection Eternal (a.k.a. hip-hop powerhouses Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) and Jay Electronica. Today at the Gothic Theatre, 3263 S. Broadway in Englewood. $48. Saturday at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. in Boulder. $39.50. 8 p.m. both days. or . John Wenzel Still fab
Saturday.Tribute concert.The Beatles and Colorado aren’t usually mentioned in the same breath, but the Fab Four’s concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Aug. 26, 1964 — back when the venue was more of a park than a music venue — remains one of those performances whose legend has only grown over the years. To celebrate the show’s 45th anniversary, the appropriately named Beatles tribute act 1964 returns to Red Rocks to benefit KBDI-TV 12. Other than using a pesky time machine, this is your best chance to experience it. 8 p.m. $25. 800-745-3000 or . John Wenzel
FAMILY FUN
Coyote Day
Saturday. Animal attraction. Learn more about one of Colorado’s most populous predators, the coyote, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. The “Song Dogs” program takes participants on a hayride into the prairie. Listen for the howls of the local coyotes as you learn about the sneaky wild canine. 6-8 p.m. at Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, 5650 Havana St.; 303-289-0232. Reservations are required. Call 303-289-0930 to save a spot. Kathleen St. John
Being Boulder
Today and Saturday. City celebration. Show how much you “Love the Local” at the first-ever BoulderFest. A salute to hometown eating, drinking and merriment, the festival has live music from Colorado artists providing the soundtrack. While kids jam out to bands like Nacho Men, Big Bang! and Mohammed Alidu and the Bizung Family, grown-ups can sample beer from local breweries and wine from Colorado vineyards. There are also free film screenings, including a documentary about Boulder’s rock scene. 5-10 p.m. today, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. The 1300 block of Pearl Street, Boulder. Film screenings at The B.Side Lounge, 2017 13th St. Visit boulder . for information. Kathleen St. John
Loving the peach
Saturday. Fruit fest. Lafayette is going all sweet and juicy at the Lafayette Peach Festival. Lovers of the soft little fruit will be in heaven: Morton Orchards is bringing 30,000 pounds of fresh peaches to town. That means peach pies, peach cobblers, peach smoothies and just about anything else peachy. There’s also live entertainment for kids and adults, plus antique shopping, art activities, a farmers market and more. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. South Public Road between Kimbark and Cannon streets, Lafayette. Admission is free. Visit . for more information. Kathleen St. John
Movies and a nice break
Wednesday. Kid cinema. Parents who need a few hours off — maybe for a date? — can take a breather with Movie and a Milkshake at the Wildlife Experience. For three hours, kids tour the museum, eat dinner and settle in with a movie with museum staff. The next movie selection is “Bee Movie” — bee fans, take note. Future shows include “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Polar Express.” 5-8 p.m. The Wildlife Experience, 10035 S. Peoria St.; 720-488-3300. Admission is $15 for members, $18 for nonmembers. Registration is required by Monday. Call 720-488-3344 for more information and to register. Kathleen St. John
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Music with a new perspective
Today. Solo piano. The Asian Pacific Development Center is offering a recession-friendly way to enjoy classical music. The Colorado organization is sponsoring a recital tonight by Christopher Harding, who has performed extensively in Asia and completed a one-month residency at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in Chengdu, China, in 2008. The event, at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., will begin with a reception at 6 p.m., with hors d’oeuvres and musical entertainment by emerging Asian artists, and continue with the concert at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10, which includes the reception and concert. 303-365-2959, ext. 102, or . Kyle MacMillan
Aspen signs off singing
Sunday. Choral music. This year’s edition of Colorado’s biggest and best-known classical-music festival ends this weekend with a fitting send-off. The final concert of the Aspen Music Festival, set for 4 p.m. Sunday in the Benedict Music Tent, will feature Verdi’s towering Requiem Mass. Famed guest conductor Leonard Slatkin will lead the Aspen Festival Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Chorus and three soloists. $77. 970-925-9042 or aspen . Kyle MacMillan
COMEDY
New routine
Today-Saturday.Stand-up comedy.Like most successful stand-ups, Hollywood veteran Larry Miller is more known for his bit parts on screen than his stage work. But boy, does Miller have a lot of bits. The shiny-domed, thin-lipped comedian boasts memorable turns in everything from “Seinfeld” (in fact, he was originally considered for the George Costanza role), “Boston Legal” and “Desperate Housewives” to movies like “The Nutty Professor.” Miller brings his taut, personality-driven barbs to Comedy Works South at the Landmark today-Saturday. 5345 Landmark Place in Greenwood Village. 7:30 and 9:30 tonight; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. $25. 720-274-6800 or . John Wenzel
The Rouge: Denver’s next big thing?
