The ten best green rooms in Denver and Boulder

See Also: - Denver's ten biggest hipster bars - Boulder's five biggest hipster bars - Five best midsize venues in LoDo and Ballpark - Denver's ten best karaoke bars

The green room is a mythical place to a lot of people, and rightly so: It's a closely guarded inner sanctum of sorts where artists chill before their sets, smoking their smoke, drinking their drinks and generally co-opting the marketing mantra of Las Vegas -- you know, what happens in the green room... Knowing that these are places that rank and file music fans rarely get to see, we've compiled a list of the ten best green rooms in the metro area, complete with photos (well, the ones we were allowed to shoot, anyway), so that you can glimpse where the magic happens before and after the show. Page down to take advantage of your backstage pass.

10. Herman's Hideaway, 1578 South Broadway, Denver In the basement of this south Broadway venue sits two hidden-away rooms filled with musty-yet-comfortable furniture. The old couches and autographed walls are covered in a layer of old smoke, and the stench of cheap beer. Herman's boasts a great stage and a cool bar, but the green rooms are dated and need a little upkeep. Nonetheless, that's how a green room should be, and artists should be able to feel both comfortable, and at home.

9. The Fox Theatre, 1128 13th Street, Boulder Inside of Boulder's famed music spot on the Hill, which has born many big names -- early shows for Pretty Lights when he had a live drummer, the boys from 3Oh!3 used to deliver sandwiches next door at Jimmy Johns -- is also one of the most comfortable green rooms around. Two sets of stairs allow for access, while a connecting hallway/room lies directly underneath the stage. Given the Fox's cozy capacity, the green room offers a welcome solace from the insanity that Boulder's newly renovated venue attracts. (No photo available, as the Fox is currently undergoing renovations.)

8. Cervantes Other Side, 2637 Welton Street, Denver The green room for the Other Side is located directly beneath the stage and main floor in the venue. At the bottom of the stairs leading from back stage, the room opens into a large lounge with couches, a refrigerator and lots of signatures. For the most part, this is a pretty common area for artists, friends and anyone who likes milking the talent for free booze. It happens all the time. (No photo: The Other Side's green room "was not to be put in print," according to management, when we asked to shoot it.)

7. The Fillmore Auditorium, 1510 Clarkson Street Behind the stage at the Fillmore are several production rooms and green rooms, along with vending for food and some bathrooms. When your favorite artists are making their way to the stage, the area is closed off with a curtain, so paparazzi can't snap a photo or two. When this happens, fans flock to the curtain in an attempt to catch a candid glimpse of their favorite artist. For the artists themselves, it's a short walk from the comfort and privacy of the green room.

6. 1STBANK Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane, Broomfield The green rooms at the 1STBANK Center are located in the typical backstage location at the east end of the venue. Because the venue is so large and accommodates the arena-tour musicians, the green rooms are very well maintained. With perfect lighting and hotel-ready furnishings, this series of rooms takes the cake on quality. With such vast productions, it's expected that these green rooms will be the best. Arena tours require such a large production staff that they need to take care of, and 1STBANK seems to do it right.

5. Beta Nightclub, 1909 Blake Street

Seeing as how Beta has been named the top dance club in the States, it's only fair to conclude that the green room is equally as epic. With acts like Pauly D, Skrillex and 12th Planet passing through the doors of this world-renowned club, the green room has to be in tip-top shape. Since it's all DJs that stay, you can bet that the amount of champagne consumed on any given night rivals even that of the most epic happy hours. Should you ever get the chance to get behind the DJ booth and back in the green room, you will be in the presence of walls that were in the presence of greatness. That's kind of cool. (No photo: Beta's management declined our request to shoot the club's green room.)

The green room at City Hall is massive (not pictured). Connected to the communal portion of the venue, which also happens to double as Club 2AM when the rest of the lights go out, the green room can hold nearly fifty people. Not that any artist needs fifty people back stage, but for larger events that require a grand production, this is the best one around. With multiple couches, tables and access to hydration, this green room is easily the most comfortable in the downtown area. Its seclusion from the stage is minimal, but security is always on point with ensuring artist privacy.

3. Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison There is an entire network of rooms and tunnels underneath the stage at Red Rocks. With the biggest acts in the world passing through, the green rooms need to be on-point. The on-site catering company takes care of the food, which is always delicious, hot and fresh, while the hospitality crew takes care of any other problems. Artist riders can be complex, and this helps them know that all details have been appropriately accounted for. Red Rocks takes care of its artists in the best way possible, and its green rooms attest to this.

2. The Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax Avenue In 2011, the Ogden Theatre sold 112,643 tickets to shows at the Colfax venue. That's a lot of tickets. That's a lot of shows. That's a lot of musicians piling into the venue to take over the green room. Artists know when they come to Denver to expect something amazing, and that goes for all aspects of the tour stop. The green room at the Ogden sees the most popular music acts currently touring, so you know it's one for the books.

1. Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 Welton Street, Denver This famed green room has seen the likes of the biggest names in hop-hop from Jedi Mind Tricks to Method Man and Redman, and even most recently Mos Def and Talib Kweli. While also playing host to rising acts in live music, the green room located at stage-left comes with a bathroom, a shower and, usually, a fully stocked refrigerator. Ask any local musician who has played at Cervantes' Ballroom and chances are they will have a crazy green room story for you.