The Best Concerts in Denver This Weekend

DeVotchKa takes the stage for the first time since September with two nights at Levitt Pavilion Denver, with Nina De Freitas opening Friday and Edwina Maben opening on Saturday; comedian Adam Cayton-Holland is on the bill for both nights. Also on tap this weekend are Strange Americans at Lost City, Jazz WORMS at Dazzle, and Mt. Joy at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Here's what's happening in and around town (and online) this weekend:


Ben Markley Quintet
Fridays in May, 6:30 and 9 p.m.
Nocturne, 1330 27th Street
$25
As part of Explorations of the Journey, pianist Ben Markley curates a collection of compositions that marks a new chapter in his musical development, including originals and works by Herbie Hancock, Ari Hoenig and John Scofield.

DeVotchKa
Friday, May 21, and Saturday, May 22, 5:30 p.m.
Levitt Pavilion Denver, 1380 West Florida Avenue
Free
This pair of shows marks DeVotchKa's first time on the stage since last September. Local singer-songwriter Nina De Freitas opens on Friday, and Edwina Maben opens on Saturday. Comedian Adam Cayton-Holland is on the bill for both nights.

Fist Fight
Friday, May 21, 8:30 p.m.
Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue
$15
Denver metal/hardcore band Fist Fight headlines, while the equally brutal Bodies We've Buried opens.

Lacy Jo
Friday, May 21, 7 & 9 p.m.
Globe Hall, 4483 Logan Street
$15-$90
Raised on the eastern plains of Colorado, singer-songwriter Lacy Jo uses country as a backdrop to write songs from the heart.


Strange Americans
Friday, May 21, 6:30 p.m.
Lost City, 3459 Ringsby Court
$25-$200
Denver's Strange Americans play rock and roll that's heavy on the songwriting and storytelling.

Griffin House
Saturday, May 22, 5:30 and 8 p.m.
Soiled Dove Underground
$25
Nashville based singer-songwriter Griffin House released both the album and documentary titled Rising Star in 2019.

Jazz WORMS
Saturday, May 22, 6 & 9 p.m.
Dazzle, 1512 Curtis Street
$35
Jazz WORMS, featuring Andy Weyl Keith Oxman, Paul Romaine, Ron Miles and Mark Simon, first formed in the ’80s and cut their first album, Crawling Out, in 1987. Last March, the band finally released Squirmin', its excellent followup, three decades later.


Mt. Joy
Saturday, May 22, 8 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$55-$75
Los Angeles indie-rock band Mt. Joy, which had started a tour last year with the Lumineers before it got cut short by the pandemic, headlines, with Del Water Gap, the solo project of S. Holden Jaffe, opening.

Projects Ossia
Saturday, May 22, 6 p.m.
Roxy on Broadway
$10
Electronic duo Projects Ossia has been playing regular shows at the Roxy since last October.

The Queen City Jazz Band
Sunday, May 23. 2 to 5 p.m.
Q's Pub & Grille, 10133 West Chatfield Avenue, Littleton
$10
For more than six decades, the Queen City Jazz Band has been playing various types of jazz, whether it's Dixieland, traditional, classic or hot.


Find more music events in the Westword concert calendar. Organizing a concert you'd like to be considered for this list? Send information to [email protected].