Aug 14–16: Tribute Bands, Sold-Out Sets, and a Whole Lot of Choices
The dog days of August in Denver come with a consolation prize: an absolutely stacked club calendar. This weekend, Aug 14–16, the mid-size rooms are doing what they do best — a little of everything, none of it phoned in. Here's where to point yourself.
Thursday, Aug 14 is the tribute-band pilgrimage night. The Oriental Theater throws a genuinely inspired double bill — tributes to Oingo Boingo and DEVO under one roof, which is exactly the kind of new-wave fever dream that Berkeley room was built for. If your tastes run heavier, Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom brings dubstep force Riot Ten to the big floor. Prefer something with a slower burn? The Bluebird Theater hosts Riff Wood with Willowake, and Globe Hall kicks off its weekend with DWLLRS on the "One of Those Nights Tour," with thebandfriday opening — brisket and indie-pop, the Globeville special.
Friday, Aug 15 is the night of hard choices, so read carefully. The Gothic Theatre hands its stage to Die Spitz, one of the more talked-about young punk bands going. The Bluebird counters with WILLIS, plus zzzahara and The Flooks. The Hi-Dive goes heavier with Primitive Ring, backed by Cleaner and Cherry Spit. Cervantes' keeps the dance floor moving with MEMBA and Manila Killa. Globe Hall offers Orca with the Spencer Marlyn Band, and Larimer Lounge spotlights Haven Madison. That's six strong Friday options in six different rooms — build your night accordingly, and maybe make peace now with everything you're going to miss.
Saturday, Aug 16 brings the weekend home. The headline here is a warning: Nine Vicious at Cervantes' is SOLD OUT, so if you don't already have a ticket, this is your cue to find another door. Plenty are open. The Hi-Dive hosts Texas cowpunk favorites Vandoliers with Mya Byrne — a rowdy, big-hearted show that suits that room perfectly. Globe Hall winds down with Bitter Boxer, and Larimer Lounge closes the weekend with waxpool.
A few things worth flagging as you plan. This is a weekend where geography does you favors: the Bluebird and Colfax anchor one pole, Hi-Dive and South Broadway another, RiNo's Larimer Lounge a third, and Globe Hall up in Globeville rewarding anyone willing to make the trek north (again: smokehouse). You can reasonably chain two shows in a night if you plan your rooms — a Colfax start at the Bluebird, say, then wherever the evening pulls you.
The tribute night deserves one more word, because the Oingo Boingo and DEVO pairing at the Oriental is the sleeper pick of the weekend. Tribute shows get a reflexive eye-roll from people who've never actually been to a good one, but a room full of people who know every "whip it" cue is its own kind of joy — no barrier between the stage and the crowd, just shared devotion at high volume. The Oriental's 1927 bones and the neighborhood's easy energy make it the right setting for exactly that.
And if punk is your religion, the Die Spitz show at the Gothic is the one to circle. That 1929 Art Deco room has a way of making a rising band feel like a main event, and the sightlines mean you'll actually see the chaos instead of just hearing it.
The through-line this weekend, as ever in Denver, is abundance. Three nights, ten-plus shows, at least one sold-out room already telling you the locals are paying attention. Pick your poison, wear the right shoes, and don't sleep on the tribute night.
Sources: Bluebird Theater; Globe Hall Events; Cervantes' Events