12 concerts worth the drive this summer

Nothing says Colorado like live music, and nothing says summer like a road trip. That’s why Caribou Current has put together a handy itinerary featuring some of the season’s best shows coming to stages across the state over these next few months.

From one-night engagements at Front Range punk clubs to camp-out bluegrass festivals on the Western Slope, these are the concerts you don’t want to miss this summer. So load up the van, assemble your crew and hit the road with us.

Telluride Bluegrass Festival
11 a.m. Thurs.-Sun., June 18-21, Telluride Town Park, 500 E. Colorado Ave. Day Pass: $135 / Four-Day Pass: $420+

Do we even have to say it? You already know the deal. Telluride Bluegrass Festival has been the outdoor music experience in Colorado since 1974.  What you may not know is that this year’s acts include Tedeschi Trucks Band, Watchhouse, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Chris Thile and more. As of this writing, single-day passes, four-day passes and camping are still available.

Alpenglow: The Motet
5:30 p.m. Monday, June 29, Center for the Arts Crested Butte, 606 Sixth St. Free

Front Range funk outfit The Motet share their mountain fusion sound during this evening of jams in the shadow of Crested Butte Mountain and Paradise Divide. The open-air performance is presented as part of the Alpenglow free concert series, which has been a fixture at the Center for the Arts Crested Butte for more than three decades. Other summer headliners include Bella Rayne (June 22), Clay Street Unit (July 27), Hand Turkey (Aug. 3) and more.

Soccer Mommy 
6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, New Belgium Brewing Co., 500 Linden St., Fort Collins. $34

Since bursting onto the scene with her pristine 2018 debut, Soccer Mommy — the project of 28-year-old Sophia Regina Allison — has become a cornerstone of contemporary indie rock. With her fourth album (Evergreen) in tow, the Nashville-based songwriter heads to New Belgium Brewing Co. for a 21+ outdoor evening of music at one of the state’s most iconic craft breweries. Extend your road trip by catching her the next night at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Save Ferris
7 p.m. Saturday, July 18, Black Sheep, 2106 E. Platte Ave., Colorado Springs. $31

Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up! Skank your lucky stars, because ’90s ska-punk stalwarts Save Ferris (the band from the prom scene in 10 Things I Hate About You) are heading to the Black Sheep in Colorado Springs. Celebrating 29 years of their debut album, It Means Everything, the flashback five-piece will perform the landmark album from front to back. Checkerboard Vans and bowler hats not required for entry.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country 
8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., July 24-25, Mishawaka Amphitheatre, 13714 Poudre Canyon Road, Bellvue. Single ticket: $47 / Two-Day Pass: $83

In a little less than half a decade, rising roots-music star Daniel Donato has already taken the stage at some of the country’s most iconic venues: Red Rocks, Ryman and the Grand Ole Opry, to name just a few. Now you can add the Mishawaka Amphitheatre to the list, as the 31-year-old musician brings his Cosmic Country band to Bellvue for a two-night engagement that will leave no doubt as to why Rolling Stone dubbed him “Nashville’s Newest Guitar Hero.”

Rhythms on the Rio
11 a.m. Thursday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 2, The Old Mill, 12510 CO-112, Del Norte. $204

Want to experience a long weekend of mountain music while supporting a good cause? Proceeds from Rhythms on the Rio ticket sales boost the work of the South Fork Music Association, which provides musical instruments, materials and instruction to kids in the greater San Luis Valley of Southern Colorado. Like you need another reason to camp out to the tunes of Leftover Salmon, the Infamous Stringdusters, Moontricks, the Brothers Comatose and a whole lot more. 

Cat Power 
7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4, Strings Music Pavilion, 950 Strings Road, Steamboat Springs. $81+

In love with the “sad girl” stylings of artists like Boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers? They wouldn’t be here without Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power, who kicked the doors open with her landmark 2006 album The Greatest, a sultry swirl of Southern soul and slowcore that set a powerful template for today’s tender-hearted songwriters. Marshall and her band will celebrate 20 years of the paradigm-shifting LP by performing it in full under the stars of Steamboat. 

Alison Krauss & Union Station
6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, Gerald R. Ford Amphitheatre, 530 S. Frontage Road E., Vail. $85+

The phrase “living legend” gets thrown around a lot these days, but there’s simply no other way to describe Alison Krauss. From the release of her first solo album in 1987 to her work on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, the time-tested bluegrass mainstay has carved a reputation as one of the most enduring and influential artists in the world of roots music. Catch her in Vail, or at the other Ford Amphitheatre in Colorado Springs on Aug. 14.

Bill Callahan
6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, Desert Reef Hot Springs, 1194 County Road 110, Florence. $50+  

In the big wide world of indie rock, few names carry more weight than Bill Callahan. From his early work as Smog in the ’90s and early aughts to the nearly dozen releases under his own name, the Austin, Texas-based iconoclast has firmly secured his status as your favorite songwriter’s favorite songwriter. Soak in the natural mineral pools of Desert Reef Hot Springs while you take in Callahan’s searing wit and wisdom at this one-of-a-kind venue near Pueblo.

Thee Sacred Souls
6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, Dillon Amphitheater, 135 W. Lodgepole St. $81

With their singular blend of Chicano soul, gospel and doo-wop, few touring acts are doing it quite like Thee Sacred Souls. Don’t miss the San Diego-based Daptone Records breakouts as they bring their timeless sound to the Dillon Amphitheatre in support of their 2024 sophomore LP, Got a Story to Tell, for a soulful evening of tunes from this festival-circuit favorite.

Danny Elfman: Music from the Films of Tim Burton
7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, Ford Amphitheater, 95 Spectrum Loop, Colorado Springs. $73+

Beetlejuice. Edward Scissorhands. The Nightmare Before Christmas. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure … Do we really need to go on? Experience the music from your favorite Tim Burton classics with composer Danny Elfman, who takes the stage at the Ford Amphitheater for a night of absolute cinema. The former Oingo Boingo frontman and celebrated musician behind more than 100 feature film scores will be joined by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic during this one-night engagement at the city’s new marquee outdoor venue.  

My Chemical Romance
5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26, Coors Field, 2001 Blake St., Denver. $111+

OK, sure — Denver isn’t much of a road trip. But Hot Topic heavyweights My Chemical Romance performing their seminal 2006 album The Black Parade in its entirety at Coors Field, with support from ’90s alt-rock standard bearers The Breeders? Well, that’s a destination. Apply your eyeliner, pull up your fishnets, style your bangs in the perfect asymmetrical swoop and get ready to scream your black heart out at the Mile High City’s can’t-miss show of the summer.