It would be a fool’s errand to attempt to write about all of my favorite Colorado concertgoing and music-listening experiences from this year. There were simply too many.

In the four years that I’ve lived in Denver, I’ve found it to be a destination for highly esteemed folk rock, head-turning electronic music and artists finding inspiration at high altitude.

The experimental electronic shows at the Aztlan Theatre this year were the subject of a previous Staff Favorite of mine, as was “Gentle Worship,” an album by Denver composer Nathan Hall and percussion trio Perc Ens performed using stone instruments from the San Luis Valley.

Below are five other musical moments that gave me chills this year.

Autechre at Ogden Theatre (Oct. 1)

Fliers taped around the lobby of the Ogden Theatre the night of Autechre’s long-awaited return to Denver read:

“Autechre will perform in darkness. For their set all lights in the venue will be off. Please plan on being in one place for the performance and do not move unnecessarily until it has finished when the lights will come back on again.”

Quite the opening salvo for a content advisory that goes on seven more sentences and ends with “Thank you.” But to fans of the pivotal UK electronic duo, whose output since the 1990s has consistently pushed the boundaries of bass, techno and dance music, it was a promising sign. Things were about to get weird.

Indeed, they did. Barely visible from behind their on-stage equipment, the floating headphones of Autechre dropped a ceaseless, complicated, breathtaking assault on the senses. Industrial grind floated over shifting interlocking drum programming. Having played at Denver’s Bluebird Theater 10 years before, the bass-heavy performance felt like a homecoming.

Ethel Cain taps Midwife for EP

Naming her EP “Perverts” was a bold move for Ethel Cain, the Tallahassee-born singer-songwriter who had previously been known for her haunting folk and Americana. (Many publications named Cain’s “American Teenager” the best song of 2022.) The project veered toward her most experimental impulses, stretching to nearly 90 minutes of drones and eerie spoken word. Fleshing out its sound is Madeline Johnston, a guitarist and singer-songwriter from Denver who records delicate, reverb-soaked folk songs as Midwife. The EP’s closer “Amber Waves” features her strongest contributions, a track that unfurls Cain’s pained vocals and Johnston’s gentle guitar over 11 minutes and 32 seconds. Though Cain would return to her roots later that year with her most recent album (“Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You”), “Amber Waves” is a high-water mark for a ghostly, heart-wrenching sound Johnston has developed over a string of solo and collaborative releases.

Ben Gibbard at Red Rocks (May 14)

When alt-rockers Julien Baker and Torres pulled out of Rilo Kiley’s comeback tour this May, with Baker citing health struggles, none other than Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard filled in the opening slot. He and Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis are longtime studio and tour pals.

By himself on stage and slowly fingerpicking an acoustic guitar, Gibbard cooed hits such as the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” and Death Cab’s “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark” along with a song he wrote for The Monkees and a Julien Baker cover. His voice is an iconic one in indie rock, and that night it served as a sort of palate cleanser, bringing the crowd to appreciate the views and each other.

Paul McCartney at Coors Field (Oct. 11)

I thought my time to see a living Beatle had passed. Then came “Got Back,” Sir Paul McCartney’s U.S. tour with a stop at Coors Field. There were plenty of theatrics staged at center field, including McCartney performing a virtual duet with John Lennon at their seminal rooftop show. Some of it was clunky, like his on-stage choreography, but that did little to stop the masses from singing along to nearly every song. No matter how jaded you may be about pop music today, it was special and heartwarming to witness a full stadium of fans sing along to “Hey Jude.” That night, witnessed from the highest stadium chairs, it felt like the most popular song on Earth.

Rare Byrd$ at Manos Sagrados (Sept. 13)

Electronic music hardware is expensive. Computers, hard drives, drum machines, synths, effect pads, sequencers and a spaghetti bowl of cables; it all adds up, and the return in music sales may not surpass the amount put in. That’s why it was a breath of fresh air to see Denver hip-hop duo Rare Byrd$ turn the tables on its audience during a workshop for a music festival my wife put on this summer at Manos Sagrados, a new venue in Aurora. After giving a brief presentation on the capabilities of each instrument and how to mix them live into a song, they invited members of the audience to try their hands at making a beat. I hopped on a touch pad and tapped a drunken bassline. Then the person across from me added a synth arpeggio on top and another set up a hi-hat sequence using a drum machine. We were making the music that boomed over the speakers, talking to each other without saying anything at all.

“It is pretty inconvenient,” Ferguson, 22, said on a recent rainy evening, waiting for a nearly empty train that was eight minutes late.

He’s not complaining, however, because his relatively low income and Medicaid status qualify him for a discounted RTD monthly pass. That lets him save money for a car or an electric bicycle, he said, either of them offering a faster commute.

Then he would no longer have to ride RTD.

His plight reflects a core problem of lagging ridership that RTD directors increasingly run up against as they try to position the transit agency as the smartest way to navigate Denver. Most other U.S. public transit agencies, too, are grappling with a version of this problem.

In Colorado, state-government-driven efforts to concentrate the growing population in high-density, transit-oriented development around bus and train stations — a priority for legislators and Gov. Jared Polis — hinge on having a swift public system that residents ride.

But transit ridership has failed to rebound a year after RTD’s havoc in 2024, when agency managers disrupted service downtown for a $152 million rail reconstruction followed by a systemwide emergency maintenance blitz to smooth deteriorating tracks that led to trains crawling through 10-mph “slow zones.”

