Every reader who loves music will answer that question differently. But in an attempt to produce a roster that's both credible and wide-ranging, I've broadened the definition of "best" to focus on the most famous and/or significant shows ever staged in these parts. In addition, I've included concerts I personally attended, most during the 1990s period when I served as Westword's music editor, that absolutely blew me away.
Check out our 21 choices below, listed in chronological order from 1956 to this summer — and let us know about any of your favorites that we missed.
Elvis Presley
April 8, 1956
Denver Coliseum
Although Presley had not yet reached kingly status when he made his first appearance in Denver for a Grand Ole Opry revue, a Denver Post critic thought he "stole the show." The Rocky Mountain News's Francis Melrose wasn't nearly as enthusiastic. The headline of her article on the concert read, "Rage Over Elvis Presley Is a Bit Sickening."
The Beatles
August 26, 1964
Red Rocks
Over the decades, untold thousands of Coloradans have claimed to have witnessed the Beatles' only show in the state, and most of them are lying. The gig was far from sold out, despite a ticket price of just $6.
Led Zeppelin
December 26, 1968
Denver Auditorium Arena
The Zep's first-ever American show found the band in warm-up-act mode; Robert Plant and company opened for Vanilla Fudge. It would soon graduate to biggest-rock-band-on-the-planet status. As for the Denver Auditorium Arena, part of the structure was demolished in 1990 amid construction of the Temple Buell Theatre, while the rest of it was remodeled and incorporated into the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in 2005.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's final concert took place at the Denver Pop Festival.
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June 27-29, 1969
Mile High Stadium.
The lineup for this three-day event was incredible: The bill included Ike & Tina Turner, Big Mama Thornton, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joe Cocker and the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the final appearance of its original lineup. Also on hand were members of the Denver Police Department, who tear-gassed non-ticket holders trying to gain access to the spectacle. Additional weird claim: Wikipedia contends that fellow performer Frank Zappa is "credited by some" with "inventing the audience wave during his set." Now you know who to blame.
Jethro Tull
June 10, 1971
Red Rocks
This gig isn't remembered so much for its music as for another appearance by Denver Police officers and their favorite instrument, tear-gas cannisters. The resulting riot led to a five-year ban of rock shows at Red Rocks.
Lawrence Welk
August 22, 1975
McNichols Sports Arena
WTF? Yes, Lawrence Welk was at the podium during the initial concert at the brand new McNichols Sports Arena. The first rock show, five days later, starred ZZ Top, who also performed the joint's final concert, on September 12, 1999 — presumably because Welk was dead by then.
The DVD cover of U2's Under a Blood Red Sky, which was filmed at Red Rocks.
June 5, 1983
Red Rocks
Another famous Red Rocks show that people pretend to have attended but almost certainly didn't. The weather was terrible and much of the amphitheater was empty during U2's performance, but the cameras filming the extravaganza for what became Under a Blood Red Sky, a film released as a companion piece with the EP of the same name, wisely stuck to the drama onstage. And thus a legend was made.
Dan Fogelberg
June 11, 1988
Fiddler's Green
Fiddler's Green may be the most disrespected major concert venue in Denver. But since singer-songwriter Fogelberg inaugurated it in 1988, loads of great artists have overcome its complete lack of coolness. Bonus factoid: My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way got married backstage at Fiddler's during its brief period as Coors Amphitheatre in 2007.
Neil Young, Sonic Youth and Social Distortion
March 19, 1991
McNichols Sports Arena
This show was emblematic of its era because of the way it laid bare the way traditional rock music-makers and their fans were grappling with the incursion of the grunge and alternative subgenres. Attendees loved the material delivered by Young and his backing band, Crazy Horse, but didn't know what the hell to make of Social Distortion and, especially, the noise experts in Sonic Youth. I found the juxtaposition of styles and reactions to be totally fascinating.
George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars
December 11, 1993
Ogden Theatre
What sticks in my mind about this show was its indelibly joyous chaos. By the end, the stage was crowded with what seemed like fifty musicians, all doing their own crazy thing. But somehow, the havoc wreaked by Clinton and his assorted P-Funksters combined to produce a genuinely out-of-body experience.
