Ken Hamblin
Audio By Carbonatix
While there are a few outdoor live shows this weekend at Number Thirty Eight, most of the concerts happening in Denver and beyond are virtual. There’s CatSong Festival, an online affair with more than forty acts covering songs by Yusuf/Cat Stevens, and Fireside Pride, which includes Ani DiFranco, Zoe Boekbinder, Leyla McCalla, Mary Gauthier and more. Liam Gallagher and Evanescence will live-stream shows as well. Here’s our list of the best online concerts this weekend:
The Bad Plus
Friday, December 4, 6 p.m.
Online
$15
Forward-thinking jazz trio the Bad Plus recorded two shows at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville as part of the Big Ears Festival’s “Sites & Sounds” streaming initiative.
Cass Clayton Band
Friday, December 4, 7 p.m.
Online
Free
Singer and slide guitarist Cass Clayton, who’s well versed in blues, rock, R&B, soul and country, is joined by guest guitarist Taylor Scott for this live-stream concert.
The Hold Steady
Friday, December 4, Saturday, December 5, 7 p.m.
Online
$15
In 2016, the Hold Steady began a tradition known as Massive Nights, a four-show celebration of Hold Steady music and community at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York. On what would have been the fifth anniversary of this rock-and-roll gathering, the band returns to the venue for a special three-night live-stream spectacular, which kicked off on Thursday.
Old Fashioned Hootenanny
Friday, December 4, 7 p.m.
Online
Free
These long-running open stages at Swallow Hill Music are now on Zoom, sometimes hosted by Denver folk legend Harry Tuft. The Hoot is the best possible place to learn new songs and new licks, and to hear old songs performed in entirely new ways. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants before the show.
Turkeyfoot Trio
Friday, December 4, 5 p.m.
Number Thirty Eight, 3560 Chestnut Place
Free
Local bluegrass act Turkeyfoot, which is normally a quintet, plays a trio set at Number Thirty Eight’s outdoor stage. Reservations via OpenTable are recommended.
Bluegrass Pride Presents Fireside Pride
Saturday, December 5, 4 p.m.
Online
$10 suggested donation
Hosted by emcee Marlene Twitty-Fargo and featuring performances by Ani DiFranco and Zoe Boekbinder, Leyla McCalla, Mary Gauthier, AJ Lee and Blue Summit, and Stephanie Anne Johnson, this show will also include a non-religious holiday sing-along led by Nate Lee.
CatSong Festival
Saturday, December 5, 1 p.m.
Online
Free
More than forty artists, including Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Passenger, James Morrison, Brandon Boyd, HAIM and others cover the iconic singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens in this live-stream event, which is a celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’s classic 1970 albums Tea for the Tillerman and Mona Bone Jakon.
Denver Dolls Holiday
Saturday, December 5, 1:30 & 8 p.m.
Online
$25-$40
Lone Tree Arts Center presents a live-stream holiday concert by the Denver Dolls, who will pay tribute to Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, nodding nostalgically back to the White Christmas era.
Evanescence
Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m.
Online
$9.99
Rock band Evanescence plays a live-stream set from Rock Falcon Studio, and the show includes debut performances of songs from the upcoming album The Bitter Truth.
Liam Gallagher
Saturday, December 5, 1 p.m
Online
$22
Liam Gallagher presents Down by the River Thames, a one-of-a-kind virtual event that will be streamed globally on MelodyVR. Gallagher will be accompanied by his full band for a set broadcast from a barge traveling along the Thames. The show will include iconic songs, fan favorites and a few surprises, spanning both his all-conquering solo career and his legendary time with Oasis.
Concert for a Cause
Sunday, December 6, 11 a.m.
Online
$15
The Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project presents this virtual event with musicians performing from Nablus, Palestine, via Zoom. The event hopes to raise $3,000 to fund sixteen music scholarships for students from Askar Camp who are enrolled in music studies.
Space Orphan
Sunday, December 6, 7 p.m.
Online
Free
Denver progressive old-school funk act Space Orphan streams a set from Dazzle.
Find more music events in the Westword concert calendar. Organizing a concert you’d like to be considered for this list? Send information to editorial@westword.com.