The latest show an overall decline this year, by at least 3.9%, with 40 million fewer riders per year compared with six years ago. And RTD executives’ newly proposed, for 2026 doesn’t include funds for boosting bus and train frequency to win back riders.

Frustrations intensified last week.

“What is the point of transit-oriented development if it is just development?” said state Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat representing Englewood who chairs the . “We need reliable transit to have transit-oriented development. We have cities that have invested significant resources into their transit-oriented communities. RTD is not holding up its end of the bargain.”

At a retreat this past summer, a majority of the RTD’s 15 elected board members agreed that boosting ridership is their top priority. Some who reviewed last week questioned the lack of spending on service improvements for riders.

“We’re not moving the needle. Ridership is not going up. It should be going up,” director Karen Benker said in an interview.

“Over the past few years, there’s been a tremendous amount of population growth. There are so many apartment complexes, so much new housing put up all over,” Benker said. “Transit has to be relied on. You just cannot keep building more roads. We’re going to have to find ways to get people to ride public transit.”

Commuting trends blamed

RTD Chief Executive and General Manager Debra Johnson, in emailed responses to questions from The Denver Post, emphasized that “RTD is not unique” among U.S. transit agencies struggling to regain ridership lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Johnson blamed societal shifts.

“Commuting trends have significantly changed over the last five years,” she said. “Return-to-work numbers in the Denver metro area, which accounted for a significant percentage of RTD’s ridership prior to March 2020, remain low as companies and businesses continue to provide flexible in-office schedules for their employees.”

In the future, RTD will be “changing its focus from primarily providing commuter services,” she said, toward “enhancing its bus and services and connections to high-volume events, activity centers, concerts and festivals.”

A recent found exceptional customer satisfaction.

But agency directors are looking for a more aggressive approach to reversing the decline in ridership. And some are mulling a radical restructuring of routes.

Funded mostly by taxpayers across a 2,345 square-mile area spanning eight counties and 40 municipalities — one of the biggest in the nation — RTD operates 10 rail lines covering 114 miles with 84 stations and 102 bus routes with 9,720 stops.

“We should start from scratch,” said RTD director Chris Nicholson, advocating an overhaul of the “geometry” of all bus routes to align transit better with metro Denver residents’ current mobility patterns.

The key will be increasing frequency.

“We should design the routes how we think would best serve people today, and then we could take that and modify it where absolutely necessary to avoid disruptive differences with our current route map,” he said.

Then, in 2030, directors should appeal to voters for increased funding to improve service — funds that would be substantially controlled by municipalties “to pick where they want the service to go,” he said.

Reversing the RTD ridership decline may take a couple of years, Nicholson said, comparing the decreases this year to customers shunning a restaurant. “If you’re a restaurant and you poison some guests accidentally, you’re gonna lose customers even after you fix the problem.”

The RTD ridership show an overall public transit ridership decrease by 5% when measured over the 12-month period from August 2024 through July 2025, the last month for which staffers have made numbers available, compared with the same period a year ago.

Bus ridership decreased by 2% and light rail by 18% over that period. In a typical month, RTD officials record around 5 million boardings — around 247,000 on weekdays.

The emergency maintenance blitz began in June 2024 when RTD officials revealed that inspectors had found widespread “rail burn” deterioration of tracks, compelling thousands of riders to seek other transportation.

The precautionary rail “slow zones” persisted for months as contractors worked on tracks, delaying and diverting trains, leaving transit-dependent workers in a lurch. RTD driver workforce shortages limited deployment of emergency bus shuttles.

This year, RTD ridership systemwide decreased by 3.9% when measured from January through July, compared with that period in 2024. The bus ridership this year has decreased by 2.4%.

On rail lines, the ridership on the relatively popular A Line that runs from downtown to was down by 9.7%. The E Line light rail that runs from downtown to the southeastern edge of metro Denver was down by 24%. Rail ridership on the W Line decreased by 18% and on R Line by 15%, show.

The annual RTD ridership has decreased by 38% since 2019, from 105.8 million to 65.2 million in 2024.

Light rail ‘sickness’ spreading

“The sickness on RTD light rail is spreading to other parts of the RTD system,” said James Flattum, a co-founder of the grassroots rider advocacy group, who also serves on the state’s . “We’re seeing permanent demand destruction as a consequence of having an unreliable system. This comes from a loss of trust in RTD to get you where you need to go.”

RTD officials have countered critics by pointing out that the light rail’s on-time performance recovered this year to 91% or better. Bus on-time performance still lagged at 83% in July, agency records show.

The officials also pointed to decreased security reports made using an RTD after deploying more police officers on buses and trains. The number of reported assaults has decreased — to four in September, compared with 16 in September 2024, records show.

Greater Denver Transit members acknowledged that safety has improved, but question the agency’s assertions based on app usage. “It may be true that the number of security calls went down,” Flattum said, “but maybe the people who otherwise would have made more safety calls are no longer riding RTD.”

RTD staffers developing the 2026 budget have focused on managing debt and maintaining operations spending at current levels. They’ve received forecasts that revenues from taxpayers will increase slightly. It’s unclear whether state and federal funds will be available.

