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Denver's dance card filling up

2010 already to be a big year for live music

by Matt Farley

Metromix
January 5, 2010

Politics might have been nasty, the economy might have sucked and the Broncos may have been a disappointment, but at least Denver had some great concerts going for it in 2009. 2010 already looks to be on a similar track, with some of the most sought-after bands making plans to party in the Mile High City before the year is out. Assuming you still have some means of making money to spend on tickets (something you may have heard oldtimers refer to as a "job"), the musical future looks bright.

George Clinton and Parliament

Fillmore Auditorium - 1510 Clarkson St. - 17th Avenue / Up Town

P-funk progenitor George Clinton tears the roof off the FIllmore. About as funky as you can get in January.

Howie Day

Bluebird Theater - 3317 E. Colfax Ave. - Denver

Singer-songwriter Howie Day comes back to town just months after his last visit.

Slayer with Megadeath

Magness Arena - 2240 E. Buchtel Blvd - Denver

Look out: It's called the Midwinter Melee for a reason. Slayer's American Carnage Tour makes a special stop at DU.

Alice in Chains

Fillmore Auditorium - 1510 Clarkson St. - 17th Avenue / Up Town

After a long fight back from the death of their former lead singer in 2002, Alice in Chains has emerged once again as a cohesive band.

Switchfoot

The Ogden Theatre - 935 E. Colfax Ave. - 17th Avenue / Up Town

This San Diego outfit's songs range from Christian parables to aggro rock, but one thing is constant: They know how to put on a killer show.

Bon Jovi with Dashboard Confessional

Pepsi Center - 1000 Chopper Cir - Denver

Now, this is an interesting pairing. Dashboard Confessional has expanded well beyond acoustic emo in the past decade, but it remains to be seen if Bon Jovi's über-mainstream fans will hang with Chris Carraba's angst.

Vampire Weekend

The Ogden Theatre - 935 E. Colfax Ave. - 17th Avenue / Up Town

The indie band of the moment is headed to the Ogden just in time to celebrate their new album, "Contra."

Jay-Z with Young Jeezy

Pepsi Center - 1000 Chopper Cir - Denver

The greatest living rapper continues his world takeover with a show at the Pepsi Center. No Auto-Tune here.

John Mayer

Pepsi Center - 1000 Chopper Cir - Denver

Depending on who you listen to, John Mayer is either the smolderingly sexy heir to Eric Clapton's guitar throne or the most undeserving bastard in pop music. Either way, he's coming to Denver.

Michael Bublé

Pepsi Center - 1000 Chopper Cir - Denver

"The most likable performer on Earth" is set to sweep Denver off its feet. Bonus trivia: He's totally Canadian. Just thought we'd throw that out there.

Taylor Swift

Pepsi Center - 1000 Chopper Cir - Denver

OMG! Taylor Swift is playing at the Pepsi Center! Seriously, she's growing on us. Especially after we saw her in nerd glasses in the video for "You Belong With Me." Best. Girl Next Door. Ever.

Owl City

The Ogden Theatre - 935 E. Colfax Ave. - 17th Avenue / Up Town

While some of us are having trouble getting over Owl City's shameless similarity to The Postal Service, approximately 500 billion teenage girls seem to love him anyway. Get up close and personal at the Ogden.

B.B. King

Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre - 950 13th St. - Denver

The 84-year-old bluesman and his guitar Lucille show no signs of slowing down. We don't even know what else to say except that we hope we're this cool when we're 84. Actually, we wish we were this cool at 24.

U2 with The Fray

Sports Authority Field at Mile High - 1701 Bryant St. - Denver

Arguably the biggest band since the Beatles, U2 will bring the largest (and most expensive) portable stage in the world with them to Invesco Field. Kneel before Bono!

Vans Warped Tour 2010

Sports Authority Field at Mile High - 1701 Bryant St. - Denver

Though Warped has generally traded in ska and hardcore for screamo and suburban thrash, the so-called "punk rock summer camp" is still one of the best bargains in the concert business.