Ophelia's Reopened With Flobots, Polish Ambassador

Ophelia's Electric Soapbox will have its grand re-opening this weekend, with legendary Denver group Flobots performing on Friday, October 25, followed by a two-night run by the Polish Ambassador.

The restaurant/music venue, which originally opened in 2015, was sold in August to Eric Pirritt, the founder of ENDIT Presents and former president of Live Nation's Colorado branch, which he retired from last October. According to Justin Cucci, who previously owned the spot under Edible Beats, he "thought somebody who has their hands in the music business and has been successful in the music business is exactly who needs to take over."

Pirritt says he "couldn't say no" to the offer to buy Ophelia's; he had been going to the club since its beginnings. When we first reported on the deal, he told us that he "wouldn't do anything close to an overhaul," but would shift the atmosphere to being more music-focused than restaurant-focused.

That's where booker Randall Frazier comes in. He had designed the venue's original sound system and worked as a booker and sound engineer before shifting to do sound engineering at Levitt Pavilion for several years. Now he's back and ready to bring even more high-caliber talent to Ophelia's, which had closed after the sale so that he and his team could revamp the sound system. "When it's running correctly, it's the best-sounding room in the city," he told us.

Frazier will maintain the any-genre-welcome booking strategy he's applied as a booker for such spots as Mercury Cafe, the Walnut Room and Globe Hall. Some things will stay the same at Ophelia's; for example, Lipgloss, the long-running New Wave indie dance party by Michael Trundle, will continue its brunches at a quarterly pace (the first will happen on November 10).

There are many other shows on Ophelia's event calendar, too, with listings including Nappy Roots, Pink Hawks and even a performance by Widespread Panic's Jojo Hermann.

As Frazier says: "The way I like to think of it is we're going to bring Ophelia's back to its full potential."

Flobots at 9 p.m. Friday, October 25, and Polish Ambassador, 9 p.m. Saturday, October 26, and 8 p.m. Sunday, October 27, at Ophelia's Electric Soapbox, 1215 20th Street. Tickets are available at opheliasdenver.com.