Looking ahead, they’re also planning to take on $539 million of debt over the next five years to buy new diesel buses, instead of shifting to electric hybrid buses as planned for the future.

RTD directors and leaders of the , an environmental group, are opposing the rollback of RTD’s planned shift to the cleaner, quieter electric hybrid buses and taking on new debt for that purpose.

Colorado lawmakers will “push on a bunch of different fronts” to prioritize better service to boost ridership, Froelich said.

The legislature in recent years directed funds to help RTD provide free transit for riders under age 20. Buses and trains running at least every 15 minutes would improve both ridership and safety, she said, because more riders would discourage bad behavior and riders wouldn’t have to wait alone at night on often-empty platforms for up to an hour.

“We’re trying to do what we can to get people back onto the transit system,” Froelich said. “They do it in other places, and people here do ride the Bustang (intercity bus system). RTD just seems to lack the nimbleness required to meet the moment.”

Riders switch modes

Meanwhile, riders continue to abandon public transit when it doesn’t meet their needs.

For theater technician Chris Grossman, 35, ditching RTD led to a better quality of life. He had to move from the Virginia Village neighborhood he loved.

Back in 2016, Grossman sold his ailing blue 2003 VW Golf when he moved there in the belief that “RTD light rail was more or less reliable.” He rode nearly every day between the Colorado Station and downtown.

But trains became erratic as maintenance of walls along tracks caused delays. “It just got so bad. I was burning so much money on rideshares that I probably could have bought a car.” Shortly before RTD announced the “slow zones” last summer, he moved to an apartment closer to downtown on Capitol Hill.

He walks or rides scooters to work, faster than taking the bus, he said.

Similarly, Honor Morgan, 25, who came to Denver from the rural Midwest, “grateful for any public transit,” said she had to move from her place east of downtown to be closer to her workplace due to RTD transit trouble.

Buses were late, and one blew by her as she waited. She had to adjust her attire when riding her Colfax Avenue route to Union Station to manage harassment. She faced regular dramas of riders with substance-use problems erupting.

Morgan moved to an apartment near Union Station in March, allowing her to walk to work.

She still hoped to rely on RTD for concerts and nightlife, and to reach DIA for work-related flights at least once a month. But RTD social media posts have alerted her to enough delays on the A Line that she no longer trusts it, she said. To reduce her “anxiety” and minimize the risk of missing her flights, she shells out for rides — even though these often get stuck in traffic.

She and her boyfriend recently tried RTD again, riding a train to the 38th and Blake Station near the . They attended “an amazing concert” there, she said, and felt happy as they walked to the station to catch the train home.

A man on the platform collapsed backward, hitting his head. He was bleeding. She called 911. Her boyfriend and other riders gathered. She ran across the street to an apartment building and grabbed paper towels. RTD isn’t really to blame, but “I just wish they had a station platform attendant, or someone. I do not know head-injury first aid,” Morgan said.

The train they’d been waiting for came and went. An ambulance arrived. They got home late, the evening ruined, she said.

“His head cracked open. He had skin flaps hanging off his head. This was stuck in my head, at least for the rest of the night.”

There’s the mounting anticipation of seeing a favorite act, the time spent in front of the mirror inspecting outfits, the dreaded waiting in line to get into the venue, and the minutes standing between openers that seem to never end. And that’s all ����ڴǰ�����the headliner takes the stage.

As such, food shouldn’t go by the wayside, whether that’s before, during or after a show. These restaurants and dives, located in live music and entertainment across the Front Range, were recommended by friends and readers of The Denver Post, as well as avid concertgoers.

Bluebird Theater/Lost Lake Lounge

Both of these venues are on East Colfax Avenue, which is undergoing a three-year construction project, and restaurants in the area say they are struggling now more than ever. Atomic Cowboy (3237 E. Colfax Ave.) is the choice for many standing outside the Bluebird Theatre — and who would turn down a stand-up slice of pizza? In between that venue and Lost Lake Lounge is Tommy’s Thai (3410 E. Colfax Ave.), an airy family restaurant on the strip since 1988; Q House (3421 E. Colfax Ave.), an upscale Chinese restaurant; and Machete Tequila + Tacos (3570 E. Colfax Ave.), a Mexican restaurant dishing out more than a dozen types of tacos made with corn tortillas. Goosetown Tavern & Restaurant (3242 E. Colfax Ave.) is a cozy bar and grill as well as a music venue across the street from the Bluebird.

Boulder Theater/The Fox Theatre

Both The Fox Theatre and Boulder Theater are surrounded by places to get food. A popular and convenient option is Avanti Food & Beverage, a food hall currently home to an Italian deli, Mediterranean restaurant, pizza spot, ramen bar and more. Both venues are graced by having dumplings nearby: Zoe Ma Ma (919 Pearl St.) by the Boulder Theater and Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings (1125 13th St.) by the Fox. If you’re lucky, maybe you can grab a table at Pasta Jay’s (1001 Pearl St.) and order a pizza from the Pearl Street staple.

Fillmore Auditorium/The Ogden Theatre

Further west on East Colfax — but still in the path of the East Colfax BRT project — are two other stages drawing major talent to Denver. It’s not uncommon to see a line of teens and young adults before a show at either venue. Dependable handheld bites are across the street at Gyroz (880 E. Colfax Ave.), Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard (808 E. Colfax Ave.), Cheba Hut “Toasted” Subs (638 E. Colfax Ave.) and SliceWorks (700 E. Colfax Ave.). New to the neighborhood are Uptown Banh Mi & Pho (1201 E. Colfax Ave.) and Champagne Tiger (601 E. Colfax Ave.), which is keeping alive the former home of Tom’s Starlight.

