Looking to get low in the mile-high city? Want your mountains with a side of music? Your altitude with a hit of attitude? Denver beckons.

Previously known for its biking tracks and laidback brand of hipster cool, Denver is a city on the move, on the cusp of being an alpine Portland, or an Austin with better air quality.

Denver has it all but doesn’t need to brag about it.

They’ve got the craft beer, the trendy eateries, and a buzzing live music scene that is not beholden to any one genre, or any corporate benefactors.

If you want to encounter music in an organic, unfussy environment with relaxed, cooler-than-thou urbanites, Denver is your new mecca.

Let’s get rocking in the Rockies with the 15 best Denver music venues.

1. Bluebird Theater

A big player within the Denver creative community, headlining a show at Bluebird is something of a dream for all the mountain-dwelling musicians out there. 

Opened in 1913, its roots as a movie theatre are evident in the mid-century charm, retro facades, and nostalgic vitality of the venue.

Any local you meet will sing Bluebirds’ praises and it is lauded for being the anchor that holds the up-and-coming, trendy East Colfax neighborhood together.

Three tiers of standing room and an alluring, intimate balcony allow you to engage with the show on your terms.

The storied building, with its vintage marquee sign, has been included on the National Register of Historic Places.

2. Lion’s Lair

All the goodness of an eccentric, irreverent dive bar without any of the seedy regulars, Lion’s Lair is Denver’s reigning punk emporium, conveniently set in a delightfully scuzzy basement setting.

After it shuttered during the pandemic, heartsick locals raised over $34,000 to keep this mecca of cheap beer ‘n cheap thrills alive. 

The stage is discreet and tucked away, helping foster the buzzy, amicable, communal energy that reigns supreme at the Lair.

While punk is their crowning achievement, they welcome anyone who wants to break into the music scene, whether that be a reggae act, a bluegrass soloist, or even a metal band.

3. Ogden Theater

Located in the hipster haven of Capitol Hill, Ogden is a general admission-only paradise where a no-frills ethos meets an artistic, enviably cool patronage.

With two to five live sell-out shows a week, Ogden has cultivated an organic buzz and an ineffable sense of authority in Denver’s saturated live music community.

It is a lively furnace of exploration and attracts a passionate, fiery crowd who live, breathe, and dream live music.

The opulent lighting has a distinct Twin Peaks aura and the interiors allow room to dance, mingle, drink, and reflect. 

4. Red Rocks Amphitheater

Hailed as one of the most strikingly beautiful music venues in the world, Red Rocks was formed by good ol’ mother nature, and is, effectively, Denver’s oldest music venue.

The namesake red rocks are a jarring, sublime sight to behold, and the Denver city skyline, fifteen miles away, glows in the distance during evening shows.

The Beatles and Grateful Dead graced the stage back in the day and took advantage of the desert acoustics and the communal, free-love cadence of the spectators. 

Red Rocks Amphitheater has a warm, inviting atmosphere despite its nearly 10K capacity, and it is a sheer delight for family outings, memorable dates, and lush summer nights. 

5. Summit Music Hall

A dynamic, 12,500-square-foot Summit plays host to punk and metal and is the larger, rowdier sister to rock heavyweight Marquis.

Summit plays host to spirited, debauched headliners, often to a packed room exceeding one thousand patrons.

But it also lovingly and passionately promotes up-and-comers and smaller shows in the front half of the venue, the evocatively named Moon Room.

From the spacious standing-room-only dance floor to the bar to the balcony, you can absorb the insatiable energy from all vantage points.

6. Mission Ballroom

With a capacity of 4000, some of the most enduring and iconic names in alt and rock history have graced the stage at Mission – think Judas Priest, Fleet Foxes, and Lord Huron.

All that in the space of four years, when Mission, with its intentionality and singular focus, first made its mark on Denver’s already thriving live music scene 

Located in the creative and innovative RiNo art district, it embodies the open-hearted, expansive core of Denver’s multifarious microgenres and micro-scenes.

Its large dance floor beckons and the professionally apportioned lighting fixtures cultivate a high-energy, theatrical ambiance.

You are welcome at Mission, whatever your poison – bluegrass, EDM, techno, rock, and beyond.

7. Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox

A wildly eclectic venue with a boudoir silhouette that belies its past life as a brothel, Ophelia blends spectacle, theatricality, and community to wildly immersive effects.

Dining tables on the ground floor and balcony are all positioned to face the stage and innovative, sublime appetizers play a supporting role in the sumptuous live shows.

No part of the ambiance and decor of Ophelia’s was left to chance and the sumptuous interiors, throbbing lights, and immersive shows all combine to create an unfettered, unflinching good time. 

Whether you want an evening of Dionysian excess or a retro-fabulous night of cheeky nineties cringers, Ophelia’s is a peerless space for hedonism and debauchery.

If you are lucky you can even hear legendary composer Wes Watkins perform. 

