String Cheese Incident performs the final night of its New Year’s 2014 run on Dec. 31, 2014. Photos by Candace Horgan, heyreverb.com.
If live music is your idea of a good time, Denver is your happy place this New Year’s Eve.
As always, jam bands and their fans from across the country will descend on the city’s major venues for String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee and Boombox. But there’s also a wealth of other niche shows to catch if you prefer a tidier time frame.
Below, we round-up some of our favorite concerts going down on New Year’s Eve 2015. We’ll keep updating the list as we hear of other shows, so drop us a note in the comments if we missed a no-brainer.
String Cheese Incident — 1stBank Center, Dec. 31-Jan. 2
Genre: Jam
With: The Del McCoury Band
Why: Rusticity. Homegrown rustic jam band teams up with legendary rustic bluegrass band; that pungent sting of moonshine in the air.
Tickets: $59.50-$180 via .
Devotchka — Bluebird Theater, Dec 31-Jan. 2
Genre: Alt-rock
With: Rubedo (Dec. 31), iZCALLi (Jan. 1) and The Yawpers (Jan. 2)
Why: Local favorites with a penchant for show-affirming surprises.
Tickets: $32.50-$35 via .
Boombox — The Ogden Theatre, Dec. 30-31
Genre: Jam funk
With: Ramona and Kirby K (Dec. 30) and Ryan Bauer (Dec. 31)
Why: Probably the best pure-dance party money can buy in Denver. There’s a reason the band this is the band’s second year straight at the Ogden Theatre on NYE.
Tickets: $27.50-$40 via .
Umphrey’s McGee — Fillmore Auditorium, Dec. 30-Jan. 2
Genre: Jam
Why: Entrancing prog noodling; from set to set.
Tickets: $37.50-$75 via .
The Chris Robinson Brotherhood — Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Dec. 30-31
Genre: Blues rock
Why: For guitar connoisseurs, you can’t do much better than this. Like an overcooked steak, this is blues rock done well and smoldering, served up with…A1? I guess that’s where the steak metaphors end.
Tickets: $20-$25 via .
Black Angels — Gothic Theatre, Dec. 30-31
Genre: Psych rock
With: Blue Rider, The Dirty Few
Why: If you find yourself fading fast as the clock rounds 11 p.m., these bruising psych rockers will give you the kick in the ass needed to power through.
Tickets: $25-$27 via .
The Knew — Larimer Lounge, Dec. 31
Genre: Rock
With: The Outfit, Rootbeer & Mermentau and DJ TK All Night
Why: At this point, Knew Year’s Eve is practically a Denver tradition. If you don’t know, now you know.
Tickets: $10-$20 via .
Rowdy Shadehouse — Lost Lake Lounge, Dec. 31
Genre: Funk
With: Colfax Speed Queen and Bot-Sould
Why: It’s a down and dirty dance party at one of the most intimate venues in Denver. Sparks will fly.
Tickets: $20-$30 via .
Slamabama — Grizzly Rose, Dec. 31
Genre: Country
With: A free midnight breakfast buffet, balloon drop and a champagne toast
Why: We don’t know who these guys are, but a honky-tonk New Year’s Eve just sounds right. And if all else fails you, the free breakfast buffet will not.
Tickets: $15 via .