Don’t want to cross Colfax? You’ll find vegan hotspot Watercourse Foods (837 E. 17th Ave.) a few blocks away, as well as bar and grill Park & Co (439 E. 17th Ave.), and Revival Denver Public House (630 E. 17th Ave.), a swanky restaurant serving rich comfort food like buffalo gumbo and shrimp and grits.

Gothic Theatre/Swallow Hill Music

Several restaurants along South Broadway approach the Gothic Theatre and Swallow Hill Music. Swallow Hill senior manager Barry Osborne recommends Mexican food restaurant El Tejado (2651 S. Broadway, Denver), Colore Italian Restaurant (2700 S. Broadway, Englewood), and brewery and pizzeria Brewability (3445 S. Broadway, Englewood).

If you crave some post-show breakfast food while your eardrums readjust, Denny’s (275 W. Hampden Ave., Englewood) is open 24 hours. Lastly, Moe’s Original BBQ (3295 S. Broadway, Englewood) is a familiar barbecue restaurant that also happens to be a venue and bowling alley.

Larimer Lounge/The Mission Ballroom

In the wide swath of former warehouses known as the River North Art District, there are more (and better) places to eat than what first meets the eye. Left Hand Brewing Co. (4180 Wynkoop St.) is next to the Mission Ballroom, as is a new Mexican food restaurant, Chubby Unicorn Cantina (4180 Wynkoop St.). Closer to Larimer Lounge are Redeemer Pizza (2705 Larimer St.) and Dio Mio (3264 Larimer St.), both from the Mamas & Papas Hospitality Group. If a food court is more your style, vendors at Denver Central Market (2669 Larimer St.) and Zeppelin Station (3501 Wazee St.) are open until at least 9 p.m.

Other Colorado venues

Venues tucked into the mountains, such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison and Mishawaka Amphitheatre in Bellvue, are near restaurants that have themselves become destinations, such as The Mishawaka (13714 Poudre Canyon Road, Bellvue) and The Fort (19192 CO-8, Morrison).

Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre is another large outdoor venue away from the city center, though still with restaurants like I.C. Brewhouse (6460 S. Syracuse Way, Centennial) and Carrera’s Tacos (7939 E. Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village) nearby to fuel up before a show.

And in a burgeoning sector of Colorado Springs, three music venues exist within a mile of each other: The Black Sheep, Vultures and the stage at What’s Left Records. Grab a po’ boy at Po’ Brothers (2101 E. Platte Ave., Colorado Springs), a Cuban tamal at Arelita Authentic Cuban Food (2306 E. Platte Ave., Colorado Springs) or traditional German food at Uwe’s German Restaurant (31 Iowa Ave., Colorado Springs).

Even with sold-out tickets and capacity crowds, the math just doesn’t make sense, said nonprofit producer Youth on Record, which has run the festival since 2022 with co-owner Two Parts.

“When you have a cultural legacy like The UMS, people deserve a ceremony of goodbye,” said Jami Duffy, executive director of Youth on Record, which owns a 30% stake in The UMS — as the South Broadway event has long been called.

“We didn’t want to rip something away from people, and then send a sheepish email in September about it,” she said. “We wanted to give them time to celebrate and remember.”

The 25th UMS, scheduled for Friday, July 25 though Sunday, July 27, at venues, clubs and shops along South Broadway in the Baker neighborhood, will feature more than 200 local and national independent acts from diverse backgrounds and genres. That includes All Them Witches, Flyna Boss, DeVotchKa, La Luz, El Ten Eleven, The Velveteers and dozens more.

The event has hosted more than 10,000 performances over the years and had millions of dollars of economic impact along its business corridor, Duffy said, while introducing countless thousands to local and national bands.

She noted the event is ending only “in its current form,” meaning she’s open to another organization restarting some version of it. However, The UMS’s $1.4 million budget is still too much for Youth on Record to sustain, given that the entire organization only has a $2.2 million budget for next year, Duffy said.

“We’re a small independent business, just like any of the ones on South Broadway,” Duffy said. “But the larger question is: how much of economic development in a neighborhood should be on the shoulders of a cultural festival? What’s the role of city and state subsidies? We don’t want to skimp on our mission of supporting up-and-coming artists. Mission costs money.”

With rising costs for security and public safety; artist fees (The UMS prides itself on its high artist pay, Duffy said); pricey permits and weather insurance due to climate change; and other newly urgent issues, it’s just not sustainable, she said. She pointed to a sharp drop in music festivals in the U.S. last year — — and noted that 40 or so festivals have been canceled just since the start of 2025.

Event organizers cited similar reasons as Duffy, such as newly high production costs, as well as safety and security concerns. But competition from single concerts, declining ticket sales, and other logistical challenges are weighing on events ranging from Bonnaroo, which was partly canceled this year, to Coachella and Burning Man, which both failed to sell out.

“We’ve poured our love, sweat, and tears into this festival. Year after year, giving it everything we’ve got,” said Casey Berry, co-owner of The UMS, in a statement. “The 25th Anniversary will be no different. No regrets, no pity parties — just a celebration for the ages!”

