Why Fort Collins is Finally Getting the Music Scene it Deserves

If the construction is of any indication, Fort Collins is growing very rapidly. From the Old Town Square project to the new Foothills Mall, the city is getting bigger, better and busier, and the music scene is no exception.

In the past, Fort Collins wasn’t a place musicians would consider a major stop on their tour. Now, the city is attracting far more than the occasional national act. At the 2015 Taste of Fort Collins event, the city snagged Andy Grammer, Atlas Genius, and The Mowgli’s as headliners. Thousands of people stopped by to see these bands and more, and The Mowgli’s even returned for a show at the nearby Mishawaka Amphitheatre in September.

Clearly the market is there for Northern Colorado shows. Along with the population of the Fort Collins and Loveland area, Fort Collins is almost the same driving distance to Laramie, Wyoming as it is to Denver. This makes it a good middle ground for residents of Wyoming, a state that often get glossed over in favor of Denver and Salt Lake City on tours.

Changes are being made in Fort Collins that are rapidly working towards capitalizing on this market. The Aggie generally books a few big national acts a year- one of the more recent being Awolnation, famous for the grungy alternative hit “Sail.” They’ve played The Aggie more than once, despite headlining the 17,000 capacity Big Gig at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre this July. This shows a value in the atmosphere that Fort Collins has that keeps musicians coming back and fosters an interest for bands who have never visited.

The Aggie can’t do it all, though. One of the issues with the venue, as the most well-known in the area, is that it is not always suited to the needs of local acts. Fort Collins has a very high amount of local bands, and the truth is that it doesn’t make financial sense to have some of the smaller acts headline the 650-person Aggie. For musicians, it’s almost always best to start small. There’s a better chance at getting a sold out show if the venue is right, and for the locals there aren’t too many options.

Recently, venues like The Downtown Artery are helping the cause. The Artery offers up a much smaller space that is reminiscent of the Hi-Dive or Larimer Lounge in Denver. With a capacity of around 300, The Artery is nearly half the size of the other concert venues around town. As local acts grow steadily within the music portions of restaurants and events around town, this venue is going to be a major stepping stone for them.

Changes are happening on a wider scope at the same time. The Aggie was recently bought up by the crew behind Cervantes’ Masterpiece. Cervantes’ is a pair of connected venues in Denver that focus on indie electronic acts. The current owners took it on as a project in 2010, revamping everything from the sound to the stage. They are doing the same thing with their acquisition of The Aggie. Infusing a little bit of the Denver style into Fort Collins is going to bring big improvements.

Different things are happening all at once in the Fort Collins music industry. Many of them are much-needed, and all of them are going to help the city evolve into the music hub that its residents are ready for it to be.