Let Your Freak Flag Fly at These Fourth of July Concerts

With so much going on for Fourth of July, including fireworks and patriotic shindigs, we put together a little list of musical happenings to check out this holiday. From a throwback Red Rocks show to an outdoor EDM picnic, here are the five best concerts this weekend:
Phish
Folsom Field
Thursday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5
Resale tickets are available
There won't be Phish Dicks this year, but a Fourth of July run is sure to make up for it. The seminal jam band will be at Folsom Field for a three-night run starting on Thursday, and is set to bring its signature improvisations that have garnered it the fanatic following it's likewise known for.

Wu-Tang Clan
Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Boulevard, Greenwood Village
Friday, July 4, 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $70
See the legendary hip-hop crew Wu-Tang Clan take over Fiddler's Green for its Final Chamber Tour. Wu-Tang’s surviving members will be joined by Young Dirty Bastard, performing in honor of his late father, original Wu-Tang member Old Dirty Bastard, and Run the Jewels will open the show.

Blues Traveler with Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
Friday, July 4, 5 p.m.
Tickets are $213
The hottest ticket in town this Fourth of July might surprise you, as the epic 1990s alt-rock lineup of Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors is on pace to sell out Red Rocks. It’s safe to say this is going to deliver a nostalgic dopamine hit to so many people, especially those who remember when all three bands dominated the radio with hits like “Run-Around,” “Two Princes” and “Hey Jealousy” (if you can match the song to the band without looking, you pass).

And celebrating any occasion with a show at Red Rocks is never a bad idea. Don’t forget to bring your harmonicas.
Deadbeats Backyard Jamboree
Civic Center Park, 101 14^th Avenue
Friday, July 4, 3 p.m.
Tickets are $97
While Phish occupies Boulder all weekend, Zeds Dead is going to be chilling and killing around Denver. After two nights of Deadrocks XI at Red Rocks, the Canadian EDM duo of Dylan “DC” Mamid and Zachary “Hooks” Rapp-Rovan is hosting the fifth annual Deadbeats Backyard Jamboree at Civic Park on the Fourth of July.

This year’s lineup includes Ravenscoon, Cool Customer, Villager, Nikita The Wicked, Skellytyn, Don Jamal, Noises, Soki, Keenan Mathias and Papajay. HEYZ! Is also going to be there and is ready to host the hot dog-eating contest.

Zeds Dead is capping off the holiday with a two-set show at the Mission Ballroom Friday night, too. Floret Loret is also spinning at the Deadrocks XI Hangover, as it’s been dubbed. That’s a lot of EDM packed into one day.
Flobots with School of Rock Denver House Band and Sweets
Levitt Pavilion, 1380 West Florida Ave.
Friday, July 4, 5:30 p.m.
Free
For some family-friendly fun that won’t cost you anything, Flobots is playing the Levitt Pavilion Free Series Friday night, presented in part by Westword. The longtime Denver alt hip-hop crew that blew up in 2008 with hit single “Handlebars” needs no introduction around these parts and is happy to be joined by the local School of Rock band and singer-songwriter Sweets.

Other than music, six food trucks (The Captain, Downtown Fingers, Flavor of Tabasco, Msosi Kenyan, Peyote and Sweet Action) are going to be there providing the bites. Think of it like a cookout, without having to do all the prep. Plus, Flobots!
Lettuce featuring GZA
Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton St.
Friday, July 4, 10 p.m.
Tickets are $57
With Wu-Tang in town for The Final Chamber Tour, GZA is making the rounds. The rapper is set to show up at an unlikely spot with what might seem like an unlikely collaborator when he teams up with Lettuce for a show at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom Friday night.

The two have collaborated recently, when Lettuce and GZA toured earlier this year, including through Denver, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Liquid Swords, GZA’s 1995 now-classic solo debut.

Special guests are also being teased for the show, which will only add to the wild night.

Wes Watkins with Yasmine Emani
Skylark Lounge, 140 South Broadway
Friday, July 4, 8 p.m.
Tickets are $12-$15
If you’re looking for more of a smooth-jazz type of night, then check out the Skylark. Wes Watkins is best known nowadays for his trumpet work with the Night Sweats — you know, Nathaniel Rateliff’s band. But the multi-instrumentalist is a Denver institution in his own right. Some may remember him busking around the 16^th Street Mall back in the day, or more recently, playing with local acts Air Dubai, iZcalli, Other Black and Wheelchair Sports Camp. No matter what he’s playing, Watkins has a way to bring the funk and soul.

The Fourth of July gig will be a solo set for Watkins, but he’ll have company on stage with Denver singer-songwriter Yasmine Emani. If you haven’t heard her yet, since 2020, she’s been bringing the sultry R&B, including on her latest single, “Go Crazy.” Expect fireworks.

Find more concerts on our concert calendar.