Duffy hopes that important conversations about music, sustainability and cultural support will continue at this year’s UMS, both during the festival and its , an industry- and artist-focused event taking place July 25-26. Denver’s music scene has always evolved alongside The UMS, she said, and she doesn’t want to slow anything down.

World-touring, Grammy-nominated act DeVotchKa, one of this year’s UMS headliners, played the second-ever UMS and benefited from Denver’s DIY, underground scene of the early 21st century — of which The UMS was exemplary, said singer Nick Urata.

“I love the full-circle feeling and symmetry of playing the early ones and now this final one,” he said. “We did a lot of slogging and dragging and got a lot of rejections in the early days, and I remember that feeling of playing The UMS and being super excited and super nervous at the same time. Like, ‘This is it! This is our make or break moment!’ ”

Former Denver Post reporter and critic John Moore with a quartet of bands at a one-day showcase at the Bluebird Theater. Denver Post pop-music critic and editor Ricardo Baca in 2006 grew it into a South by Southwest-style festival, where one wristband granted entry into multiple venues. (Full disclosure: I helped out that first year on South Broadway.)

“I sympathize because I can’t really know the full weight of economic issues it takes to pull off a fest of this size,” Moore said. “But I do know that we set up a domino and tipped it purely to raise the profile of local bands in Denver. When you think about all of the beautiful memories and performances that happened as a result of that one domino, it’s really overwhelming. I’m grateful to everybody who had anything to do with it.”

Over the years, The UMS evolved under different managers, with the event turning from a shoestring Denver Post production to a nonprofit event of the Denver Post Community Foundation, then a sole production of Two Parts (starting in 2018), and lately, a Youth on Record/Two Parts event.

Executive festival directors and managers such as Moore, Baca, Kendall Smith, Will Dupree and Two Parts have all left their stamp on The UMS, with Youth on Record in emphasizing artist care, sober and all-ages options, an accessibility guide, and other progressive features that are rare at most music events.

Like South by Southwest, The UMS also spun off unofficial day parties that helped birth major Denver acts such as Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats (Rateliff was a regular solo artist at the fest), while lending credibility to new faces and voices.

“I do think it’s been a perfect evolution, which leads you to go, ‘Well, then why isn’t it working?’ ” Duffy said. “But I also think that’s a sign of the times. The UMS had been able to outrun this tidal wave of music festivals closing everywhere else, until this year. But I 100% am proud of and stand by what we did with it.”

Visit for this year’s full lineup, venue list and tickets.

Denver’s most historic music venues are also some of its most impressive, ranging from the city-owned Red Rocks Amphitheatre to the gilded prosceniums of the Ogden and Paramount theaters.

The Bluebird Theater may not immediately spring to mind. It’s not that fancy, nor that big. But its history says reams about the Mile High City. The gorgeous, blue-neon sign jumps out from its perch at 3317 E. Colfax Ave., topping a marquee that’s always popping with headliners — a sign of mega-promoter AEG Presents’ nonstop bookings at the 500-capacity theater.

It’s a wonderful place to see a show, intimate yet big enough to feel like a much bigger venue when it’s packed with screaming fans. And yet, the Bluebird is an example of the scrappy, not-always-pretty evolution of Denver at a street level. It as a movie house called The Thompson, according to History Colorado, and immediately made for a handsome addition to East Colfax, the city’s longest east-west corridor. Its multihued brick accents and spires are still intact, however weathered, and one gets the sense standing in line for a show that countless thousands have done the exact thing on that exact spot.

It’s fulfilled many uses, of course, and the 1970s downturn saw the venue transform into a porn theater, which lasted until its temporary closing in 1987. Seven years later, Chris Swank and Evan Dechtman bought it and fixed it up — just in time for location scouts to nab it for 1995’s “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,” where Andy Garcia and Fairuza Balk shot scenes on the sidewalk out front.

Before the Hi-Dive, Larimer Lounge or any of Denver’s other top indie clubs replaced the 15th Street Tavern, Climax Lounge and much-missed gems, the Bluebird acted as a reliable mid-sized spot to catch local and touring acts before they got big (hint: it still is). Certainly, it’s good to get there early to stake out spots against the railing, or press against the wooden stage as you cram earplugs into your head.

Illenium and the Lumineers — both multiplatinum-selling, Denver-based acts — have namechecked it among their favorites to both play (when starting out) and see shows. The layers of stickers and bathroom graffiti, groaning wood structures, relatively narrow sides, and eclectic design touches give it an underdog feel despite frequently having some of the .

Fans will likely never forget seeing huge names there before they were big — Adele, Vampire Weekend, Billie Eilish, The White Stripes, Ed Sheeran. I won’t forget seeing my own favorite artists there (Guided by Voices, Tortoise, Beth Gibbons, Spoon, Low) not long after moving to Denver in 2000. I loved showing up after a few beers on the town and getting turned onto locals such as Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, DeVotchKa and Maraca 5-0, and their lacerating live shows. I met lifelong friends there after a freak-accident discussion made us realize we were all from Ohio. I interviewed bands such as the Shins and Pinback backstage when I ran an indie rock fanzine. And once or twice I’ve even climbed on stage there myself.

