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Elton John’s activism has rarely threatened to overtake his music, as the piano-pop legend has found a balance between his musical creativity and political conscience. His April 12 concert at the relatively intimate Wells Fargo Theatre at the Colorado Convention Center will benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which was formed by Dennis and Judy Shepard after their 21-year-old son was murdered in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in 1998. Tickets for the “Greatest Hits Live” set are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Visit matthewshep for more on the foundation. ($49-$149, Ticketmaster)

Tim McGraw joins fellow pop-country stars Sugarland and Rascal Flatts in announcing late-summer shows at Greenwood Village’s Comfort Dental Amphitheatre this year. McGraw will stop by the venue on Aug. 5 with Luke Bryan and the Band Perry, while Sugarland hits Aug. 19 with Sara Bareilles. Rascal Flatts headlines on Sept. 10 with Sara Evans and Justin Moore. A “Country Megaticket” for all three shows is on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday ($99-$299, Ticketmaster). Individual tickets will be available in the coming weeks.

System of a Down also announced a date at Comfort Dental this week, with similarly weird, adventurous openers Gogol Bordello. The complex, Grammy-winning metal band has just the right mix of bravado and talent to fill that normally cavernous venue. Tickets for the May 18 show are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($24-$74, Ticketmaster)

Josh Groban has an awfully sophisticated sense of humor for someone so closely associated with the stuffy world of pop-classical music. The 30-year-old vocal phenom poked fun at himself on Adult Swim’s hip, surreal “Tim and Eric Awesome Show” and has popped up in the credits to animated series such as “The Simpsons” and “American Dad!” among other TV appearances. Tickets for the Aug. 12 Pepsi Center stop of his “Straight to You” tour are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($75-$95, TicketHorse)

Ray LaMontagne returns to Colorado for a June 17 show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, with openers Brandi Carlile and the Secret Sisters. Tickets for the singer-songwriter-soaked lineup are on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($37.75-$59.75, Ticketmaster)

Loretta Lynne was an elder stateswoman on select dates of last year’s ill-fated Lilith Tour, but she’ll return for a solo show on May 10 at the Paramount Theatre, with opener Chuck Mead. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($35-$75, TicketHorse)

Duran Duran would have likely sold out Red Rocks in its heyday, but the aging (though still entertaining) British pop/new wave band remains big enough to justify a stop at the Ogden Theatre on its latest tour — named after its new album, “All You Need Is Now.” Tickets for the April 20 concert are on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($49.50, Ticketmaster)