City Guide: Denver's Historic Live Music Venues

Some of Denver's best live music venues are its historic cinemas and theaters. Here are some local favorites.

Gothic Theatre
(303) 788-0984
3263 S. Broadway, Englewood 80113
GothicTheatre.com

The Gothic Theatre is a short trek from downtown Denver in the southern suburb of Englewood, but it is definitely worth the trip. The theater features wonderful murals, a cozy wrap-around balcony and one of the best sound and light systems in town. The 1,000-capacity theater has always been as artistic as the movies and music it attracts. It opened in the 1920s as an art deco movie theater and once had a Chinese village mural covering the walls. The venue struggled for decades, though, until it reopened in 1999 with a show by the Rebirth Brass Band, christening Denver's best mid-sized theater. Ticket prices typically range from $5 for local bands to $30 for larger national and international acts.

Bluebird Theater
(303) 377-1666
3317 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206
BlueBirdTheater.net

The Bluebird Theater is a fully refurbished venue on a not-so-fully refurbished strip of Colfax Avenue, the longest commercial street in the U.S. The Bluebird was built in 1913 as a movie theater, and went through a variety of phases until it reopened in 1994 to host live music and occasional movies. It has an excellent and recently upgraded sound system, and good sight lines from anywhere in the tiered main floor or balcony. It is not as ornate as the Gothic, but it has its artistic flourishes. Slightly smaller than the Gothic, the Bluebird attracts the same variety of artists in about the same price range. It is also one of the few venues with regular all-ages shows, though the under-21 crowd is typically confined to the balcony.

Ogden Theatre
(303) 832-1874
935 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206
OgdenTheatre.net

The Ogden Theatre is the Bluebird's bigger brother. John Thompson built and opened both venues in the 1910s. The Ogden was a live theater for 20 years and hosted dances, vaudeville shows and famed magician Harry Houdini. It also had a long run as a movie theater, and hosted Denver's rendition of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with live actors. It only closed for about three years before reopening in 1993 as a large music venue. With a capacity of 1,650, it was one of the only venues of its size in the area, which attracted bands and their fans. At that time it was a sparsely decorated warehouse with a decent sound system, but it now sports excellent sound, sight lines and atmosphere. It is once again operated by the same company as the Bluebird, but it attracts bigger bands and higher ticket prices.

Fillmore Auditorium
(303) 837-0360
1510 Clarkson St., Denver, CO 80218
Livenation.com

The Fillmore incorporates both Denver history and national music history. The building has been a skating rink, battery factory and Mammoth Gardens, which hosted Jimi Hendrix and the Who during its heyday. It languished on prime downtown property for nearly 30 years before reopening as the Fillmore. It is a better venue than most to see bands that can sell nearly 4,000 tickets but are not quite ready for arenas.

Oriental Theater
(303) 455-2124
4335 W. 44th Ave., Denver, CO 80212
TheOrientalTheater.com

The Oriental Theater is one of the more recent-and more quirky-Denver revivals. The theater was built in the 1920s. Some of the original art remains, and the owners only took on a light remodel. The theater recently reopened with little fanfare and an eclectic mix of film, theater, music, lectures and anything else the neighborhood needed.