South Park Music Festival, PHOX and more make our list of best Colorado shows this week. We’ll be seeing you there, and if you don’t make it out, follow the music musings and our
Blues Traveler — Red Rocks, July 4
Itap not July 4 without Blues Traveler blasting harmonica throughout the monoliths at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This year marks the 21st time the band has celebrated independence at the legendary venue. Think of it this way, for 21 of our country’s 238 years, Blues Traveler has played a concert on July 4 at the Rocks. Thatap eight percent of America’s life. Or try thinking about it this way: There are people getting ready to graduate college who weren’t alive when Blues Traveler started the tradition. iPods didn’t exist! Anyway, if you’re both a true American and a true Coloradan, you should experience this show at least once. Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth and Uncle Kracker (who represent America in the late ‘90s in their own right) will open the show. ($38.50-$44.75, redrocksonline)
South Park Music Festival — July 3-5
In it’s first year, you have to give a lot of credit to South Park Music Festival. While the top billed acts are predictable of a weed-themed event, the lower acts are pretty impressive. You have Thundercat, Blackalicious, Dragondeer, Step Rockets and others. But what’s truly interesting about this festival, is that it’s one of the first events that calls itself a weed and music event. And if this is the first year, you can expect big things to come as it continues to grow.
PHOX — Hi-Dive, July 9
PHOX’s 2014 self-titled debut is more comfortable than your Sleep Number mattress. Wrapped in harmonies like a 12,000 thread-count blanket, draped with flute flourishes and fluttering guitar like memory foam, itap likely to appear in your next cult favorite indie movie. But it takes work to make something this accessible. In PHOX’s case it takes seven members from Baraboo, Wis. The band plays the Hi-Dive on July 9 with opener Trails and Ways. ($10-$12, hi-dive.com)
