This All-Local Concert Was One of the Best of 2025: Review

If Denver is known for anything beyond mountains, weed and breweries, it should be music. That much was clear at the Bluebird Theater on December 5, when four local acts came together and showcased the pure vigor of the Mile High scene.

It was the first headlining Bluebird show for DOGTAGS, and the stage was blooming with paper flowers and colorful lights that evoked the ethos of the band’s debut album, ROSEWORLD, which dropped this summer. The band had already developed a following in Denver through its live shows, with a major reception at the final Underground Music Showcase, but the album has further solidified the reputation of this group as one to watch — and once you see a DOGTAGS show, you’re already locked in for the next.

So it was not surprising that the Bluebird was absolutely packed. Each act — Monica The Great, Fruta Brutal, May Be Fern and DOGTAGS — is an up-and-coming draw, and as the evening progressed, the show became a masterclass in not just high musicianship, but community. Yes, “community” is a concept tossed around so much, the word may as well be a paper plane that labels whatever it eventually hits. But when you see true community in action, it’s hard to ignore its validity.

The show kicked off with Monica The Great, who recently had her song “Delusional,” a bop of a salvo aimed at a mendacious ex, go viral, landing her a record deal with United Masters and more than 100K streams. “So shout out to my ex for being a fucking dickhead,” she told the crowd with a laugh.

Her set blended hip-hop with Latin rhythms, a nod to her Mexican and Los Angeles roots, as she delivered bilingual bars from the stage with a commanding, all-eyes-on-her stage presence that undoubtedly won over many new fans. And after her song “Tamagotchi,” MTG provided the song’s namesake ’90s toy to a member of the crowd, selected at random from new followers on her Instagram account. Who doesn’t like a little incentive?

After that helluva warmup, the audience was buzzed for Fruta Brutal. And the band, led by Ecuadorian-born vocalist/guitarist Martín Better Longo, turned up the heat even further with a tantalizing brew of psych rock, indie and Latin sounds. The act swept up the audience with an intro oozing synths before escalating to heavier and heavier forays behind scintillating guitar solos. These musicians delivered a set that was expertly crafted, with intentional jams that kept the audience moving, almost possessed, as guitar and keys were swept up together in a sonic dance, bass and drums maintaining a fluorescent rhythm as psychedelic colors swirled behind the members.

The air in the Bluebird was tinged with sweat by the time May Be Fern commanded the stage. This funk-rock band has been one to watch for a while now, winning the city over with high-brow craftsmanship across the board — pristine vocals, expert guitar and keys and drums. And the set was further supplemented with background singers who elevated the sound even higher. Led by the trio of Madi Spillman (guitar), Kate Fern (vocals, bass) and Hannah May (vocals, keys), May Be Fern performed songs off its latest release, Three of Swords, which we labeled sonic sorcery earlier this year.

A May Be Fern performance always leaves people spellbound and slack-jawed, and the Bluebird show was no exception. “They really know what they’re doing,” a wide-eyed friend told me halfway through the set, which had audience members moshing to “Color Me Stoked.” And that solo from Spillman? Transcendent.

If time allowed, we’d want to see these members really let their solos fly for as long as possible given their improvisational connection, but it’s almost more satisfying to witness their keen balance. They know when to ramp it up and when to maintain an even-handed restraint that only hooks the audience further. From beginning to end, the May Be Fern set was flawless.

And then, it was time for more flawlessness: The evening reached a crescendo with DOGTAGS, which seemingly delivers an experience of synesthesia for those who don’t have it — the sound is as colorful as the stage design. (And if you do have music-to-color synesthesia, be prepared for an entire damn rainbow when you catch this group.)

DOGTAGS is essentially an ever-growing garden of musicians, and this year has nurtured it into full bloom. Earlier this year, vocalist Regi Worles told us, “We wanted to really create this otherworldly, rose-colored-glasses lens, because sometimes our imaginations get hijacked by all the terrible things that are happening. Even if we sing about heavy stuff or the progressions are darker, I want us to leave people feeling lighter.”

Mission accomplished. The DOGTAGS set was composed to perfection, with each member getting their moment to shine. After kicking off with “keepsake,” vocalist and lead guitarist Michael Merola delivered an immaculate solo during “SUMMERSICK,” commanding the mic as Worles moved around the stage flashing a tambourine. Known for its Latin flavors, the band encouraged a cumbia dance party with its cover of “Hojita Seca,” with Fruta Brutal’s Martín Better Longo joining in as local popstar N3ptune exemplified the dance in the audience.

More collaborations followed, with Denver artist Neoma taking the stage for “Melty,” May Be Fern joining for an excellent rendition of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi,” and N3ptune lending his powerhouse vocals for “WAVES.” One of the favorite parts of a DOGTAGS show is when the members get the audience to dance a special choreography for standout song “KNORR.” But really, there isn’t a second when the crowd isn’t engaged at a DOGTAGS performance. This one wrapped up with “Wondering,” with the audience singing along.

Denver gets its share of incredible touring artists throughout the year, but this concert underscored the magnanimity of our hometown artists who are just as deserving of our support — if not more so. In 2025, we’ve mourned the loss of such local fests as Five Points Jazz Fest and the Underground Music Showcase, but we’re more than lucky to have such a thriving scene year-round. At the Bluebird, you’d see members of other local groups bobbing through the crowd, dancing for their peers. Because screw competition: This is a scene where they show up for each other.

“This year has been the biggest of my life for music,” Merola told us this summer. And this concert must have put a giant bow on that.

Find more concerts on our Denver concert calendar.