Article by Mel Ulle
Every year around this time, my husband turns to me and says, “you made it.” And every year, I reply, “barely.” I hate winter. Hate. Spring would be okay if it didn’t always have so much winter in it. Fall is okay. Summer is my season. I’m my fully present self in summer and I never want it to end. One of my favorite things in summer, and something I almost never have interest in pursuing the rest of the year is live music.
Colorado absolutely wins at music in the summer. Yes, our minds immediately go to Red Rocks and that is unquestionably the apex for live music in Colorado. I think we all agree we need to hit it at least once a year or we will feel like total losers who don’t deserve to live here. But there are so many other venues and festivals for your consideration, my dear Denverites, so get out your paper calendars and journals and jot down some notes.
The Underground Music Showcase (UMS) is a cornerstone of Denver’s summer music scene, celebrating its 25th birthday this year. It’s a multi-day festival that transforms South Broadway into a big, badass land of live music, with a lineup of over 200 local and national acts across multiple stages and venues.
This year, the Underground Music Showcase is Friday, July 25th to Sunday, July 27th. This year’s headliners include the Nashville rock band All Them Witches, Flyana Boss from LA, and Denver’s own legendary band DeVotchKa. We love you, DeVotchka! And we love you even more with Sweet Action’s ice cream in hand.
For those willing to venture a bit further, the Mishawaka Amphitheatre in Bellvue (just outside Fort Collins), is an awesome concert experience alongside the Poudre River. My favorite part about seeing a show at the Mish (I’m so local), is seeing the rafters come off the river for a bite at night wearing their head lamps and hopping right back in to cruise the rest of the way down. It’s so Colorado!
This summer, they’ll host a variety of artists, including Umphrey’s McGee on September 14, 2025. It’s completely unpretentious and my favorite place to enjoy live music surrounded by Colorado’s beautiful peaks. There’s no cell service, so you won’t be taking an Uber to any of their shows unless you have some kind of magical satellite phone. Figure out your transportation well in advance.
If you’re willing to go deeper into the hills, Winter Park has some great events this summer, all held rain or shine at the Rendezvous Event Center, so be prepared for the possibility of your standard Colorado mountain evening rain shower. You can pretty much count on it.
The Blues from the Top Music Festival, running from June 27th to 29th, has a great lineup including JJ Grey & Mofro, Little Feat, and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The Winter Park Jazz Festival will be July 19th and 20th, and will include Boyz II Men, and Sheila E., among other legends. The fun continues Sunday with Musiq Soulchild, Kirk Whalum & Mindi Abair, and some funk from The Dazz Band.
If you’re looking for a smaller venue, Four Mile Historic Park (near Cherry Creek) has a more intimate setting for enjoying live music this summer. Their Swallow Hill Music Summer Concert Series is on Wednesday evenings and has an excellent lineup of tribute bands covering well-known artists. The July schedule for 2025 includes Rolling Harvest performing the music of Bob Dylan and Neil Young on July 9th, followed by a tribute to Joni Mitchell on July 16th. These mid-week gatherings are easy to hit without much fuss.
The shows I’m planning to hit are Sugar Britches playing the songs of John Prine on August 2nd and my favorite Beastie Boys tribute band, Sabotage, on August 6th, 2025.
Of course, it’s incumbent upon you to see what’s playing at Levitt Pavilion and both Botanic Gardens’ venues, but hopefully this will be a good launching point as you map out the magic that is our perfect Colorado summers.
Read Melanie Ulle’s monthly Making a Difference Articles at Urban Life Wash Park.
