The great thing about concert season in Colorado is that there is no shortage of diverse musical acts playing on any given night. No matter your speed or taste in music, you’re bound to find something that you enjoy, whether it’s a folk show at the intimate Lost Lake Lounge, a sold-out mainstream act at the renowned Red Rocks Amphitheatre, or a full-fledged party at The Marquis Theater. With countless venues scattered all over the state, from big to small, DIY to the Pepsi Center, there’s a little bit of something for everybody.
This month, that diversity is better than ever. Music lovers can kick off the month with a good old punk rock show at The Marquis with Frank Iero and the Patience, or if you prefer something a little more pop-punk, you can catch Real Friends playing with Tiny Moving Parts and Have Mercy just down the street. Looking for something new and fun? Catch Metalachi at the same venue a few days later. Or if you want to be part of something on the larger scale, catch one of The 1975’s headlining shows at The Fillmore! If Boulder is more your speed, there are some great local shows as well as national acts hitting The Fox this month.
When we say there’s a little bit of everything, we mean it! Who are you excited to see in May? Who should we check out? Let us know in the comments!
5/4 – Frank Iero and the Patience @ The Marquis Theater
This week’s show at The Marquis marks the first Denver show for Frank Iero and the Patience since the release of their new album, Parachutes. Following the band’s life-threatening accident in Australia last year, they were forced to cancel all upcoming tour dates, one of which being a Denver stop back in November. If you caught Frank and the band back at Riot Fest last summer, you’ll know why you need to see this show, and if you didn’t, it’s the perfect chance to do so. We recently caught up with him to chat about the new album, which coincidentally ties in with the band’s experiences last year. Read what he had to say here.
5/4 – Real Friends @ Summit Music Hall
If you’re searching for a killer pop-punk show to fill the void that New Found Glory left after three nights in a row in Denver last month, then look no further. Real Friends will be headlining Summit Music Hall and are bringing with them Tiny Moving Parts, Have Mercy, Broadside and nothing, nowhere. Nearly every band on the bill is touring in support of new material – Have Mercy most recently released their emotional new record, Make The Best Of It – and promise to put on a great show.
5/5 – Dada Life @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Dada Life at Red Rocks is less of a concert and more of an otherworldly experience. Last year, the Swedish duo brought dinosaurs, countless inflatable bananas and a ridiculous amount of champagne to Red Rocks for a non-stop dance party, and this year promises to only up the ante.
“We wanted to expand and evolve the Dada Land Compound show,” says DADA LIFE. “This time we wanted to focus on bringing the experience into the crowd. There’s going to be lots of new activities in and around the venue–and not just during our set–but from doors opening until the very end. Some things will be easy to find, other’s will be harder. We’re also looking forward to playing a lot of new music that we’ve been working on and getting ugly with all our proud Citizens of Dada Land!”
5/6 – Metalachi @ The Marquis Theater
If you manage to catch Metalachi at The Marquis, I can promise you that it’ll be the most unique show you’ll see all month. Metalachi is a musical/comedy stage show that somehow seamlessly blends the world of Spinal Tap and Cheech & Chong into an over-the-top stage spectacle. To put it simply – if you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like to hear a mariachi band cover “Raining Blood,” you need to be at this show.
5/6 & 5/7 – The 1975 @ The Fillmore Auditorium
Last summer, The 1975 put on quite possibly one of the best shows of their career at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and although fans won’t get that same atmosphere that an outdoor venue creates, two nights at The Fillmore might do the trick. The band is still touring in support of their most recent release, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It, and even though they’ve been on the road for the past year, they still haven’t run out of steam. It’s safe to assume this will be the last time the band comes through before they head back home to work on new music, so catch them while you can! (And before the second day sells out).
5/10 – KONGOS @ Marquis
KONGOS are another need to see act if you haven’t had the chance to catch them in the past. Not only is their live performance larger than life, but this time around, the band is playing on the intimate stage at The Marquis Theater, something that they don’t do frequently. Last time we caught them was on the main stage at Riot Fest, so don’t sleep on this show!