I can’t imagine a Colfax without the Bluebird, just as I’d rather not look in the mirror and see any missing teeth. The venue has watched over a particularly colorful stretch of the city through cultural up- and downturns, demolitions and new construction, and it’s found ways to come out on top every time. It’s a neon beacon, a sticky-floored altar of rock, and one of the best arguments for the decades-long continuity of Denver’s music scene I’ve yet heard.

Well, every artist does. But while multiplatinum-sellers such as The Lumineers (headlining Empower Field at Mile High on Aug. 2) and DJ-producer Illenium (who headlined Empower Field in 2023) have no shortage of stages, gear and entertainment at their disposal, being based in Denver means tapping local services.

We asked several artists — The Lumineers, Illenium, jazz pianist Annie Booth, hip hop’s Trev Rich, Denver trailblazer Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Grammy-nominated Yonder Mountain String Band and more — about their favorite places to work and play in the metro area.

Whether you’re taking notes on their career success or just want to see the city through their eyes, now you can eat, play and rock out like your favorites. (Answers have been edited for length and clarity — and to prevent too much repetition.)

The Lumineers

Venues: “Red Rocks would be the preferred venue to play,” said singer-guitarist Wesley Schultz, “but I also love the Bluebird Theater, which is probably my favorite to see shows. I used to go to a lot of shows at the Hi-Dive, and when I saw Dope Lemon at the Ogden Theatre a few months back, it reminded me of the great vibe and fond memories of playing it. Also the Boulder Theater — that’s where my wife and I got married.”

Restaurants: “Marigold in Lyons is run by one of my dear buddies, Theo Adley, who I went to high school with. And my phenomenal buddy Kelly (Whitaker) runs Wolf’s Tailor, and I love Annette Scratch to Table. Caroline (Glover) is amazing. As far as dives, it’s Satchel’s on 6th, where you feel like you’re at Cheers — just with food.”

Bars: “For best drinks, it’s the PS Lounge, Steuben’s and the Thin Man, because I used to live over by there.”

Gear: “I’ve always used Denver Folklore Center. When we moved here in 2009 (from New York) I brought in an old Nippon Yamaha, an FG-350 — they call them the poor man’s Martin — which needed a fix because the tuner wouldn’t tighten. The guy who worked there took out a toothpick and ground it into the back of the tuner and was able to get traction. He didn’t charge me. So I’ve got classical guitars, mostly acoustic, from them and always go there to get (instruments) fixed. I even got my son a little starter guitar there.”

Studios: “Colorado Sound Studios is an unassuming place and we’ve done some producing and writing there. Jeremiah (Frates) and I have recorded some last-minute stuff there when we couldn’t fly out to do it. They’ve got some amazing sound engineers.”

Worthy cause: “My wife, Brandy, runs the nonprofit. Typically every show we play we take a dollar off per ticket and donate it to charity, and a lot of bands are doing that. Right now they’re focusing on funding regenerative farming as well as kelp restoration along coastlines and farmland restoration.”

Illenium

Venues: “Red Rocks is one of my all-time favorites,” said producer-DJ Nick Miller, a.k.a. Illenium. “It����ap such an awesome setting that I don’t think can be beat. For a small venue, I’d say the Bluebird Theater. It was my first ‘big’ sellout in Denver and is such an intimate space that holds a special memory for me.

“Colorado has some amazing outdoor venues but I think a lot of people aren’t familiar with Mishawaka Amphitheatre up near Fort Collins,” he added. “It’s right alongside a river and just a super cool spot that combines music with nature. When I was just starting out, I played it a couple of times. I haven’t been back since 2018 but would love to do it again one day!”

Restaurants: “I love Guard and Grace, and Temaki Den or Sushi Den.”

Worthy causes: “I have been working a lot with . They provide free naloxone, test strips, and overdose response training and education to people. At almost every show of mine, we supply Narcan (and) teach fans how to use it in an emergency.

Annie Booth Trio

Venues: “Dazzle for its intimacy and Boettcher Concert Hall for (big shows),” said award-winning composer, arranger and jazz pianist Annie Booth. “I also love playing at Nocturne for its great energy, and I’ve always loved playing the Mercury Cafe, because I’ve been going there since I was 15.”

Restaurants: Cart Driver and Potager

Gear: I love Classic Pianos of Denver down on South Broadway. I bought my Yamaha U1, this gorgeous upright, there and I’ve been playing their (on-site) pianos at different venues for years and years.”

Studios: “It’s absolutely Mighty Fine Productions. I’ve made seven albums with tons of different projects over the past 10 years and they’ve all taken place at Mighty Fine. The owner, Colin Bricker, is truly a world-class engineer with people coming in from all over the world to make albums there.”

Worthy cause: “. I participated as a high schooler and it totally changed my life. I would not be making music at the level I am today if it weren’t for this nonprofit, which provides mentorship and connection for young people and adults who are interested in learning to play jazz. I’m a board member and donor and they’re really close to my heart.”

Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Venues: “Of course Red Rocks is the finest large venue in the land.  It would be my favorite to both see and perform shows,” said leader Todd Park Mohr. “The Mission Ballroom is exquisite. For small venues, I will always be partial to (the now-closed) Herman’s Hideaway and the Soiled Dove.”

Restaurant/bars: Potager and The Cruise Room, respectively.

Gear: “My go-to for shopping would be Wildwood Guitars. I also love the Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor in Arvada, especially for repairs.”

