Today’s hangover is yesterday’s news. What’s important now? Getting the right tickets to the shows that will define 2010 in Colorado.
Area promoters have been busy securing dates for some of the biggest names in the world, from U2 to Jay-Z. And that’s not all. In March we’ll see the opening of the Odeum, the midsized suburban arena formerly known as the Broomfield Event Center and a room that will likely prove to be a major player in the market.
This summer, we’ll also see the return of the Mile High Music Festival, Colorado’s largest music event of the year.
Here are 10 dates deserving of space on your calendar this year:
Elton John and Billy Joel, Feb. 22, Pepsi Center: Two of the world’s most famous piano men are coming back, and this rescheduled date (after their Nov. 22 cancellation at the same venue) is sure to draw a diverse crowd. John’s music is full of pop culture touchstones and Broadway standards, and Joel has given us piano bar jams and FM hits alike. ($49.50-$175, TicketHorse)
Furthur, March 5-6, Odeum: Long live the Grateful Dead? Oh, it’s living long all right. The Dead’s Phil Lesh and Bob Weir front Furthur with the backing of John Kadlecik (Dark Star Orchestra), Joe Russo (the Duo) and Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane of Weir’s other band, RatDog. Furthur will break in the renovated Odeum, and it should be a heck of a housewarming party. ($49.75-$55, TicketHorse)
Bon Jovi, March 8, Pepsi Center: Has there ever been a bigger, more impassioned singalong than a Bon Jovi concert? We think not. The band’s latest, “The Circle,” debuted at No. 1 in November, and its still-hot single, “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” is an upbeat, Mellancamp-esque roots-rocker ready for mass singalong. ($25.50-$151, TicketHorse)
Jay-Z, March 22, Pepsi Center: Jay-Z is unhappy with pop music — so frustrated that he rattles off this in his recent hit, “D.O.A. (Death of AutoTune):” “I know we facin’ a recession/ But the music ‘yall makin’ gon’ make it the Great Depression.” The multiplatinum MC remains at the top of hip-hop’s elite, and he’s also got the business skills to pay the bills. ($35.50-$196.50)
Black Eyed Peas, March 27, Pepsi Center: In 2009, the Peas finally realized their strength as a pop group — and not a hip-hop collective. And with that revelation came “I Gotta Feeling,” one of the most infectious pop tracks of the past couple years. These stars — including frontman/lead producer will.i.am — made some of the biggest songs of the ’00s. Now we’ll see what they do in 2010 and beyond. (Prices TBA, TicketHorse)
Michael Bublé, March 30, Pepsi Center: Sinatra fans are split down the middle on the Bublé train. Some think him a cheap copy. Others see that youthful swagger and hear that confident, if still pillowy, vocal in Bublé. And it’s that appeal that allows Bublé to tour through massive basketball arenas with a show that is basically a cross between pop music and big-band jams. ($49.50-$89.50, TicketHorse)
Muse, April 6, Odeum: Now with Oasis out of the picture, what English rock bands are taking that torch and running with it? Muse is certainly among the pack, even though its approach to rock ‘n’ roll is decidedly more electronic than that of Oasis. With the recent “The Resistance,” complete with the ubiquitous single “Uprising,” heard on “Saturday Night Live” two weeks ago, Muse is indeed poised to become one of the biggest British exports. This show’s bonus: L.A. heroes Silversun Pickups are opening the date, their first Colorado show since releasing “Swoon.” ($39.50-$49.50, TicketHorse)
Taylor Swift, April 6-7, Pepsi Center: Not that nice-girl Swift needed revenge on Kanye West, who famously interrupted her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2009, but it still has to feel good to be Swift and headlining two nights at Denver’s cavernous arena — right after West canceled a single date at the same venue. In many ways, Swift was one of the biggest stars of 2009. And the country crossover (who just turned 20 in December) was also one of the year’s most refreshing, class acts, as well. ($29-$59.50,
TicketHorse)
U2, June 12, Invesco Field at Mile High: This U2 date will be the biggest single concert of the year in Colorado, and yet it’s more than that. Any time a band is bold enough to take on a football stadium that seats more than 70,000 fans, the concert becomes an actual event. Touring behind “No Line on the Horizon,” the Irish rock outfit will surely bring the production and strut needed to fill the space. ($33-$253, Ticketmaster)
Mile High Music Festival, July/August dates TBA, the fields surrounding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park: Promoter AEG Live has yet to announce dates or bands for its third annual Mile High Music Festival, but we do know it’ll touch down in Commerce City in July or August with enough talent to fill its massive, four-to-five-stage complex. Previous headliners include Tool, the Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty, and the Fray, and if early scuttlebutt is to be believed, 2009 could be a banner year for the European-styled festival. (prices TBA, TicketHorse)
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394
