(Photo courtesy Finding Josephine, Flickr Creative Commons)
For some people in Colorado the most exciting time of the year is ski season. For others it may be hunting season. But then there are those who like nothing better than to stand in a dark room full of strangers late at night and absorb the sounds of their favorite band.
This season is known as concert season, and Colorado has plenty of amazing shows coming this fall to appease any concertgoer.
Gorillaz
Concept albums tend to be, in a word, awful. When it was announced that former Blur frontman Damon Albarn had created not only a concept band, but a cartoon concept band, many doubted his ingenuity. Albarn proved everybody wrong when Gorillaz became a multiplatinum success and the band collaborated with like likes of Mos Def and Mick Jones. Any music fan would be foolish to miss their clever mixture of media and music when they come to the Wells Fargo Theatre in Denver on Oct. 24.
LCD Soundsystem with Hot Chip
James Murphy is a nerd. He knows the Talking Heads catalogue better than David Byrne. He has the same swagger and confidence on stage as David Bowie. All of these characteristics have made him arguably the best thing to happen to music in the past 10 years. LCD Soundsystem is the result of Murphy’s love for all things musical and danceable, mixed in with him raw wit and cynicism. Electro-geeks Hot Chip will open for him when LCD Soundsystem comes to the Fillmore Auditorium Oct. 20. Bring your dancing shoes.
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens possesses a sophistication rarely found among artists. From tragic tales of serial killers to celebration of his native Michigan, Stevens’ subjects are as varied as his instrumentation. But no matter the topic or style, Stevens always writes songs that are beautiful and incredibly poignant. Watch as Stevens weaves his strange stories live when he performs Nov. 2 at the Paramount Theatre.
Sonic Youth
Some bands don’t age well (see Mötley Crüe). After almost 30 years of being together, Sonic Youth has not lost a grain of the creativity and style that they began with. They’ve aged well like a fine wine, or George Clooney. Even though guitarist/vocalist Kim Gordon is almost 60, she still rocks harder than most women half her age (ahem, Ashlee Simpson). Catch Gordon and the gang performing at The Ogden Theatre Oct. 4.
The Walkmen
There are some shows where the audience sits and listens as an artist spills out their heart and soul backed by pretty, light instrumentation. Then there are shows where the audience rages along with the band as the singer screams and spits all of his frustrations out to the crowd. The Walkmen do both. Prepare to be irate and pensive at the same time when the Walkmen bring their indie-garage rock to the Fox Theatre Oct. 17.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jenny Gumbert at Jenny.gumbert@colorado.edu.