Steve Earle
March 28, 1996
Bluebird Theater
Many of my favorite concert experiences over the years have involved great artists at the absolute peak of their powers. That's an apt description of Earle during this era. As detailed in the interview that previewed this appearance, Earle was clean after years of addiction and had just turned out a wonderful album, I Feel Good, that made zero concessions to the country-music establishment or anything else. "There are some people in this world that I really quite frankly don't give a fuck what they think," he told us, and his performance at the Bluebird proved it.
Phish
August 4-7, 1996
Red Rocks
When the four members of Phish descended on Red Rocks for a four-night run in the summer of 1996, they were trailed by a legion of fans from all over the country, and their devotees essentially overran the nearby community of Morrison. There's debate about whether the Phishers were officially banned from Red Rocks afterward, but they didn't return there until 2009.
Bruce Springsteen
October 16, 1996
Paramount Theatre
I'd seen Springsteen three times prior to his Paramount Theatre stop: at Red Rocks for his tour supporting The River, at the Los Angeles Coliseum on the Born on the U.S.A. march, and at McNichols Sports Arena when he was on the outs with the E-Street Band. But his solo acoustic turn was hands-down the best. This was the only show I've attended when I cried during the introduction to a tune. As a bonus, Springsteen played the ultra-obscure "Red Headed Woman," which he described as "a great song about a great subject: cunnilingus."
Prince
October 5, 1997
Fiddler's Green
By the late-1990s, Prince was widely viewed as a once-incredible talent waylaid by weirdness. But as I wrote at the time, his performance at Fiddler's was "spectacular, energetic, theatrical, passionate — a supremely confident tour de force." One of the most riveting examples of personal magnetism and artistry I've ever been privileged to witness.
Stereolab
November 17, 1997
Bluebird Theater
Stereolab was the sort of group that never should have made waves in America — and, in truth, its impact during this period was more of a ripple than a splash. But in the intimate setting provided by the Bluebird, the eclectic and idiosyncratic combo led by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier proved positively mesmerizing.
Celine Dion
October 1, 1999
Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena)
Booking Dion as the debut concert act at the newly constructed Pepsi Center was the equivalent of letting Lawrence Welk christen its predecessor, McNichols Sports Arena. History repeats.
The Eagles
August 11, 2001
Empower Field at Mile High
My hate for the Eagles could produce enough vitriol to fill the Sea of Tranquility ten times over. But this band had the first concert at Empower Field, so I guess I need to include them here. To my everlasting regret.
Taylor Swift
May 25, 2018
July 14 and 15, 2023
Empower Field at Mile High
Swift, accompanied by Camila Cabello and Charli XCX in her pre-Brat days, was the first female performer to headline a show at Empower Field. It took nearly seventeen years — but she wound up drawing approximately 3,000 more fans than did the Eagles. Ha!
She then returned for her Eras Tour, which broke venue records across the globe.
Alan Jackson
August 6, 2021
Ball Arena
The COVID-19 pandemic left the live-music industry in shambles, and it took what seemed like ages to recover. Jackson's was the first concert at Ball Arena since March 12, 2020, when Post Malone ended his tour before an audience that had to wonder whether they should have been holding their breath the whole time.
South Park 25th Anniversary Concert
August 10, 2022
Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Current music editor Emily Ferguson had to take note of this show. Trey Parker and Matt Stone celebrated the 25th anniversary of their cartoon series South Park at Red Rocks back in 2022. The show included Ween as well as Primus, with Les Claypool performing the theme song he composed decades before. Rush's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee even showed up to perform with Stone. With Governor Jared Polis taking the stage to declare an official South Park Day, this was one of the most "Colorado" shows in history.
Metallica
June 27 and 29, 2025
Empower Field at Mile High
After breaking Empower Field's glass ceiling in 2018, Taylor Swift returned in 2023 for her Eras Tour and became the first person of either gender to sell out two consecutive nights at the venue. She also set an attendance record that was shattered this year by Metallica, which reportedly shredded before a combined crowd of 152,000 at its two dates earlier this summer. But given talk of a new Broncos stadium heating up, don't expect that mark to last forever.
What shows did we miss? Send your favorites to [email protected].
