These Are the Best Concerts on Valentine's Day This Year

Whether you have a date this Valentine’s Day or not, there is so much to do around Denver on Friday, February 14, including checking out a drag/burlesque show, signing up for a public confessional or embracing your inner emo in a bounce house.

But if you’re looking for live music, we've got you covered with five shows worth seeing this heart-eyed holiday:
A Bloody Valentine’s: Blood of Lilith with V&V and WarCrown
HQ, 60 South Broadway
Tickets are $10
It’s being billed as an “anti-Valentine’s” show, but don’t be fooled: This HQ metal throwdown with Blood of Lilith, WarCrown and V&V is going to be full of love. See, Blood of Lilith members Amber Chance (drums) and Lisa Ogden (vocalist and guitars) are excited to share a stage yet again with their husbands — WarCrown vocalist Evan Chance and V&V mic man Lonn “Silverback” Robinson, respectively — which they’ve done since forming in 2020. So much so that Blood of Lilith, which also includes bassist Maggie Alex, has always considered those two groups “brother bands” that support each other on and off the stage.

Don’t expect love songs or sappy duets, though: Blood of Lilith puts out Viking metal powerful enough to wilt roses. WarCrown is all death and doom, a more misanthropic variety that may be befitting for the sullen this time of year, while V&V (short for Venom & Valor) is cathartic metalcore, a barrage of rage and riffs.

This one would be a great date-night idea for couples who prefer battle vests and breakdowns over bowties and bouquets.

Dakota Blonde
Swallow Hill Music, 71 East Yale Avenue
Tickets are $37
Swallow Hill Music is once again hosting Dakota Blonde’s annual Valentine’s concert. The longtime Denver acoustic trio prefers to make the event a celebration of all things love, complete with a contagious energy filled with heart and humor that always permeates the group’s set.

The band, which includes Mary Huckins (guitar and vocals), Don Pinnella (guitar and vocals) and Tony Raddell (acoustic bass and vocals), also brings other local musicians on stage for the show in the form of the backing Valentine Band. This year, Dakota Blonde tapped Ernie Martinez on mandolin, banjo and Dobro; Gordon Burt on fiddle and viola; and Kristi Bartleson on harp to fill out the lineup.

Pulling from four albums and a carefully curated catalog of covers, Dakota Blonde is confident in turning frowns upside down. So, smile, everything’s going to be alright.

Gimme Gimme Disco
Marquis, 2009 Larimer Street
Tickets are $27
Sometimes it’s best to just get lost in the moment and dance with like-minded music maniacs. That’s exactly what the Gimme Gimme Disco party at the Marquis is all about.

The DJ-based dance party started in 2019 and travels the country in bringing the best of the disco era to eager audiences. That means you can expect to hear a heavy dose of disco from such icons as Donna Summer, Cher and the Bee Gees. The DJ takes requests, too, so don’t be afraid to throw out something you’re feeling. Of course, disco attire — including but not limited to wigs, platform shoes, flared bottoms, sequin suits and halter tops — is encouraged.

Burwood Media, founded by friends Ethan Maccoby and Alex Badanes in 2015, is also the production company behind the popular Emo Night Brooklyn concerts, another touring spectacle, so you know it’ll be a good time no matter the mood you’re in before you get there.

Heartache Cabaret: Blankslate with the Galentines and Keddjra
Skylark Lounge, 140 South Broadway
Tickets are $18
If you find yourself brooding along Broadway this Valentine’s Day, head over to the Skylark Lounge for the Heartache Cabaret show, featuring Blankslate, the Galentines and Keddjra. Despite the name, the all-local show may be the perfect musical remedy for any melancholy you may be suffering.

Blankslate — which comprises Tess Condron (drums and keys), Rylee Dunn (guitar and bass) and Cameron Cade (vocals and synths) — brews up catchy dream-pop with an emo edge, especially if you listen closely to the lyrics. For example, “Bell Station” and “Westcliff” are upbeat songs about love lost. But it’s more soothing than sulking.

Then there’s the Galentines, an all-girl Boulder group that isn’t afraid to break hearts with funky indie rock. Vocalist Codi Jantch, guitarists Birdie Wren and Linda Horne, bassist Brynn Moncur and drummer Essie Horne recently released debut album, 1140, at the end of 2024, so keep an eye out for this year.

Denver singer-songwriter Keddjra’s bedroom pop filled with jazz-inspired vocals offers a different kind of respite. The latest single, “shut the feeling down,” featuring Zoe Moff and Yugs, showcases Keddjra’s smoky voice with some lofi hip-hop elements.

If anything, this lineup will make you feel like you’re not alone, even if you attend alone.

The Velveteers with Cherry Spit and Diva Cup
hi-dive, 7 South Broadway
Tickets are $29 (join the waitlist)
Down the street, the hottest Valentine’s Day ticket in town, as far as late-night live music goes, is the Velveteers’s record-release show at hi-dive. The Boulder psych-rock trio is celebrating its sophomore album, A Million Knives, which also comes out on the holiday via Dan Auerbach’s label Easy Eye Sound. So local audiences will be the first to hear the thirteen tracks live.

Since the Velveteers' debut, Nightmare Daydream (2021), guitarist-vocalist Demi Demitro, drummer Baby Pottersmith and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Figg have been blowing up, as the Velveteers opened for the Smashing Pumpkins, Guns N’ Roses, Greta Van Fleet and the Black Keys over the past three years. But this band is certainly not above packing out the cozy confines of hi-dive to celebrate the latest offering with a hometown crowd.

The lineup also offers up a chance to check out some up-and-coming acts in openers Cherry Spit (noise-rock from Denver) and Diva Cup (got to respect the name of these Boulder cow-punkers).

You won’t leave this one feeling blue, that’s for sure.

Find more concerts on our concert calendar.