Summer. The sun shines, Red Rocks awaits and any park bench has the power to become a stage.
Itap the season for BYO picnics at the Botanic Gardens and sun-drenched tailgates in the parking lot, singalong road trips to Telluride and warm community neighborhood festivals, adrenaline rushes in warehouse-district rock clubs and nights of friendship and laughter on the expansive lawn at Fiddler’s Green.
Summertime means memories yet to be made, Facebook pics and bands you’ve been waiting all year for. The story continues here, but this is where it turns into a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. Are you more into the folksy jam band scene or big pop shows? Are you hitting multiple music festivals this summer, or are you focusing on individual shows in your favorite genres?Whatap your pleasure?
Use our heavily curated lists (pop, rock, folk/jam, hip-hop, electronic, local, country and more) to help you navigate this summer’s already-crowded live-music landscape.
Rock concerts
What does rock ’n’ roll mean in 2013? It means everything from throwback acts (Soundgarden) to extreme-throwback acts (Fleetwood Mac), metal (Alice Cooper) to nu-metal (Rob Zombie), graduated indie artists (My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James) to pop-punk champs (Dropkick Murphys).
Our rock, shortlist for this summer:
May 9: Jim James, Cold Specks at the Ogden Theatre
May 9: Colleen Green, Cop Circles, the Matildas, Zebroids at Glob
May 16: Primus at the City Auditorium, Colorado Springs
May 18: Limp Bizkit at the Fillmore
May 28: Soundgarden at the 1stBank Center
May 28: Detroit Cobras at the Larimer Lounge
May 29: Dropkick Murphys, Old Man Markley, the Mahones at the Fillmore
June 1: Fleetwood Mac at the Pepsi Center
June 3: Marilyn Manson, Alice Cooper at Red Rocks
June 4: Alkaline Trio, Bayside, Off With Their Heads, Erin Cookman at the Exdo Event Center
June 5: Sting at Red Rocks
June 8: Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at Red Rocks
June 15: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, JJ Grey at Red Rocks
June 19: Parquet Courts at the Larimer Lounge
July 7: Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon at Fiddler’s Green
July 26: Hollywood Undead, Escape the Fate, All Hail the Yeti at the Fillmore Auditorium
Aug. 2: Rush at the Pepsi Center
Aug. 4: Steve Miller Band, the Doobie Brothers at Red Rocks
Aug. 20: Heart, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience at Fiddler’s Green
Aug. 20: BB King, Peter Frampton, Sonny Landreth at Red Rocks
Aug. 23-24: Dave Matthews Band, Snoop Dogg at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Aug. 28: George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Buddy Guy, Quinn Sullivan at Red Rocks
Sept. 17: The National, Local Natives at Red Rocks
TOP PICK
Nov. 13: Nine Inch Nails at the 1stBank Center. After a hiatus of multiple years, Trent Reznor is back with his first love, Nine Inch Nails. While Reznor’s other band, How to Destroy Angels, is still quite active, fans are thrilled to experience what a well-rested Reznor — and his technical crew, which includes one of the hottest lighting gangs in the world — will come up with.
Pop concerts
This summer is the best in recent memory for pop music fans in Denver. Local fans can see important reunions (the Postal Service), major stars in intimate rooms (Prince at the Ogden), noteworthy anniversaries (the 13th anniversary of the Dandy Warhols’ “13 Tales from Urban Bohemia”), big Denver debuts (One Direction) and more.
Our favorite pop shows of the summer:
May 7: Paramore, Kitten at the Fillmore
May 12-13: Prince at the Ogden Theatre
May 16: Imagine Dragons at Red Rocks
May 20: Vampire Weekend, Of Monsters and Men, HAIM at Red Rocks
May 20: Telekinesis, Deep Sea Diver, the Whicker and Pine at the Hi-Dive
May 30: The Postal Service at Red Rocks
June 2: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Alabama Shakes, Fly Golden Eagle at Red Rocks
June 11: Pitbull, Ke$ha at Fiddler’s Green
June 11: The Dandy Warhols, the Shivas at the Gothic Theatre
June 14: DeVotchKa with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra
June 14: Fitz & the Tantrums at the Gothic Theatre
June 23: Fall Out Boy at the Ogden Theatre (and Sept. 18 at the 1stBank Center)
July 13: David Byrne & St. Vincent at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield location
July 15: Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls, Kate Earl at Fiddler’s Green
July 16: New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men at the 1stBank Center
July 24: One Direction at the Pepsi Center
Aug. 5-6: Bruno Mars, Ellie Goulding at Red Rocks
Aug. 21-22: fun., Tegan & Sara at Red Rocks
Sept. 17: Muse at the Pepsi Center
Sept. 24: Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Rozzi Crane at Fiddler’s Green
TOP PICK
June 30: Justin Bieber at the Pepsi Center. Yes, that Maroon 5/Kelly Clarkson show has the potential to be the jam. But this is the Biebs, and the Biebs still owns the Internet — itap a fact — and thatap proof that the star is still making magic on every stage he sets foot on.
Folk concerts
Certain threads tie together jam bands, folk music and string bands — and nobody knows this better than Colorado music fans.
