Denver's Velveteers Replace Wolfgang Van Halen as Guns N' Roses Opener

The Denver rockers will be playing their biggest show yet.

August 16, 2021

Image: The Velveteers' fall album, Nightmare Daydream, was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys.

The Velveteers' fall album, Nightmare Daydream, was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Ivey Peacock

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Wolfgang Van Halen, who was slated to open for Guns N' Roses on Monday, August 16, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, had to cancel several nights of appearances after a member of his touring team tested positive for COVID-19. The cancellations included the Denver-area gig.

"All band members and other crew have tested negative at this time," he wrote in a statement shared on social media on August 13. "We apologize to those fans we won't be seeing over the next couple of shows."

While Van Halen fans will be disappointed by the news, the audience will be pleasantly surprised by the hard-rocking replacement: Denver's own Velveteers, who are gearing up to drop a new album, Nightmare Daydream, produced by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach.

Check out the band's latest music video, "Motel #27."

It's all too rare to see a Denver band opening for national talent at a venue as big as Dick's. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, who opened for the Rolling Stones at Broncos Stadium, was one of the latest to do so. And while the Velveteers haven't yet developed Rateliff's international fan base, the act is poised to skyrocket to stardom in the months to come.

The band will headline a show of its own on November 26 at the Gothic Theatre.

The Guns N' Roses show, with the Velveteers, starts at 6 p.m. Monday, August 16, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. Tickets start at $49.95 and are still available at Ticketmaster.

Kyle Harris has been Westword’s Culture Editor since 2016, writing about the arts, music and film.

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