Worthy cause: “I like a lot and have done work for them throughout my career.”

DeVotchKa

Venues: “The Bluebird and the Gothic are still my two favorites,” said drummer and multi-instrumentalist Shawn King. “Can’t deny the mighty Mission (Ballroom) though — I was at the Smile and Thee Sacred Souls and both sounded perfect.”

Restaurants: “Pochito’s Tortilla Factory — pick up rice and beans and tortillas, and then go to Carniceria La Guadalajara and pick up something to grill.”

Gear: “My go-to fixer is Al Scholl, who works out of Mighty Fine Productions. He really cares about anything with strings. And Rupp’s Drums has always been helpful, never trying to push anything on you, just there to help your situation.”

Yonder Mountain String Band

Venues: “Probably the Fox (Theatre) or the Boulder Theater if I were to tally the numbers up, Red Rocks for large venues,” said guitarist Adam Aijala.

Restaurants: “You can’t go wrong with Sushi Den. I really love the food at the Gold Hill Inn … and Bagel Deli!”

Gear: “For repairs, I go to Woodsong’s Lutherie in Boulder. Those guys are awesome folks.”

Studios: “Yonder Mountain has recorded our last four records at Cinder Sound Studio with John McVey in Longmont.  For mastering, we work with David Glasser at Airshow Mastering.  Some of the best dudes in the business.”

Worthy cause: “. They put on concerts and festivals and the proceeds provide things like musical instruments and art supplies for Colorado schools.”

Trev Rich

Venues: “My favorite venue big would have to be Red Rocks and smaller would be Gothic,” said the Grammy-nominated rapper, songwriter and producer Trev Rich. “That’s where I had my first headline and (sell-out) so that will always be my favorite.”

Restaurant: “That’s a tough one but right now Nola Jane has a hold on me.”

Studios: “For rehearsal, it’s RocketSpace and recording it’s DreamSpace Studios. Every now and then Side 3.”

Worthy cause: and both do really good things in the city, especially when it comes to the kids from the neighborhoods we come from — but open to all kids for sure.

bellhoss

Venues: “The Hi-Dive. It feels like home, and (my husband) and I finally live within walking distance,” said singer-songwriter and guitarist Becky Otárola. (Full disclosure: Her husband is Denver Post restaurant/food reporter Miguel Otárola.) “It feels really cozy, and really cool, like some of the venues that I grew up around in L.A.”

Restaurants: Ohana Island Kitchen

Bars: “If I want to be fancy and have a nice drink, it’s Hudson Hill.”

Worthy cause: and

White, one half of the former garage-rock duo The White Stripes, will headline the River North Art District’s Mission Ballroom on May 8 and 9, 2025. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday, Nov. 22, via , which also offers links to various artist pre-sales. Tickets are $79.50 and the show is ages 16-and-up.

White surprised fans at East Colfax Avenue’s historic , and is no stranger to pop-up shows in the city. In 2008 he appeared with his band for a “secret” show at a service station in Lakewood — a mere six hours before his sold-out Red Rocks Amphitheatre concert.

Service station owner Manuel Bonilla at the time told The Denver Post that members of White’s crew had stopped in Isdajo Automotive two hours earlier asking permission to put on the show.

“They told me it was going to be a band,” Bonilla said. “They didn’t mention any names.”

White is promoting his Aug. 2 album “No Name.”

Passes for the concert, with opener Acid Mothers Temple, are on sale at 1 p.m. today via . Prices were not listed, but a note at the bottom of the Bluebird Theater page mentions that $25 student tickets are available. The concert is Tuesday, Oct. 8

All purchasers, however, must register at Laylo to receive a code. Laylo is a direct-to-fans site that allows artist to “drop” concert tickets, merchandise and music outside of typical ticketing routes. All purchases are limited to two tickets per transaction, and all tickets will be will-call only with matching ID (i.e. the person who purchases must pick up and attend), according to the Bluebird.

On Friday, the White Stripes co-founder played a surprise set at San Francisco’s 470-capacity Great American Music Hall, according to SF Gate.

But their owners, and the leader of the — a nine-block stretch of properties along Colfax between St. Paul Street and Colorado Boulevard — say the timing is coincidental ahead of a major construction project on East Colfax expected to start this month.

“It’s not because sales are hurting,” said Steve Ballas, the 70-year-old owner and founder of Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, which will close later this month (the 10-year-old location at Denver International Airport will remain open.)

“I’ve been here almost 20 years and I’m not as fast as I used to be. My wife has health issues and it’s time to retire,” said Ballas, who formerly ran Corporate Deli downtown.

“Closing is a personal choice, not business,” said Lucien Reichart, who opened Fox Run Cafe in March 2020 and managed to survive through the COVID pandemic. He’ll close his breakfast- and lunch-centered business on Oct. 21.

“But when people are like, ‘Your business is great; how could you possibly close?,’ I remind them that Denver has some of the highest food costs in the country because we’re essentially an island,” he said. “I’m seriously pro-worker, but at the end of the day you have a crazy high minimum wage and the city is not doing much to support small businesses.”

Reichart pointed to independent businesses such as Mutiny Information Cafe and Fancy Tiger Crafts, which have recently moved from South Broadway’s Baker neighborhood to Englewood, where they were “welcomed with open arms.”