The Rouge is hardly an unassuming band. Frontman Josh Vaught has looks that belong on MTV and a voice that is radio- and arena-ready. Everything about the Denver five-piece is stylish, from their hipster-tight T-shirts to their dance-floor-friendly rock ‘n’ roll songs.
And so it makes sense that, less than two years into playing together, the Rouge is already being courted by major labels. This is a band that has gone from opening weeknight shows to headlining Friday nights in less than a year.
The people have spoken, and they want their Rouge. The band’s all-ages appeal is obvious, with its sing-along lyrics and head- bobbing melodies. The band has also proved its worth among the older kids; the Rouge’s Hi-Dive set at last month’s Denver Post Underground Music Showcase had people abuzz throughout the four-day festival.
The boys have a unique brotherhood, and there’s a reminder of it on drummer Steve Voss’ iPhone: a picture of the band, arm-in- arm, huddled at the base of an empty Red Rocks Amphitheatre, crying. We talked with the guys from the Rouge — which plays Boulder’s Club 156 tonight and Denver’s Hi-Dive on Saturday — about their busy summer, their dreams and their unique living/ practice situation.
Q:You guys played Red Rocks a couple weeks ago in front of Film on the Rocks. Let’s hear the story.Vaught: We backed up into the loading area there, and we got out of the van. We thought we were so cool, but when we got out onto that stage, I looked up and saw the grandeur of Red Rocks and I started crying. Everybody followed suit.
Jack Egan: Everybody was there for “Jaws,” and the experience of seeing the movie at Red Rocks. We get that. But there was a line of kids at the little merch table when we were done playing, and it was great — hugging kids and signing autographs and acting like rock stars for an hour.
Vaught:Little did they know we work at Starbucks and Guitar Center.Q: And then you all were flown out to New York last week for a major-label showcase? Those can be awkward, but how did that feel for you guys?Vaught: It felt surreal. I’m a kid from a pretty small town in Missouri. . . . And then you get a call from somebody that says they want to fly you out to hear music that you’ve made. It was almost one of those things that was like, “Good one, man. Nice joke.”
Q:Now it’s waiting time. And it’s time to keep the right perspective, right?Egan: Yeah, right now it’s all about the mentality of keeping your head on straight, because nothing has happened yet.
Q:You have a tour coming up, and before the New York showcase you all were in L.A. cutting a video and playing some other shows for label folks. Life is good?Mike Griffith: You have to realize that this is more than just guys who get together and work hard at the practice space. We live our life together, in the same house, and I’ve been in other bands where it’s not like this. There’s something special about the brotherhood that exists here. It amplifies everything around it. It’s a deeper level of that emotional journey because you’re experiencing it with people that you truly love.
Q:Sometimes you hate the people you truly love.Vaught: There have been blow-ups and yelling matches. Not any fist-to-fist, yet.
Q:Word on the street says you guys rehearse more than most bands.
Egan: When we’re home, it’s four nights a week — maybe a fifth. Four hours a night.
Q: That’s a huge commitment.Egan: Our ex-girlfriends will totally agree with you.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
THE ROUGE.
Dance rock ‘n’ roll. The five-piece Denver band will kick off its tour and release its video with two shows this weekend.
Tonight: Club 156, Boulder: Free, with the Don’ts and Be Carefuls, and Josephine & the Mousepeople; program
Saturday: Hi-Dive, Denver: $8, with Sick of Sarah and the Autumn Film; hi-dive.com
