The Ten Biggest Denver Music Stories of 2023

The Mile High music scene seemed bigger than ever this year. While Denver welcomed several blockbuster national tours, it also gained several new local venues, as others celebrated major milestones.

Here are the ten biggest Denver music stories of 2023: Taylor Swift's Eras Tour
Love or hate her, Taylor Swift cemented her place in music history with her Eras Tour, which not only made the pop star a billionaire, but brought millions of dollars to many states, including Colorado. When Swift descended on Denver July 14 and 15, so did the Swifties, engulfing Empower Field at Mile High in glitter, friendship bracelets and lots of crying and joyful screaming. Swift became the first performer to sell out a two-night run at the stadium, and we were there to cover it all. As the Swifties showed up, we had a complete guide for the Eras Tour ready; we didn't forget the non-Swifties, either, and were sure to point out where to avoid Taylor Swift fans in Denver. And we were at the shows as well, to take in the Swiftie Super Bowl in all its glory. Openers Gracie Abrams and MUNA were seen dancing in the crowd after their sets, while Swift performed a whopping 45 songs selected from her entire discography for the three-and-a-half-hour show.
More Mega Tours
Swift wasn't the only big act to come through this year (though we're still wounded that Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour skipped out on the Mile High). Ed Sheeran also sold out Empower Field, and celebrated in style with a trip to Casa Bonita. The Eagles brought their final tour, titled "The Long Goodbye," to Ball Arena in October, while Dead & Co. played its own final shows at Folsom Field in July. Mariah Carey brought her Christmas tour, which filled Ball Arena with holiday cheer, and Lauryn Hill played the same venue (and was late to her own show, of course). We also welcomed Doja Cat, Billy Strings, Blink-182, Tool, Widespread Panic and countless more. The Red Rocks Show From Hell
Red Rocks Amphitheatre made national news this summer after concert-goers derided its response to an epic hailstorm that rocked the venue on June 21. Golf- and tennis-ball-sized hail wreaked havoc over Louis Tomlinson's show, with nearly 100 people seeking treatment for injuries and posting images to social media that showed giant welts and bruises, as well as shattered windshields and other damage to vehicles. Other videos revealed that most people were unable to find shelter, as some vendors at Red Rocks denied patrons entry to their concession stands. Many said the concert should have been canceled altogether given the predicted storm, while others lambasted the venue's delayed response to the severe weather warning sent out by the National Weather Service. Red Rocks was further slammed the next morning for its statement on Twitter (now known as X) that made light of the devastating hailstorm: "We're having a little talk with Mother Nature about this weather business at Red Rocks."
Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom Marks Its Twentieth Anniversary
This was a year for big birthdays, and Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom had one of the biggest. The venue, which includes two indoor stages — Cervantes' Other Side and the Ballroom — as well as an outdoor one, has been a steward for jam bands and EDM music alike since it opened at 2637 Welton Street in January 2003. But its history stretches back almost a century, to its days as the Casino Cabaret from the 1920s through the 1990s. Scott Morrill, the current owner, remembers that it was difficult to get people to concerts in Five Points two decades ago. Now Cervantes' is known not only as a stepping stone for local artists, but a premier spot for touring acts looking to expand their fan base.
Five Points Jazz Festival Celebrated Twenty Years
During the Jazz Age, the Five Points neighborhood was known as the "Harlem of the West," hosting such acts as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. Denver Arts & Venues has long celebrated that history with the Five Points Jazz Festival, a free showcase of jazz musicians from Denver and around the country that takes over a stretch of Welton Street as well as stages in venues like Cervantes', the Roxy Theatre, Brother Jeff's Cultural Center and more. The festival celebrated its twentieth anniversary this year, kicking off with the Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band leading a New Orleans-style parade down the street, followed by a lineup of forty acts.
Dazzle Hosts a Grand Reopening
Back in August 2022, seminal jazz club Dazzle announced that it was moving into the Denver Performing Arts Complex that November. City permitting processes slowed the momentum, though, and Dazzle remained at its home at the historic Baur's building until July, finally holding its grand reopening at 1080 14th Street this August. The new location harks back to the intimacy of the venue's early years at 930 Lincoln Street, where it opened in 1997, and spotlights the Denver jazz scene's Chicano and Hispanic roots with a collection of paintings that depict such figures as KUVO's Carlos Lando. Dazzle is also maintaining the legacy of former jazz club El Chapultepec with the El Chapultepec Piano Lounge, where you can find free late-night sets on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Herb's Celebrates Its Ninetieth Anniversary
Saxophonist Laura Newman knew she was getting a slice of history when she bought Herb's in 2001; after El Chapultepec closed, it became the longest-running jazz and blues bar in Denver. The spot has been open at 2057 Larimer Street since 1933; while it's known as a Jack Kerouac haunt, it also welcomed a roster of stellar musicians through the decades, including the Steve Miller Band and the Moody Blues. As much as its surrounding neighborhood has changed, Herb's has remained the same, offering quality music, cheap drinks and good people. The venue rang in ninety years in May — an accomplishment that enhances its status as one of the best jazz and blues clubs in Denver.
More New Venues Open
While Herb's celebrated its ninetieth birthday, other venues were just being born. The chic Orchid opened at 1448 Market Street in April, with Grammy-nominated Adam Deitch serving as consultant on both the look and the booking. Rock lovers also got a new spot with the Rickhouse, which was founded by local musicians who wanted to emulate the DIY shows of their youth. Members-only club Invisible City brought some sophisticated and immersive-art vibes to the Art District on Santa Fe, while techno and house fanatics have a spot at Stay Tuned, which just opened at 2162 Larimer Street on December 9. And two more live-music venues will open by the end of the month: the RockStar Music Hall and Event Center, which will debut on New Year's Eve inside Celebrity Lanes in Centennial, and Riot House, which opens in LoDo under the same group as Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row that same night. More venues are coming in 2024, too, with a Deadhead spot, Yonder Bar, set to open in late winter at the former Sancho's Broken Arrow location; owners of the Beacon are creating another immersive-art-centric club in RiNo, too.
The Death of Deadhead Bars
Denver is in need of that Deadhead bar now that Sancho's Broken Arrow is gone, and So Many Roads Museum and Brewery isn't far behind, with a planned closure following a handful of concerts in January. Sancho's closed in October 2022, but it wasn't until January that it settled its public nuisance case with the city. Meanwhile, So Many Roads, which has the same owner, Tyler Bishop, also was derailed; the venue had reopened in December 2022 after being forced to close for a month for selling and providing alcohol to an underage cop and distributing a controlled substance (the same sins that led to Sancho's shuttering). This past October, So Many Roads was again caught serving alcohol to a minor and forced to close for ninety days. Former owner Jay Bianchi noted on Facebook that So Many Roads would return for New Year's concerts, but predicted that a three-night run with Pink Talking Fish from January 12 to 14 would be its last hurrah.

Communal Support for HQ
After a water pipe burst outside of HQ on August 15, the venue at 60 South Broadway was forced to close. HQ Underground, the basement portion of the club that had hosted drag and burlesque shows, was completely flooded, and the nightmare only grew for venue owners Peter Ore and Scott Happell when they discovered that most Colorado insurance — including theirs — would not cover water damage caused by a source outside the building. Thankfully, the Denver music community gave HQ strong support: Fellow independent club owners took on HQ's rescheduled shows while hosting benefit concerts with local musicians eager to help; the venue was also approved for a grant from the city. In mid-November, HQ was finally able to reopen. While HQ Underground is still closed, Happell is looking on the bright side, telling Westword that the venue will take this opportunity to make some below-ground cosmetic upgrades.