Tom Murphy

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at the Bluebird Theater.

JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION @ BLUEBIRD THEATER | 6/15/13
Saving one of the most blistering numbers of the show for the end of the set, Jon Spencer and the Blues Explosion cut loose with "Blues X Man." Making his way to the front of the stage amid a squall of sculpted feedback, Spencer offered up a volley of burning asphalt guitar leads, clearly aware that he was playing to a crowd that loved his brand of primitivism. Spencer and the rest of the band -- Judah Bauer and Russell Simins -- never skimped on the energy during the set. By the end of the show, Spencer was dripping with sweat.

See also:
- Jon Spencer on working with R.L. Burnside like being in the presence of an eternal god
- Lighting it up with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
- A member of Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion maps his own road

GETO BOYS @ SUMMIT MUSIC HALL | 6/14/13
Stepping on stage with an eager swagger, lead by Donny Hathaway's "Little Ghetto Boy," Scarface was the first of the Geto Boys to greet the crowd. The rapper, who visited Denver on his own last fall, announced that all three member of the outfit were in the building as advertised, igniting the crowd. Scarface pumped up the crowd with two songs before the crowd essentially demanded that Willie D and Bushwick Bill join him. Scarface has always been a popular member of the Houston-based act, but the crowd was clearly just as hyped to see his cohorts, Willie D, even chanting his name, and Bushwick Bill.

See also:
- Ask Willie D: My boyfriend was offended when I asked for an STD test. What now?
- Ask Willie D: Help! I'm in love with a stripper: What do I do?
- Ask Willie D: Not attracted to my husband. What should I do?

Brandon Marshall

DeVotchKa's Nick Urata at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony. Slide show: DeVotchKa, Amanda Palmer and fans at Red Rocks

DEVOTCHKA & THE COLORADO SYMPHONY @ RED ROCKS | 6/14/13
Sharing the spotlight with an orchestra of more than fifty members, DeVotchKa ran the risk of getting lost in the shuffle on stage at Red Rocks. Then came the aerialists, who climbed high above the stage via slim stretches of fabric and performed complex, gravity-defying acrobatic routines. Add in the guest appearance by an opera singer, the flashy light show that spanned more than an hour and the majestic scope of the venue itself, and it's easy to see how DeVotchKa's music could be overshadowed, but that didn't happen.

See also:
- Slide show: DeVotchKa, Amanda Palmer and fans at Red Rocks
- DeVotchKa and the Colorado Symphony at Red Rocks, 9/20/12
- The members of DeVotchKa found success by following their own muse

Tom Murphy

THE DANDY WARHOLS @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 6/11/12
When Peter Holmström put on his orange Telecaster and Zia McCabe strapped on a bass guitar rather than helming the Moog she plays most of the time, you knew what song was coming: "Bohemian Like You," of course, the band's biggest hit to date. By now you'd think the Dandys had played it into the ground, yet Courtney Taylor-Taylor put so much gusto into the vocals it was easy to get swept into the song, and that spirit of rediscovery and renewal coursed through the entire show.

See also:
- Review: The Dandy Warhols at the Gothic Theatre, 6/12/12
- The Dandy Warhols' Peter Holmstrom on going from major to indie
- The Dandy Warhols' Courtney Taylor-Taylor wanders through celebreality

Eric Gruneisen. Slide show: Umphrey's McGee and fans at Red Rocks

UMPHREY'S MCGEE @ RED ROCKS | 6/7/13
It didn't take long for Umphrey's McGee to show off its chops. The dense solos, the dizzying melodic runs and the complicated rhythms came almost immediately after the sextet took the stage, and it was a good twenty minutes before the band took a breather for their first song break. But the heroes of the modern prog-rock and jam band scene didn't exhaust themselves with that immediate show of skill. It was only a taste of the frenetic, mathematical and virtuosic show to come, a performance that spanned more than three hours. Though the band's long-form improvs had the occasional rambling feel, the music never lacked energy and the audience never lacked patience.

See also:
- Slide show: Umphrey's McGee and fans at Red Rocks
- Umphrey's McGee's Joel Cummins on the act's elaborate hand signals/cues
- Review: Umphrey's McGee at Red Rocks, 7/3/11

Jon Solomon

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS @ GOTHIC THEATRE | 6/8/12
As good as the Psychedelic Furs' records are, there is just something about seeing Richard Butler, who was all smiles on this night, and hearing his heartfelt thank yous at the end of various songs, and then seeing the collective happiness of those who are still very clearly into the band, that added to the impact of the music.

See also:
- Tim Butler on the Psychedelic Furs being like Roxy Music with the attitude of the Pistols
- Furs Trade: Richard Butler preps a new record and ponders his band's former glitz
- My moment with John Hughes

Tom Murphy

Fear on stage at the Marquis Theater in Denver last night

FEAR @ MARQUIS THEATER | 6/4/13
With his characteristic enigmatic smile, Lee Ving looked up at the crowd after making sure his guitar was ready to go and said, "This is a classic sing-along," before he and the band went into "I Love Livin' in the City." With that, the crowd surged forward and a circle pit got going, with people completely cutting loose.

See also:
- A few matchmaking suggestions for the also-rans
- Ten great punk songs about going vegetarian
- Hey, Ronnie! 10 best punk songs about Reagan

Eric Gruneisen

Alice Cooper on stage at Red Rocks last night. Slide show: Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson at Red Rocks

ALICE COOPER / MARILYN MANSON @ RED ROCKS | 6/3/13
The moment everyone was waiting for and had to guess was coming came at the very end of the show, when Alice Cooper came back on stage for his encore. As the familiar strains of "I'm Eighteen" drew cheers from the crowd, Alice took the first verse of the song, and then Marilyn Manson came up on stage and sang the second verse before the two shared the choruses of one of Cooper's most iconic songs. One of the most memorable moments of the show, it wasn't so much a torch passing as a sign of mutual respect.

See also:
- Slide show: Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson at Red Rocks
- Alice Cooper on how Tiger and Elvis are probably, definitely, aliens
- Manson on Hunter S. Thompson being the worst father figure in the best way

Brandon Marshall. Slide show: The xx and fans at the Fillmore

THE XX @ FILLMORE AUDITORIUM | 6/3/13
Clad in black and appearing every bit as mysterious and guarded as their music implies, the xx stepped on stage, strapped on its gear and began playing "Try" from its sophomore album, Coexist. The siren-like drone from Jamie Smith's synthesizer set the tone for the night: The crowd may have been ready to hear some sexed-up jams (which much of the xx's music is certainly suited for), but the band was not going to turn this into an arena-sized makeout party. Sure, we'd get "Shelter," but we'd have to wait for it.

See also:
- Slide show: The xx and fans at the Fillmore
- The xx's Jamie Smith on how the food is better here than in England
- Jamie Smith of the xx on mixing oil and water and how it applies to his London band

Eric Gruneisen. Slide show: Taylor Swift and fans at the Pepsi Center

TAYLOR SWIFT @ PEPSI CENTER | 6/2/13
Taylor Swift knows what people say about her. She's heard it all -- the rumors, the criticism, the constant derision. She knows, as she acknowledged a few times during her performance at the Pepsi Center last night, but she doesn't care. Why should she? Coming off the major success of her latest album, she no longer has anything to prove. To anyone. And the Red Tour is a celebration of that new Taylor: acutely self-aware, resolute, strong and sexy. This is Taylor 2.0, and she is one helluva force to be reckoned with.

See also:
- Slide show: Taylor Swift and fans at the Pepsi Center
- A compilation of Taylor Swift's surprised, shocked and awe-struck faces
- Ten things Taylor Swift taught us about love