Post-grunge pioneersGoo Goo Dollsand thoughtful dance-rock duoKOLARSare our picks for the best shows around Denver this week. See you there, and if you don’t make it out, follow our music musings on and our selfies on . If you do, mind where .
Goo Goo Dolls
After the ebb of grunge in the mid-90s, theGooGooDollsmanaged to keep alive the emotional intensity of the Seattle rock scene with ballads that held appeal to an older, post-angst audience. Since their heyday in the early aughts, the 31-year-old band has had a tough run embracing middle age without giving up on the fountain of youth from which rock ‘n’ roll draws its vigor. TheGooGooDolls will work that balance onJuly 18atFiddlers Green Amphitheatrein Englewood, where they’ll be joined by American Idol winner and Millennial-magnet Phillip Phillips. Tickets are $25-$75 via.
KOLARS
The Los Angeles-based KOLARS (guitarist/vocalist Rob Kolar and percussionist Lauren Brown) has a knack for buffing your weathered perspective to a glinting sheen. (The world isn’t on fire; it’s glowing.) With a rousing 1980s rhythm, “One More Thrill,” the band’s calling-card single, considers whether the compromises of the work-a-day adult — namely, grinding it out to live comfortably — are worth putting your dreams on ice. The duo’s answer to that question plays out on tour, with glam shows punctuated by Brown’s unique rhythm set-up, which has her tap dancing atop a bass drum. Catch KOLARS withHot Apostles and futurebabes at the Larimer Lounge on July 15.Tickets are $5-$12 via .