“I hope Denver can continue to support independently run businesses, especially restaurants, and not these big McGregor Squares and Cherry Creek Norths where it’s $70 per square foot and you’re getting a concept from New York City or Austin,” he said.

Like Charlie Puma, the owner of longtime pizza restaurant Enzo’s End, Reichart and Ballas told The Denver Post that while they were mostly closing for personal reasons, they were wary of upcoming sidewalk closures as part of the $300 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The construction will disrupt traffic as it adds dedicated bus lines in the middle of Colfax, new bus stops, and other features designed to increase capacity and ease congestion along the corridor, officials have said.

Construction on the East Colfax Avenue portion of the BRT, which has been compared to a light rail-like service, is starting this month between Broadway and Williams Street before moving east to the intersections at Monroe (in the Bluebird District), Niagara and Yosemite streets, .

“The start of the Colfax BRT project was probably the last straw,” Puma told The Denver Post before Enzo’s June 30 closure. “I’m thinking that three years of construction, parking limitations, access issues, brutal traffic, and finally a BRT station right in front of the shop is not to my liking.”

District officials are hopeful, however, that they can limit disruptions and preserve pedestrian access along a stretch that’s home to the Lost Lake lounge, Mezcal, Goosetown Tavern, Tommy’s Thai, Bastien’s, PS Lounge, Spice Room, Atomic Cowboy and Denver Biscuit Company, the Bluebird Theater and many other well-known businesses.

“Believe me, it’s a bummer to see these (recent closures),” said Sean Mandel, president of the Bluebird Business Improvement District, and the owner of the properties being leased by Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs and Fox Run Cafe. “But I’ve talked to them and know it wasn’t because business was hurting. It’s just coincidental that they’re all three closing this year. We’ve had very little turnover in general in the district.”

Mandel also said the upcoming BRT project is complicated and its effects won’t immediately be known. But there is reason to be optimistic about the changes, he said.

“I would be naive not to have some concerns. There will be disruptions, and we’re not sure how much yet,” he said. “But we know the city is working to minimize those. And neither Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs nor Fox Ruin will be empty for long, as there’s lots of interest. But we can’t quite talk about that yet.”

Denver developer Nathan Beal bought the shuttered La Vista Motel with the idea of reviving the business, which was built in 1956. He plans to restore the motel and add a cocktail bar and coffee shop.

The goal is to finish La Vista’s transformation by the spring of 2025 and open it by June. The two-level building is blocked off by a fence, its faded red exterior barely visible and its windows and doors boarded up.

Postcards from the 1950s and ’60s that Beal found show a brightly colored building with a row of flags flying and cars in the parking lot. In later years, La Vista was among rundown motels along East Colfax that provided temporary lodging for people but also became hot spots for crime.

“When I bought the motel, the city had shut it down because of safety concerns. It sounded like rampant drug use and crime,” Beal said.

from 2018 was by a lodger who said he returned to his room at night to find a stranger running out of it. A man two doors down offered him shelter in return for buying drugs from him. A visitor in 2017 wrote about a bug-infested bed.

Beal bought the motel in 2022 for about $2.8 million. He figures the renovation will cost around $4.3 million. He is working with the architecture firm , branding experts at and with on design and finishes.

La Vista is the first hospitality project Beal has worked on, but his other developments have included adapting old buildings to new uses. His recent projects include turning a historic grocery store in Denver into a small apartment building with commercial space on the ground floor.

“I like getting into the old buildings and trying to figure out how to put them back together, make them work a little bit better and bring them back their original glory,” Beal said.

He was drawn to the La Vista Motel at 5500 E. Colfax Ave because of its proximity to downtown and such nearby attractions as the Bluebird Theater, which opened in 1914 as a movie house and is now a well-known music hall.

“I hope La Vista will be a nice motel for people to use when coming to see concerts in Denver or visiting friends and family in the neighborhood,” Beal said.

runs east/west and is one of the Denver area’s major thoroughfares. At about 27 miles, it is considered to be the longest continuous commercial street in the country.

Once home to some of Denver’s more upper-income homes, Colfax has evolved through the years. and features popular restaurants and bars, well-known dives, used car lots, fast-food spots, music venues, abandoned buildings and a diversity of neighborhoods.

“I’ve always been interested in Colfax because it does seem to be a little bit of an anomaly in Denver,” Beal said. “Colfax is oftentimes the rough side of the neighborhood, but on either side of it it����ap really nice. I feel like there’s some opportunity to do something nice on Colfax.”

Ryan Goold with SopherSparn said he’s excited about an opportunity to reinvigorate an old building “and provide a sort of catalyst and nexus for the neighborhood.” The design will evoke mid-20th-century America mixed with modern touches.

The original plan was to convert the motel into apartments.

“But we found it quite challenging once we got into the city permitting process with the change of use,” Beal said. “The things they asked us to do just made it not feasible.”

Beal believes keeping La Vista as a motel will help draw people and visitors to local businesses in the neighborhood. The motel will have 23 rooms, two of which will be suites.

And the vintage neon sign, which is missing most of its letters, will be restored. Beal said the sign’s script will be used in the motel’s branding and other features of the building.

“We’ll still try to offer it at more of a budget-friendly price,” Beal said.

The motel operator will set the prices, but Beal said initial projections put the cost of an overnight stay from about $150 to $185 for the larger rooms.