When It comes to music venues in Colorado, some stand above the rest. There are opportunities to hear great live music wherever you go, but some venues are world-renowned for their exceptional acoustics, deep lists of alumni, and rich history. Here are some of the venues that have defined the music tastes of Coloradans for decades.
- Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison
No other venue in the Centennial State is more well-known than Morrison’s Red Rocks Amphitheater. With a whopping seating capacity of over 9,500, this outdoor amphitheater has boasted some of the greatest musicians of the last century, including The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and U2. Red Rocks was initially opened as a venue in 1906, but the characteristic rock formations on either side of the stage date back nearly 250 million years, and are what give the venue it’s otherworldly sound.
2. Fillmore Auditorium, Denver
The Fillmore Auditorium, located near the Colorado State Capitol Building, has been a staple of Denver’s music scene for nearly 40 years. The venue itself is much older, however. The Fillmore has a checkered past; since its inception in 1907, the building has been used as a roller skating rink, an automobile manufacturing plant, a rec center, a warehouse, a farmers market, and three separate music venues, the last of which is the Fillmore we know and love today. The venue has hosted a slew of notable musicians, including The Doors, Joe Cocker, and Jethro Tull, among others. On top of the building’s history, the Fillmore was awarded the “Best Place to Run Into a Hippie-Turned-Yuppie” by Westword Magazine due to its wide variety of audience personality.
3. Ogden Theatre, Denver
The Ogden Theatre, opened in 1919, is another historically rich example of a venue in Denver’s former industrial district. The Ogden was opened by John Thompson, who also ran another theatre on this list, the Bluebird Theatre. There are claims that Harry Houdini performed at the Ogden in the early 1920’s, even going so far as to debate Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle at one of his lectures, though these claims are disputed by historians. Even with speculation on the validity of early performances like that of Houdini, the Ogden has still accrued a record of hosting legendary musicians like Prince and Iggy Pop.
4. Fox Theatre, Boulder
The Fox Theatre, located near CU Boulder, has been a known musical powerhouse for decades. The original Fox Theatre opened in 1926 under the moniker of the Rialto Theatre, though the building burned down in April of 1960. The new building was built in 1961 as a movie theatre, but was renovated to house the current concert hall in 1991, while maintaining the look of the original theatre. The venue was rated the 4th of the best club in America by Rolling Stone magazine in 2013, and has hosted some of the most well-known modern musicians. The Fox Theatre’s alumni include Snoop Dogg, Skrillex, Wu-Tang Clan, and John Mayer.
5. Bluebird Theatre, Denver
When it comes to intimate venues, the Bluebird Theatre in Denver is as cozy as they come. Opened in 1915, the venue can house a small crowd of 550, which is minuscule compared to the large capacities of other well-known theatres in Denver, but not lacking in Atmosphere. The Theatre has been largely renovated since it’s opening, but still bears design elements of its turn-of-the-century construction. Billie Eilish, Adele, and Ed Sheeran are among the most popular musicians to perform at the Bluebird.
