Deftones, Ludacris and the Best Concerts in Denver This Week

Deftones are crashing Ball Arena tonight, while the Flaming Lips play the Mission Ballroom. On Tuesday, Hot Chip plays the Mission, and Turnstile rocks the Gothic. On Wednesday, Ludacris and Nelly come to Red Rocks, and Lorde takes over the Mission.

Deftones
Monday, April 25, 8 p.m.
Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle
$48-$79
There was a time when Deftones possessed a fan base as rabid as the Grateful Dead's. The band is on tour after having to reschedule twice for the pandemic, and will likely be playing some of its latest tunes from 2020's Ohms.


The Flaming Lips
Monday, April 25, 8 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$45-$75
The Flaming Lips are one of the best things to come out of Oklahoma since...the Flaming Lips. Catch the band at the Mission now and again in September at the Westword Music Showcase; the live shows are a sight to behold. The band has a discography with more entries than a list of exoplanets, and released its sixteenth studio album, American Head, in 2020.



Turnstile
Monday, April 25, 8 p.m., and Tuesday, April 26, 8 p.m.
Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood
$27.50-$30
Baltimore's Turnstile plays punk rock, but adds elements that push the boundaries of the genre. "Mystery," the opening track on its latest record, Glow On, starts with a wash of synthesizer that sounds straight off a Steve Miller album from 1974. There's enough odd sounds incorporated into what is pretty heavy music to make it stand out from a lot of other punk bands out there. Citizen, Ceremony, Truth Cult and Ekulu open.

Hot Chip
Tuesday, April 26, 8 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$35-$85.75
English synth-pop outfit Hot Chip brings its markedly unusual but catchy sound across the pond to the Mission. The band, which formed in 2000, has announced it will release its first album in three years, Freakout/Release, in August and is teasing it with a music video for the single "Down." London post-punk quartet Friedberg opens.

Ludacris and Nelly
Wednesday, April 27, 7 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$27.50-$30
Get ready to rock like its 2001! Ludacris is taking a break from appearing in Fast and Furious movies to do some rapping, even if it's been seven years since he put out an album. Nelly, however, actually put out a record last year. So maybe you'll get to hear some new stuff while you cry out, "Play 'Country Grammar'!" Fat Joe from the Terror Squad is also on the bill.



Lorde
Wednesday, April 27, 8 p.m.
Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop Street
$70-$130
A star was born when Lorde released her first record, Pure Heroine, and received high critical acclaim for her second, Melodrama. Then she ditched the dance anthems for more pensive, acoustic material on last year's Solar Power. Now half the critics hate her, but her fan base has stayed strong. Remi Wolf opens.

Trevor Hall and Citizen Cope
Thursday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. and Friday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison
$55-$89.95
Trevor Hall blends roots, folk and reggae into a style of music often dubbed as "spiritual." HIs most recent record, In and Through the Body, explored feelings of anger on the song "Fire on Your House." He's sharing the stage with Clarence Greenwood, who performs blues, soul, folk and rock as Citizen Cope. Folk group Rising Appalachia is also on the bill.

Yola
Thursday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. and Friday, April 29, 7 p.m.
Gothic Theatre, 3263 South Broadway, Englewood
$30-$35
Bristol, England's Yolanda Claire Quartey, who performs as Yola, has some serious pipes. Both of her full-length albums, Walk Through Fire and Stand for Myself, traffic in country soul and have received critical acclaim. She's worked with legendary English trip-hop collective Massive Attack, as well as other U.K. DJ acts.

Have events you want included on this list? Send the details to [email protected]. Looking for more to do? Visit the Westword calendar.