The year’s best folk, jam and string band shows:
April 30: Rodriguez, Jenny O. at the 1stBank Center
May 24: Dawes, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats at the Mishawaka Amphitheatre, Fort Collins
June 1-2: Joan Baez at Chautauqua (June 1) and the Arvada Center (June 2)
June 7-8: Umphrey’s McGee at Red Rocks (June 7) and Chautauqua (June 8)
June 27-30: Widespread Panic at Red Rocks
July 5-6: The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Portugal. The Man at Red Rocks
July 12: Railroad Earth, Galactic, Greensky Bluegrass at Red Rocks
July 26-27: String Cheese Incident at Red Rocks
July 28: Rodrigo y Gabriela with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Anders Osborne at Red Rocks
July 30: Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration featuring Warren Haynes with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at Red Rocks
Aug. 4-5: Indigo Girls, Von Grey at the Denver Botanic Gardens (Aug. 4) and Chautauqua (Aug. 5)
Aug. 10: Yonder Mountain String Band, the Devil Makes Three at Red Rocks
Aug. 30-Sept. 1: Phish at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
Hip-hop concerts
Today’s indie hip-hop acts just might be tomorrow’s mega-stars. Wiz Khalifa is one example: Just a few years ago he was playing clubs; this summer he’s headlining the region’s biggest venue, the 18,000-seat amphitheater Fiddler’s Green.
The summer’s best hip-hop shows:
May 6: Shabazz Palaces at the Larimer Lounge
May 10: Mobb Deep, Lkeys, Anxious at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom
May 14: Fabolous, Pusha T at the Ogden Theatre
May 18: Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Brotha Lynch Hung, CES CRU at the Summit Music Hall
June 13: Sole, Moodie Black at the Marquis Theatre
June 14: Geto Boys, Sp Double at the Summit Music Hall
June 22: Grieves, Prof at the Bluebird Theater
July 23: Wiz Khalifa at Fiddler’s Green
July 29: Cypress Hill, 311, G Love & Special Sauce at Red Rocks
Aug. 23: Lil Wayne at Fiddler’s Green
Electronic concerts
With the mainstream expansion of EDM (electronic dance music), the number of concerts at Red Rocks has broken records year after year. Just five years ago, these DJs, producers and bands couldn’t headline such venues, let alone multiple days. And it doesn’t stop.
Our favorite 10 EDM shows this summer:
April 28: James Blake at the Ogden Theatre
May 2: Crystal Castles, Pictureplane at the Gothic Theatre
May 17: Flux Pavilion, Excision, Zomboy at Red Rocks, Morrison
May 31-June 1: Bassnectar, A-Trak, DJ Shadow at Red Rocks
Aug. 1: HARD Red Rocks with Knife Party, Diplo, Disclosure at Red Rocks
Aug. 16-17: Pretty Lights at Red Rocks
Sept. 6-7: STS9 at Red Rocks
Sept. 9: Animal Collective, Dan Deacon at the Ogden Theatre
Sept. 13: Lotus at Red Rocks
Sept. 28: Big Gigantic at Red Rocks
Country concerts
Chesney. Swift. McGraw. Lambert. Paisley. Urban. Even Emmylou and a man who goes by the name Prine.
This summer’s biggest country shows include:
May 3: John Prine, Tim O’Brien at the Paramount Theatre
May 8-10: Zac Brown Band, Blackberry Smoke, Levi Lowrey at Red Rocks, Morrison
May 18: Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley, Randy Houser at Fiddler’s Green, Greenwood Village
May 26: Randy Rogers Band, Casey Donahew Band, Stoney Larue at Red Rocks
June 2: Taylor Swift at the Pepsi Center
June 6: Darius Rucker, Rodney Atkins, Jana Kramer at Red Rocks
June 15: Tim McGraw, Brantley Gilbert, Love and Theft at Fiddler’s Green
June 17-18: Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell at the Denver Botanic Gardens (June 17) and Chautauqua (June 18)
Aug. 1: Brad Paisley, Chris Young, Lee Brice at Fiddler’s Green
Aug. 3: Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Uncle Kracker at Fiddler’s Green
Aug. 30: Keith Urban, Little Big Town at Red Rocks
Sept. 21: Luke Bryan, Thompson Square, Florida Georgia Line at Fiddler’s Green
TOP PICK
June 20: Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Eli Young Band at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Yep, this is the summer’s true big-top gig — country hero Chesney playing the region’s biggest venue, putting him alongside Peyton Manning in his ability to bring in the fans. Chesney has the unique power to play a stadium show in 2013, and he’s only one of a few who dares try such a feat outside of New York and Los Angeles.
Local concerts
Denver’s still-thriving music community has more to offer than Churchill and the Lumineers. Here are 10 shows we’re looking forward to.
May 3: School Knights (CD release), Hindershot, Pacific Pride at the Larimer Lounge
May 3: Halden Wofford & the Hi-Beams at the Skylark Lounge
May 4: Vices I Admire (EP release), Attic Attack, the Symbols at the Moon Room
May 4: Flobots, the Wheelchair Sports Camp, Nathen Maxwell & the Original Bunny Gang at the Black Sheep
May 11: The Epilogues at Road 34
May 11: Nuns of Brixton, the Trade Ins at the Marquis Theatre
May 18: Known Pleasures, a Joy Division Tribute to benefit Mike Marchant, featuring Emerald Siam, Hindershot, Hearts in Space, Flashlights, the Royal, Violent Summer at the Hi-Dive
May 19: Monroe Monroe, Rachel & the Kings, Calder’s Revolvers at the Larimer Lounge
May 23: Lola Black at the Bluebird Theater
Aug 3: Carolyn’s Mother (reunion), Thief River at the Herman’s Hideaway
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and executive editor of , the co-founder of and an award-winning critic and editor at The Denver Post.