8. Dazzle

An atmospheric, elegant, well-appointed venue, Dazzle was voted one of the 100 best Jazz bars in the world by DownBeat Magazine. 

This supper club meets jazz lounge is an intimate, alluring, and elevated experience for the nights when you want a hearty dose of sophisticated fun.

Occupying Denver’s 150-year-old Baur Confectionary Building, Dazzle has an old-world charm and a thoughtful schedule of events, from nightly dinner shows to buzzy weekend brunches.

Dazzle welcomes foodies and serious music aficionados alike, and they aim to cultivate a space where reverence for tone, texture, and melody takes precedence over all else.

9. Larimer Lounge

Denver’s live music staple Larimer Lounge embodies an incisive, almost academic commitment to the craft, and they have an unwavering commitment to championing the music of newcomers.

It is not uncommon for an unknown headliner at Larimer to become a big name in the indie and alt-rock scene in the years that follow. Starmaker, anyone?

With a relaxed, inviting ambiance, Larimer is graced with fairy lights, locally-crafted murals, and unfussy picnic tables. 

Larimer also hosts DJ sets, EDM shows, and buzzy mini-festivals, perfect for a full-fledged weekend session.

10. Marquis Theater

Denver’s preeminent rock, punk, and metal venue, Marquis is an organic space where you can indulge in pizza, wear 99-cent jeans from the bargain bin, and do some moshing free of judgment.

Whether it is an indie act with an audacious edge or a nation-touring act with a legion of loyal fans, Marquis plays host to charismatic acts big and small. 

Located in an unassuming retro building, Marquis has ample dance floor space for bopping and moshing and has a well-designed seating section with high-quality stage views. 

11. Nocturne

An evocative name and evocative space, Nocturne allows you to indulge in relaxed, resplendent sophistication with craft cocktails and lush jazz.

Located in RiNo, the arts district we have already visited above with Mission Ballroom, Nocturne is housed in a two-level warehouse that has been repurposed to a trendy, minimalist effect.

Their revered artist-in-residence program allows spectators and fans to enjoy the sounds and creations of accomplished musicians for six to eight-week stints.

If you want a culinary experience to remember, Nocturne also offers five-course meals created with the same degree of care, intention, and expertise that the musicians onstage bring to their sonic creations.

12. Lost Lake Lounge

Located on the enticingly dingy Colfax Street, Lost Lake is true blue Denver: authentic, invitingly unrefined, and unflappably easygoing.

Their kitschy, retro-rolling-rink logo is just the beginning of the campy, endearing allure that makes Lost Lake such a peerless cultural experience. 

The bar is well-appointed and stocked with an array of craft beer and sweetly pretentious cocktails and the space is intimate, with moody lighting and cozy high-tops. 

If you love indie and thrive off of hearing a band at the cusp of critical acclaim, Lost Lake is the genuine, cerebral, downtempo space you need.

13. Grizzly Rose

For the two-stepping souls among us, Denver has something for you, too, in the form of honky-tonk dancehall Grizzly Rose.

Groovy, poetic name aside, Grizzly Rose is everything you’d expect from an exuberant, unrestrained country mainstay: hardwood floors, mechanical bulls, and a straightforward, amicable ambiance.

Nashville’s biggest names have done a stint at Grizzly Rose, but their real draw is their nightly live music, where original tunes and tried-and-true sing-along classics share space. 

If you don’t take yourself too seriously, you can also learn to line dance.

14. Mercury Cafe

Homespun, kitschy, and bohemian to its very heart, Mercury Cafe is a whimsical and charming ode to the creative and visual arts.

They celebrate music, dance, poetry, theater, and music and they champion the transcendental magic of creative expressionism.

Mercury is all about creating a space for the flourishing of humanism and is a living celebration of community-based, grassroots culture – a world away from the corporate hand of the market.

Radiohead even played to a small gathering of loyal, fervent patrons before they hit it big in the early nineties. 

15. Ball Arena

If you don’t mind the glitter, the commercialist appeal, and the stadium chaos of a big-name venue, Ball Arena is your own personal Eden.

With a capacity of 20,000, Ball Arena plays host to the biggest acts in hip-hop, pop, rock, and country and is the venue of choice for any world-famous act who wants to drop in and visit their Rockies fanbase. 

Ball Arena generally hosts ticketed events only but if you are looking for a memorable concert in a thriving, culturally animated city, this will be your gratifying ground zero. 

Whether you’re into The Killers, Elton John, or Panic! At the Disco, you’ll want to book in advance to ensure you get the best seats in the house. 

Best Denver Music Venues – Final Thoughts

We would put money on Denver being the next big thing on the U.S. cultural map.

It has the effortless, relaxed atmosphere of a city that is comfortable with its heritage and its roots, but it has the buzzy exuberance of a place enjoying its turn in the limelight. 

Denver’s best live music venues run the gamut, from luxe jazz lounges to gritty watering holes, to enchanting, quirky cafes, to brazen punk dives.

Call in sick for work this week, requisition a flight, and rock the Rockies with abandon.

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