John Lennon posing in May Pang's pants.
Courtesy of May Pang
May Pang is setting history straight, with photographic evidence to back her up. For too long, Pang grappled with John Lennon reference to their year-and-a-half relationship as "the lost weekend," and Yoko Ono's claim that she orchestrated the whole affair. Pang decided to go on tour with her collection of candid photographs she snapped during her and Lennon's relationship, which includes the last known picture ever taken of Lennon with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney. "What you see in these photos, it's really through my eyes," Pang told us ahead of her Bitfactory show. "You see our life and how I saw him.” Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
Denver welcomed Swifties from around the world when the powerful pop star brought her legendary Eras Tour to Empower Field at Mile High, which was quickly engulfed in glitter, friendship bracelets and lots of crying and screaming. It's been the highest-earning tour in history, and Westword was here to usher the fans in, offering a complete guide to the concert and even bars that matched the vibe of each of Taylor Swift's albums. And we were at both nights of the tour, too, which made Swift the first performer to sell out two nights in succession at the stadium on July 14 and 15, and brought an estimated $140 million to Colorado's GDP. Swift released a film documenting the tour on October 13, and the mania returned to Denver once more.
We didn't forget the non-Swifties, either: Our suggestions of places to go in Denver to avoid Taylor Swift fans got just as much attention.
Invisible City's Clubhouse is adorned with artifacts and curiosities from around the world.
Courtesy of Hudson Ratzlaff
The music scene expanded further with the opening of the members-only lounge and club Invisible City at 941 Santa Fe Drive. Founded by Paul Laurie in 2017, Invisible City began as an underground supper club that hosted events in an old synagogue off of West Colfax. He opened the headquarters on Santa Fe Drive in September, filling it with items from his world travels to create a homey atmosphere. Invisible City members receive a Key to the City, which gives access to the club's weekly events and also lights up at certain locations in Denver where members can receive exclusive perks, from concert tickets to drinks. Those curious can attend one of Invisible City's public-facing events on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Fun Facts About Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Before the Red Rocks season started in the spring, we pulled together some of the most interesting facts about the venue for you to share with your friends while in line for a vodka lemonade, and we've been updating it ever since. Because who doesn't want to know more about the most iconic venue in the state, if not the world? From the Aretha Franklin concert that caused a rock-music ban to an alleged ghost that haunts the venue, these fun facts are sure to impress your friends the next time you're standing on those majestic grounds.
String Cheese Incident Celebrates Thirtieth Anniversary, Fiftieth Red Rocks Show
It doesn't get much more Colorado than the String Cheese Incident. The band formed in Crested Butte in 1993 from a group of rag-tag ski bums who went on to pioneer the jamgrass genre, create a record label and two music festivals, and be inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2021. Each year, SCI plays a three-night run at Red Rocks, and this year included its fiftieth show, making it one of the bands to play the storied venue the most times. The band also marked its thirtieth anniversary this year, celebrating on the Rocks July 14-16 with its loyal fans.
Bill Bass (right) at Reggae on the Rocks.
courtesy Josh Timmermans
On January 13 this year, Colorado lost one of its last true indie promoters: Bill Bass. The 71-year-old passed away on a fishing trip in Mexico. Bass helped to construct the healthy music scene Colorado boasts today, starting out at Fey Concerts and later founding Small Axe Concerts in 1994, which became Bill Bass Concerts. He created Reggae on the Rocks in 1988 and brought Widespread Panic to Red Rocks, where the jam band plays yearly. “Bottom line is, Bill loved being a promoter. He didn’t need to be big, he just loved doing shows,” said Angie Bass, his wife of 27 years. Lauryn Hill's Ball Arena Concert
Lauryn Hill went on tour with the Fugees this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of her seminal debut hip-hop album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which earned her a record-setting five Grammys in 1998. The tour came to Denver's Ball Arena on November 2, and Hill lived up to her reputation, taking the stage two hours later than the listed start time. While many audience members left before the show started, it was worth it if you stayed, with the Fugees bringing Hill out for remixed versions of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "Ready or Not."
Les Claypool Takes the Frog Brigade to Denver
The bassist Les Claypool may be best known for his band Primus, but he also has been a part of numerous supergroups through the years, such as Oysterhead and the Claypool Lennon Delirium. This year, he resurrected Colonel Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade to play Pink Floyd's Animals on tour once more, coming to Denver not once, but twice — in the spring and the fall. Claypool will be back again next year, this time with Primus, when he plays Red Rocks alongside Puscifer and A Perfect Circle on April 25 and 26.
Dead & Co.'s Final Tour
Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart joined forces with John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge and Jay Lane for Dead & Co.'s final tour this summer, which came to Folsom Field for a three-night run starting July 1. While many fans were left disappointed by the April news that original Grateful Dead and Dead & Co. member Bill Kreutzmann was bowing out of the tour, the vibes were all high in Boulder for the shows, which also saw Mayer asking for kindness ahead of his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift's Denver dates.
Tool Takes Over Blue Arena
Tool is so used to playing Ball Arena that frontman Maynard James Keenan said "Hello, Denver!" when greeting the audience in Loveland at Blue Arena (formerly Budweiser Events Center). The prog-rock band naturally sold out the 7,200-capacity venue, where fans got to take in a killer set list that included such hits as "Rosetta Stoned," "Jambi" and "Stink Fist," as well as newer songs like "Culling Voices" and "Pneuma." It was the first time Tool played "Rosetta Stoned" with vocals since 2009; dozens of audience members missed it, though, because they were kicked out for taking videos with their phones. Their next chance will be on February 5, when Tool returns to play Ball Arena.
