Critic’s pick
Something’s Phishy in Commerce City
Today-Sunday. In the absence of the Mile High Music Festival, which is on a “hiatus” after three difficult years, the folks at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park still wanted some music on the premises. So jam band Phish will take over the soccer stadium for three mammoth shows tonight, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $47.50 in the stands and $60 on the field, and don’t forget the $15 (cash only) for parking each day. (Three-day passes are still available for $142.50.) The dates will close out Phish’s summer tour, and it’s fair to say that Commerce City hasn’t seen anything until it’s hosted a three-day Phish stand — with on-site camping, to boot. Information: . Tickets: . Ricardo Baca
Family Fun
Sunrise, balloonrise for three days in Springs
Saturday-Monday. The sky above Colorado Springs will be especially colorful during the Colorado Balloon Classic. The 35th annual festival attracts hot-air balloon fanatics from all over the Rocky Mountain region for three days of fun. Each morning begins with a mass ascension of balloons, complete with live music and concessions. In the evening, the balloonists gather again for more food, music and a “BalloonGlo”: The balloons are inflated on the ground, with their colors illuminated in the darkness. 6-9:30 a.m. and 5-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 6-9:30 a.m. Monday. Memorial Community Park, 1605 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Colorado Springs. Admission is free.
Elitch’s summer season goes out with a bang
Sunday. Say a fond farewell to the summer schedule with a blast of fireworks at Elitch’s season-end fireworks display. The park promises “the biggest and brightest display in the park’s arsenal” for its final “IGNIGHT” show. This weekend also marks the end of Elitch’s summer season — from now through the park’s closing on Oct. 31, it’ll be open only on weekends (with a few exceptions). The water park is closed for the year after Monday, too. (Next up for fall: The Halloween-themed Fright Fest, beginning Oct. 1.) 9 p.m. Sunday. Elitch Gardens, 2000 Elitch Circle; 303-595-4FUN. Fireworks show included with park admission: $42.95 for adults 48 inches and taller; $29.99 for seniors and kids under 48 inches. Save money by buying online at .
Mount Evans high road closing for winter
Until Tuesday. Labor Day weekend marks the last chance to reach the peak of Mount Evans — the top portion of the road is scheduled to close in the early morning hours on Tuesday. The highest paved road in North America winds its way up to 14,230 feet above sea level, with lots of spectacular scenery along the way. After Tuesday morning, the uppermost portion of the drive, from Summit Lake to the actual summit, will be closed for the winter. The rest of the road, from Summit Lake down, will remain open until the first snowfall, or Oct. 1, whichever comes first. Admission is $10 per vehicle, with higher rates for vehicles with 13 or more passengers. Motorcycles, bicycles and hikers are $3. Call the Clear Creek Forest Service station at 303-567-3000 for details.
Eclectic music
Jazz Aspen Snowmass colors outside the lines
Today-Sunday. When was the last time the hot-with-the-kids mashup artist Girl Talk headlined a jazz festival? The man behind the beats, Gregg Gillis, tops the lineup tonight at the first night of Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ Labor Day Festival. The bill includes Paper Diamond, Thievery Corporation, Something Underground and Sorry for Partying. The annual late-summer outing will also have its mellow moments. Saturday, Steely Dan and Rodrigo y Gabriela (above) will serenade the stunning festival grounds in Snowmass. And Sunday’s lineup includes the Zac Brown Band, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Fitz and the Tantrums and others. Friday tickets are $60, and Saturday or Sunday passes are $85 — with a three- day pass putting you back $200. Information or tickets: . Ricardo Baca
Classical music
A well-tempered harpsichord in Boulder
Tuesday. Johann Sebastian Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier” is one of the baroque era’s greatest musical accomplishments. Harpsichordist Elizabeth Farr, a specialist in 17th- and 18th-century keyboard music, will perform 14 preludes and fugues from the collection. The concert, part of the Faculty Tuesday Series at the University of Colorado at Boulder, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Grusin Music Hall in CU’s Imig Music Building, 18th Street and Euclid Avenue, Boulder. Free. 303-492-8008 or . Kyle MacMillan
Art
Jessica Kreutter installations at Pirate
Today-Sept. 18. Jessica Kreutter, a Denver native who recently returned to her hometown after taking part in a series of juried exhibitions across the country, is showing small, fragmented installations at Pirate: Contemporary Art, 3655 Navajo St. The works, which explore loss, memory and transformation, combine porcelain sculpture and found objects. The show opens with a public reception from 6 to 10 p.m. today and runs through Sept. 18. On view concurrently are new photographs by Christine Buchsbaum, a fast-rising artist on the Denver scene. Free. 303-458-6058 or . Kyle MacMillan
A group of artists goes the collaborative route
Today. Artmaking is usually a solitary pursuit, but 14 artists on the faculty of the Art Students League of Denver are breaking from that practice. Each has teamed with one or two other artists to create a work that will be shown in “14 Collaborations,” which opens with a public reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the league, 200 Grant St. The show, curated by Jeff Wenzel and Michael Gadlin, runs through Oct. 19. Free. 303-778-6990 or . Kyle MacMillan
“Thrown” is fine catch to pair with DAM’s “Mud”
During the past few months in Denver, clay sculpture has been in the spotlight like never before.
In conjunction with “Marvelous Mud,” the Denver Art Museum’s massive ongoing celebration of the medium, galleries across the city have presented their own distinctive ceramic showcases.
Among the best of these smaller offerings is “Thrown, Slabbed, Fired & Trompe L’Oeil,” an evocatively titled exhibition at Goodwin/Fine Art, 1255 Delaware St.
Tina Goodwin, a well-known figure on the Denver art scene, recently opened this handsome space in the Golden Triangle, focusing on both regional and national artists and setting her sights admirably high.
This group show is a good example of her ambitions, mixing works by such well-known figures as Betty Woodman, a former Coloradan who was featured in a 2006 solo retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with area up-and- comers like Boulder artist Lindsay Pichaske.
Highlights include Pichaske’s Indian-influenced elephant sculpture, “The Pecking Order,” which is covered in meticulously applied sunflower seeds, and colorful Azerbaijan- influenced works by Karen Kobitz of Los Angeles.
“Thrown” runs through Sept. 10. Free. 303-573-1255 or . Kyle MacMillan
