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Best comedy revolution

A.C.E.'s Aspen Comedy Fringe Fest

There's been only one winner at A.C.E.'s Aspen Comedy Fringe Fest, but that's no surprise: The fest has only one act, even though it takes place at the same time as Aspen's HBO US Comedy Arts Festival. But we'd be happy to draw this card anytime: The three members of the uproarious local improv trio A.C.E. -- Canadian Barb Gehring, American Linda Klein and Englishman Matt Taylor -- are not unfunny in the least, and in fact live and die by their penchant for hurt-free, squeaky clean humor that anyone can appreciate.

Best comedy revolution

A.C.E.'s Aspen Comedy Fringe Fest

There's been only one winner at A.C.E.'s Aspen Comedy Fringe Fest, but that's no surprise: The fest has only one act, even though it takes place at the same time as Aspen's HBO US Comedy Arts Festival. But we'd be happy to draw this card anytime: The three members of the uproarious local improv trio A.C.E. -- Canadian Barb Gehring, American Linda Klein and Englishman Matt Taylor -- are not unfunny in the least, and in fact live and die by their penchant for hurt-free, squeaky clean humor that anyone can appreciate.

Best new old music hall

The Fillmore Auditorium

Bombed-out buildings in Beirut seemed to have more concert-venue potential than the Mammoth Events Center, a decrepit barn with acoustics so bad that even Beethoven might have been bothered by them. But a few million dollars and a name change later, the structure has turned into one of Denver's gems -- a place worth visiting whether or not there's a great band on stage.

Best new old music hall

The Fillmore Auditorium

Bombed-out buildings in Beirut seemed to have more concert-venue potential than the Mammoth Events Center, a decrepit barn with acoustics so bad that even Beethoven might have been bothered by them. But a few million dollars and a name change later, the structure has turned into one of Denver's gems -- a place worth visiting whether or not there's a great band on stage.

Best plan to renovate an old venue

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

The city's original ideas about how to bring this national treasure into the next century (projecting corporate logos on the rocks, building an eyesore of a terrace to pump up concession revenues) were on par with New Coke. But the public, symbolized by the grassroots organization Friends of Red Rocks, pitched such a fit that government types went back to the drawing board. The approach that resulted is a vast improvement that should shore up the structure and enhance the concert-going experience without ruining the views that have drawn people to Red Rocks for decades.

Best plan to renovate an old venue

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

The city's original ideas about how to bring this national treasure into the next century (projecting corporate logos on the rocks, building an eyesore of a terrace to pump up concession revenues) were on par with New Coke. But the public, symbolized by the grassroots organization Friends of Red Rocks, pitched such a fit that government types went back to the drawing board. The approach that resulted is a vast improvement that should shore up the structure and enhance the concert-going experience without ruining the views that have drawn people to Red Rocks for decades.

Best place to hear Public Enemy in a classical European setting

Gothic Theatre

When Public Enemy performed in town last October, Chuck D was perhaps too busy bouncing athletically around the Gothic Theatre's stage (and keeping an eye on his squirrelly partner in rhyme, Flava Flav) to comment on the venue's interior. Throughout the set, he uttered nary a word about the way the Gothic's balconies recall fifteenth-century French cathedrals, or about the rounded, Roman-influenced apses or the Italian-inspired faux frescoes that adorn the walls. But he had to have been impressed. Owner Steve Schalk -- who relied on his background in film when he restored the Englewood venue last year -- and his crew have carved a promotional niche in a crowded concert market by hosting a range of talent that reflects the baroque atmosphere of the place. Jazz artists Jimmy Smith and Joshua Redman, hip-hop figures DJ Logic and Jurassic 5, the new monthly Space rave series and the rocking-Cuban revivalism of guitarist Marc Ribot are a few of the standout offerings of the past year. The Gothic has proved to be a club with staying power, as well as a fine place to learn a bit about art history while enjoying artful sounds.

Best place to hear Public Enemy in a classical European setting

Gothic Theatre

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When Public Enemy performed in town last October, Chuck D was perhaps too busy bouncing athletically around the Gothic Theatre's stage (and keeping an eye on his squirrelly partner in rhyme, Flava Flav) to comment on the venue's interior. Throughout the set, he uttered nary a word about the way the Gothic's balconies recall fifteenth-century French cathedrals, or about the rounded, Roman-influenced apses or the Italian-inspired faux frescoes that adorn the walls. But he had to have been impressed. Owner Steve Schalk -- who relied on his background in film when he restored the Englewood venue last year -- and his crew have carved a promotional niche in a crowded concert market by hosting a range of talent that reflects the baroque atmosphere of the place. Jazz artists Jimmy Smith and Joshua Redman, hip-hop figures DJ Logic and Jurassic 5, the new monthly Space rave series and the rocking-Cuban revivalism of guitarist Marc Ribot are a few of the standout offerings of the past year. The Gothic has proved to be a club with staying power, as well as a fine place to learn a bit about art history while enjoying artful sounds.

Best concert in a club

Gil Scott-Heron at Lion's Lair on February 29, 2000

In two consecutive Denver appearances, Gil Scott-Heron proved that he is only slightly less hilarious as a comedian than he is inspiring, enduring, and right freakin' on as a musician, poet and social observer. He opened both February performances at the overly stuffed Lion's Lair (which brought new meaning to the word "intimate" that night) with an elongated monologue that could've been cribbed straight from a late-night HBO special. Yet it wasn't Scott-Heron's humor that sold out the club (twice, with lines of ticketless hopefuls extending down the block). After he took his seat behind his trademark electric piano, it was clear that his take on topics like civil rights, politics and poverty hadn't lost its poignancy or punch -- and his music hadn't lost its groove. It was an inspiring night of sounds that was as powerful as it was funky. He always said the revolution would be live.

Best concert in a club

Gil Scott-Heron at Lion's Lair on February 29, 2000

In two consecutive Denver appearances, Gil Scott-Heron proved that he is only slightly less hilarious as a comedian than he is inspiring, enduring, and right freakin' on as a musician, poet and social observer. He opened both February performances at the overly stuffed Lion's Lair (which brought new meaning to the word "intimate" that night) with an elongated monologue that could've been cribbed straight from a late-night HBO special. Yet it wasn't Scott-Heron's humor that sold out the club (twice, with lines of ticketless hopefuls extending down the block). After he took his seat behind his trademark electric piano, it was clear that his take on topics like civil rights, politics and poverty hadn't lost its poignancy or punch -- and his music hadn't lost its groove. It was an inspiring night of sounds that was as powerful as it was funky. He always said the revolution would be live.

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