Coming Attractions

Live deliciously at Red Rocks’ Local Sets

Recommended activities for the coming week

Posted 2/26/18

During summer months, it’s not difficult at all to get people to spend an evening at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. During the much colder off-months, which are November through March, it gets a little …

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Coming Attractions

Live deliciously at Red Rocks’ Local Sets

Recommended activities for the coming week

Posted

During summer months, it’s not difficult at all to get people to spend an evening at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

During the much colder off-months, which are November through March, it gets a little trickier. But the park and Aramark Sports and Entertainment Services have come up with a new way to not only to draw a crowd in the cold, but also to offer a uniquely intimate experience.

That’s how Red Rocks Local Sets was born.

“It’s a really fun event and a great time at a place as beautiful as Red Rocks,” said Kristen Kennelly, special events operations with Aramark. “People get to have this rare experience at the amphitheater, and they get to do so without dealing with parking and all the crowds of people at a normal concert.”

The monthly event series began in November, and the final Local Set of the year, featuring local bands Many Mountains and Miguel Dakota and the Differents, will be at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, at the park’s Ship Rock Grille, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway.

The indoor event includes hors d’oeuvres, a complimentary welcome drink, carving stations and dinner buffet favorites. All of this is followed by performances by the bands of covers and originals. Tickets are $45.

“Bands get really excited about this, because there’s not many opportunities to play Red Rocks,” Kennelly said. “They may not be to the point where they can sell out 10,000 tickets on the main stage, but this is a great place to start.”

Visitors who want the same view that countless performers on Red Rocks’ world-famous stage have had can take a backstage tour of Red Rocks for an additional $8, on top of the entry ticket.

“Most of the experiences people have at Red Rocks aren’t as intimate as these are,” Kennelly said. “We’re already planning on offering this again for 2018-2019, and might offer it twice a month if it continues to grow in popularity.”

To get your tickets, visit www.redrocksonline.com.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week: Lorde at Pepsi Center

Ever since New Zealand’s Lorde smashed into the pop world with her 2013 hit “Royals” off her debut album, she’s proven herself a pop star ahead of her time. Her approach to songwriting and use of electronic influences has changed the way musicians like Taylor Swift and many others make music.

Lorde is touring in support of her stellar sophomore album — last year’s “Melodrama” — and is stopping by the Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle, at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 5.

Not only will concertgoers get the opportunity to see one of the best musicians at the height of her powers, but her openers are nothing to turn up your nose at.

Tove Styrke also works in the pop soundscape created by Lorde, but brings her own sense of style to the music. But the real exciting opener is Run The Jewels, the rap duo of EL-P and Killer Mike. The pair have been making some of rap music’s best work over the past four years, and their socially conscious and bombastic music is the perfect pairing for Lorde’s take on pop.

This is almost guaranteed to be one of the year’s best shows, and it shouldn’t be missed. Head to www.altitudetickets.com/events/detail/lorde to get your tickets.

Pliny the Younger makes rare appearance

A famous Russian will be making a stop at a bar in Highlands Ranch for just one day, and there’s going to be a line, so you’re going to want to get there early.

The famous Pliny the Younger beer, which is brewed in very limited quantities by Russian River Brewing Co., will be tapped at Parry’s Pizzeria & Bar’s Highlands Ranch location, 9567 S. University Blvd. at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 3.

The doors will open for the beer tapping at 10 a.m., and the first 60 people in line will get a ticket for Pliny the Younger, and thus are guaranteed a pour. The remaining beers will be raffled off.

According to information from Russian River, Pliney the Younger is almost a true Triple IPA with triple the amount of hops as a regular IPA. This beer is very full-bodied with tons of hop character in the nose and throughout. It is also deceptively well-balanced and smooth.

In addition to this special tapping, Parry’s will be tapping several other Russian River beers, as well as brews from Surly Brewing Co. and Anchorage Brewing Co. Parry’s will also offer its breakfast pizza, which includes scrambled eggs, green peppers, onions, bacon, cheddar.

For more information, visit www.parryspizza.com/locations/highlands-ranch.

Colorado Book Festival highlights local literary all-stars

Colorado is home to a vibrant and dynamic community of authors, so full of genres and styles that it can be difficult to keep up.

For those searching for a look into the world of Colorado authors, don’t miss the Colorado Book Festival at the Central Denver Library, 10 W. 14th Ave. Parkway, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on March 3.

The free festival will showcase more than 120 Colorado authors, 60 panelists, best-seller author Peter Heller and Colorado state historian Patricia Limerick as keynote presenter, story-telling and more. Book clubs are encouraged to attend as a group.

Visitors can participate in “Why Mysteries are Popular During Fraught Times,” “Exploring Spiritual and Faith Elements of the Transformative Memoir” and “Defamation, Plagiarism, and Writing Beyond the Legal Limit.”

Visit www.cobookfestival.com to register your book club, plan the authors you want to see, and more.

CJRO brings big band jazz to Lakewood

For that quintessential big band jazz sound, you’re not going to find a better bet in the metro area than the Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra.

The group will be honoring two classic jazz greats, and new arrangements of a living soul legend, with its “The Duke, The Count, and Stevie, too!” program, which is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway.

Featuring the vocal stylings of singer Robert Johnson, the Repertory Orchestra is boasting a top-tier talent bench. Lead trumpet Greg Gisbert is a regular with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and toured with Buddy Rich and Woody Herman. Jazz trombonist Paul McKee also toured with Woody Herman and appeared on several Grammy-nominated recordings. Also Grammy-nominated, lead trombone Steve Wiest toured with Maynard Ferguson and Doc Severinsen and directed the highly acclaimed University of North Texas One O’Clock Jazz Ensemble.

For more information and tickets, call 303-987-7845 or visit www.Lakewood.org/Tickets.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. A community editor with Colorado Community Media, he can be reached creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

Clarke Reader, Coming Attractions, music, Red Rocks, Lakewood, jazz, Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra, books, Denver, Colorado Book Festival, libraries, beer, Pliny the Younger, Parry's Pizzeria & Bar, Highlands Ranch, concerts, Pepsi Center, Run the Jewels, Lorde

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