5/14 – Com Truise @ The Bluebird Theater
One word. Synthwave. Whether you’re just getting into this quickly growing genre or have been a fan for a while, Com Truise is a must-see. Com Truise is one of the many personas of producer and designer Seth Haley, born and raised in upstate New York and operating out of a 12’-overrun apartment in Princeton, New Jersey. An admitted synth obsessive, Com Truise is the maker of an experimental and bottom heavy style he calls “mid-fi synth-wave, slow-motion funk”.
5/16 – Fenech-Soler & Knox Hamilton @ Lost Lake Lounge
Fenech-Soler and Knox Hamilton are currently in the midst of the co-headlining tour, and you don’t want to sleep on this one when it comes through Denver at Lost Lake. We recently caught Knox Hamilton when they played at The Bluebird with Colony House, and it’s safe to say that they’ll easily command a co-headlining show at the tiny Lost Lake Lounge.
5/20 – MxPx @ The Gothic Theatre
MxPx are playing a special one-off show at The Gothic Theatre this month in celebration of their 25th Anniversary. If that isn’t enough to get you out to this show, then maybe their high energy and hilarious openers, Masked Intruder will. Blue, Green, Yellow and Red – along with Officer Bradford – will certainly make you fall in love with punk rock all over again.
5/23 – A Lot Like Birds @ The Marquis Theater
A Lot Like Birds’ new album DIVISI is sure to launch the band even further than ever before. The band’s second album on Equal Vision Records marks a dramatic shift in their sound and takes a cinematic look at the change and growth that comes from loss. On top of these emotional new songs, the band’s live performance is not one to be missed and usually finds members interacting with the crowd, be it by climbing on top of them on inviting them to come sing on stage.
5/24 – Jean-Michel Jarre @ 1st Bank Center
Pioneering French electronic musician and producer Jean-Michel Jarre will be setting off on his first-ever North American tour this May. Not only was he one of the first artists in the world to perform electronic music as we know it today, but Jean-Michel Jarre is also a four-time Guinness World Record holder for largest concerts ever performed and a 2017 Grammy nominee. He will be bringing is record-setting show to the 1st Bank Center later this month, and if you like electronic music, then you want to catch this once of a lifetime performance.
5/25 – Postcards @ The Moon Room
Denver’s own Postcards are bringing with them one hell of a lineup for their upcoming show at The Moon Room. Alongside the pop-punk favorites are False Report, Noise Brigade, Dozer and All Wrong. If you’re looking for a killer intimate local show to check out this month, this is the one!
5/26 – One Flew West & My Body Sings Electric @ The Fox Theatre
One Flew West and My Body Sings Electric have teamed up for a special co-headlining show this month at The Fox Theatre in Boulder. Not only is this lineup stacked, with Pandas & People and Whiskey Autumn opening, but this show also serves as a fundraiser for the Can’d Aid Foundation (the non-profit branch of Oskar Blues Brewery) where $1 from every ticket purchased along with $1 for every Oskar Blues beer sold the night of the show, will be donated to the Can’d Aid Foundation. Can’d Aid is a non-profit with a simple mission: “Doin’ Good ‘Cause We Can”.
5/29 – ‘68 @ The Marquis Theater
‘68 are well known for their incredible live shows. If you’re a fan of vocalist/guitarist Josh Scogin’s previous bands, Norma Jean and The Chariot, then you’re familiar with his wild stage presence. Although Scogin might not be setting things on fire or jumping from balconies this time around (but never say never) he can still be caught climbing on top of drummer Michael McClellan’s kit and tossing his guitar in the air between bantering back and forth with the crowd. This upcoming show will give the band more than just an opening slot to have some fun, and with their new album, Two Parts Viper out in June, you’re bound to hear some new music, too.
5/30 – Great Good Fine OK @ The Fox Theatre
If you recall our list of shows to see back in January, then Great Good Fine OK’s name might sound familiar, and if you didn’t get the chance to check them out, then we’ve got good news for you! The band will be headlining The Fox Theatre at the end of the month and it’s a big upgrade from their sold-out show at Larimer Lounge earlier this year. If you catch this show, you’re in for a real treat. From spot on vocal work to an incredible light show and quite possibly some of the best songwriting you’ll hear all year, Great Good Fine OK are a show that you really don’t want to miss.