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Neko Case kicks off the Summer Concert Series at Denver Botanic Gardens on Tuesday, June 20, and Shakey Graves plays Red Rocks on Thursday, June 22.
The Flaming Lips and Emancipator are both taking part in a benefit concert series for MAPS at Mission Ballroom; The Lips play Thursday, June 22, and Emancipator plays Friday, June 23.
Widespread Panic is back in town for another three-night run at Red Rocks on Friday, June 23, Saturday, June 24, and Sunday, June 25.
Keep reading for more of the best concerts in Denver this week:
Temples
Monday, June 19, 8 p.m.
Bluebird Theater, 3317 East Colfax Avenue
$25
The British psych-pop group Temples is touring the world in support of its long-awaited fourth studio album, Exotico, which it released in April. Chicago psych-rockers Post Animal provide support.
Neko Case
Tuesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street
$88-$93
She has lent her indie-Americana voice to many collaborative efforts, but Neko Case is probably best known for being a core member of the New Pornographers. Before joining that group, however, she played drums in several indie-punk groups and began a very successful solo career that continues to this day. Fellow female folkateer and frequent collaborator Nora O’Connor provides support.
Elf Power
Wednesday, June 21, 8 p.m.
Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 East Colfax Avenue
$15
The members of Elf Power have played together in one form or another for almost three decades, always taking different shapes thanks to help from various members of the Elephant Six collective that they belong to. After releasing Artificial Countrysides last year, the Athens, Georgia, indie-pop band is now touring again. Denver indie garage-pop group (and fellow Elephant Six member) The Tammy Shine opens the show.
Shakey Graves
Thursday, June 22, 6:30 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$50.50-$101.95
After taking a break from acting to pursue his musical career, Alejandro Rose-Garcia busked around the country showcasing his raw bluesy folk-rock tunes – and eventually became the popular artist known as Shakey Graves. He became an official hometown hero of Austin in 2012, when the city’s mayor designated February 9 as Shakey Graves Day, which the artist honors each year by releasing new material on bandcamp and holding a small string of celebratory shows.
Flaming Lips: a benefit concert for MAPS
Thursday, June 22, 7:30 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$74.50-$150
The Flaming Lips were quite a sight during the band’s headlining set at last year’s Westword Music Showcase, and now the group is returning to Denver and Mission Ballroom to help round out a psychedelic lineup of acts that also includes Eric Andre and Reggie Watts.
Katie Toupin
Friday, June 23, 9 p.m.
Lost Lake Lounge, 3602 East Colfax Avenue
$18
During her time with Houndmouth, the alternative-Americana group she co-founded, Katie Toupin contributed her amazing voice and songwriting skills to the band’s widely successful first two albums. She left in 2016 to pursue a solo career and has since released several albums, the most recent being Little Heart, which came out in 2021. Denver retro-pop artist Julian Fulco Perron and Mile High rock-and-roller Jr. Rabbit help open the show.
Emancipator: Benefit Concert for MAPS
Saturday, June 24, 8 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$34.95-$45
Doug Appling (aka Emancipator) has been making his downtempo chill-tronica tunes since he was fifteen, when he took his percussionist skills to the next level and began producing his signature trance electro-pop songs. Turntablist trip-hop mix-master RJD2 and dancey downtempo multi-instrumentalist Cloudchord provide support.
Widespread Panic
Friday, June 23; Saturday, June 24; and Sunday, June 25, 7 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$110-$420
After meeting in the early 1980s as students at the University of Georgia, John Bell, Michael Houser, Dave Schools and Todd Nance officially formed the group known as Widespread Panic (named after one of Houser’s panic attacks) in 1986. Nearly four decades later, the band, which now comprises Bell, Schools, Jojo Hermann, Duane Trucks, Domingo Ortiz and Jimmy Herring, is still serving up its special fusion of Southern rock, jazzy blues and funk to adoring fans across the globe.
Know of shows you’d like to see on this list? Send the details to musiccalendar@westword.com. Looking for more to do? Visit the Westword calendar.
