The Colorado Springs Gazette final

10 special music venues to check out in Colorado

AMANDA HANCOCK amanda.hancock@gazette.com/476-1602

When thinking of unique Colorado music venues, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is going to fly into mind. This state is home to many other venues with their own specific slices of magic.

Here are some to check out:

Lulu’s Downstairs

107 Manitou Avenue., Manitou Springs; lulusdownstairs.com. Walking into this Manitou Springs music venue, you might feel like you’re going back in time. Legends such as Ray Charles and Tina Turner once played in the space. In its new and renovated life, Lulu’s has an upstairs bar and listening room complete with decorations that

would make for a thrifter’s dream. A bigger venue and bar space is downstairs.

Western Jubilee Warehouse Theater

433 E. Cucharras St., Colorado Springs; westernjubilee.com.

This Colorado Springs hidden gem is a home for cowboy music. Western Jubilee doubles as a recording studio and venue, a small and laid-back room with theater seats and a stage covered in quilts and decorated with dozens of guitars and banjos. It makes for a rare experience, as Western Jubilee typically hosts 10 concerts or less in a year. The venue doesn’t have shows scheduled, according to its website.

The Black Forest Community Center

12530 Black Forest Road, Black Foreest; blackroseacoustic.org.

Need an escape? Go to a show at this log-cabin style concert hall built in 1929 and surrounded by towering trees. The Black Rose Acoustic Society hosts shows there twice per month, inviting musicians from around the country to play.

These shows are family-friendly, but have been known to get rowdy. There’s a reason they invented the “Black Rose Stomp,” when audience members stomp in approval so much that the building’s oak floor shakes.

Tank Center for Sonic Arts

233 County Road 46, Rangely; tanksounds.org.

It wasn’t built to be a sonic wonder of the world. It was built around 1940 as a railroad water-treatment facility. The Tank, as it’s known now, has since turned into a musical treasure, as a place where musicians record and play live. For most Colorado residents, it would be a trek to get there. But it would be worth the trip.

Ivy Ballroom

1012 Front Loop, Buena Vista; ivyballroom.com.

Inside the Surf Hotel, a place beautiful enough to host many weddings, is a ballroom where you might find a jam band on stage or a fancy dinner party. The Ivy Ballroom, which overlooks the Buena Vista Whitewater Park, has hosted top acts such as Leftover Salmon and Rising Appalachia. Concerts are also held outside.

Tabor Opera House

308 Harrison Ave., Leadville; taboroperahouse.net.

Not many venues can say they’re located in the city with the highest elevation in the country. The opera house is also 140-plus years old, and undergoing a $15 million rehabilitation. On stage, you’ll find songwriting events and other shows this summer.

Dillon Amphitheater

201 W Lodgepole St., Dillon; dillonamphitheater.com.

This is the kind of outdoor venue where your eyes might venture away from the stage for a look at the nearby lake and up-close view of the Rocky Mountains.

The amphitheater hosts free concerts on summer weekends and draws impressive acts such as Bob Dylan, String Cheese Incident and Trampled by Turtles.

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater

530 S Frontage Rd E, Vail; grfavail.com.

Here’s another venue to take in nature’s beauty. The amphitheater looking over the Vail Valley has 1,260 covered stadium-style seats and room for more concertgoers on the grassy hillside. It hosts a free summer concert series.

Lion’s Lair

2022 East Colfax Ave., Denver; lionslairlounge.squarespace.com.

Denver is filled with places for live music, from Your Mom’s House to the iconic Bluebird Theatre. Lion’s Lair stands out as the city’s oldest consistently operating independent music venue. It opened in the 1930s as the Playboy Club. The grungy space hosts shows every night on the same stage once played by acts like The Black Keys.

The Chautauqua Auditorium

900 Baseline Road, Boulder; chautauqua.com.

Musicians have been performing here for more than 120 years. The barn-like auditorium at the Colorado Chautauqua, which is a national historic landmark, has welcomed music legends such as Lovett, Joan Baez, Amos Lee, Mary Chapin Carpenter,

BB King, Ziggy Marley and the Indigo Girls.

The Caribou Room

55 Indian Peaks Drive, Nederland; thecaribouroom.com.

In 1972, producer James Guercio converted a barn into a recording studio on a ranch on the road that leads to the ghost town of Caribou. It became a destination for acts such as Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Chicago and John Lennon until it closed in 1985. Near that same area is The Caribou Room, a former warehouse designed to be zero-waste and solar powered with a capacity of 500 people.

Armory Performing Arts Center

300 Strong Street, Brighton; brightonarmory.org.

Built in 1921, this building was once used to store arms and military equipment and served as the headquarters for an infantry division of the Colorado National Guard. By 2011, it transformed into a venue, where you’ll find a busy lineup of events.

LIFE

en-us

2022-05-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://daily.gazette.com/article/282303913759279

The Gazette, Colorado Springs