Fun Guide: Music festivals
– MeadowGrass Music Festival, May 23-25, La Foret in Black Forest, meadowgrassmusicfestival.org: For six years, organizers have brought families and fans of folk and indie music together over Memorial Day weekend. This year, performers include The Duhks, Elephant Revival and The Mother Hips.
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Five summer concerts not to miss
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– Snowmass Mammoth Festival, June 13-15, Town Park, Snowmass, snowmassmammothfest.com: The recipe is simple: great music, camping, late-night shows and chili and beer tastings. Throw in musical acts such as Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Leftover Salmon and Xavier Rudd and success is a given.
– Telluride Bluegrass Festival, June 19-22, Telluride, bluegrass.com/telluride: This is one of the biggies of Colorado festival season. If you don’t get tickets early, you run the risk of hearing the words “sold out.” This summer’s acts include Ray Lamontagne, Brandi Carlile and Nickel Creek.
– Country Jam USA, June 19-22, Grand Junction, countryjam.com/colorado: Hang out with the likes of country artists Jake Owen, Lady Antebellum, Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert. Scope out a camping site and get ready to dance all night.
– Bands in the Backyard Music Festival, June 19-21, festival grounds off U.S. 50, Pueblo, bandsin thebackyard.com: Country stars are flocking to southern Colorado to perform on the Outpost Harley-Davidson Stage. Musicians include Uncle Kracker, Thomas Rhett and Jake Owen.
– JAS Aspen Snowmass, June 19-July 7, Aspen, jazzaspensnowmass.org: The festival offers four nights of concerts by musicians, including Diana Krall and Tony Bennett, more music in the JAS Cafe Downstairs @ the Nell Series and free lawn parties with food vendors and two live music stages.
– Blues From the Top Festival, June 27-29, Winter Park, grandblues.org: The sound of the blues will bubble out of this ski resort when musicians including ANA Popovic, The Healers and Kara Grainger show up. Music will pop up in other locations, too, such as Ullrs Tavern and The Foundry.
– Rockstar Mayhem Festival, July 13-14, Fillmore Auditorium on July 13; Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 14, Denver, rockstarmayhemfest.com: Mayhem offers two days of loud metal music. At Red Rocks, expect Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, Asking Alexandria, Trivium and Body Count featuring Ice-T.
– RockyGrass, July 25-27, Lyons, bluegrass.com/rockygrass: Lyons hosts some big names in bluegrass along the banks of the St. Vrain River. This year performer’s include Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn and Steep Canyon Rangers.
– Arise Music Festival, Aug. 8-10, Sunrise Ranch, Loveland, arisefestival.com: The slogan is “Uplifting the World Through Music,” and bands on the bill include Beats Antique, Galactic, Chali 2na & Lyrics Born, The Infamous Stringdusters and The Polish Ambassador.
Jennifer Mulson, The Gazette
