Denver Bars and Clubs - Denver Live Music Clubs

Loaded with wizened barflies during the day and, well, just loaded at night, 15th Street Tavern is a legendary local Denver bar and live music club that hosts a solid nightly lineup of hard rocking, louder than when your momma spots a mouse, punk, indie and straight rock bands. Most of the bands are local homegrown Denver garage rockers blessedly slackin' through life with an amp and a skateboard, but the 15th Street Tavern also snags a $#!%-ton of national touring bands that can't escape this Denver bar's black hole-esque gravitational pull. On any given night local Denver punks, hipsters, artists and indies jam into the 15th Street Tavern for plentiful cheap booze and a little eardrum damage.

There's nothing better than a dive bar that also plays host to some of Denver's best up and coming local rock bands, but Bender's 13th Avenue Tavern takes things a step further by serving up some serious grill action for when your stomach's growling and your head's spinning. Booze addled hipsters crowd into this Denver live music club to get their fill of hard rockin' sounds—Bender's also pulls in some national touring gigs—heavy cocktails that'll make your eyes bug out and just darn good times. Bender's 13th Avenue Tavern stands blessedly in defiant contrast to the sinister plague of "ultra-lounge" decadence that's creeping over some Denver bars.

The Bluebird Theater in Denver presents a who's who list of local indie rockers, alt-country, rockabilly and punk bands with some national tourers rounding out the schedule for the hard drinking hipster crowds. The excellent acoustics and sightlines in the Bluebird Theater are owed in no small part to its art deco architecture and the perpetual good times at this Denver live music club are owed in no small part to their awesome bar staff that always keep the booze flowing. Also, the Bluebird Theater often lets kiddies kick it on the balcony for all ages performances so they can get a glimpse of their Denver bar future.

Bushwacker's is a kicked back Denver bar and live music club catering to aural hipsters into rocking sounds and comfy booze downing. Bushwacker's sports local live music nearly every night, usually in the indie/alt rock veins, with a killer Wednesday night blues jam and occasional DJ nights for their laid back Denver drinkers.

Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom, a Denver bar and live music venue, caters to the local hippie set that still keeps hope alive that The Dead will someday gloriously return to the concert circuit and have no problem bending your ear for hours pontificating on why Jerry Garcia was the most prolific musician of all time. The space itself at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom is cool—it's the former Casino Cabaret—the drinks flow with a laid back ease and the folksy sounds can soothe the nerves, but the perpetual scent of patchouli can put off imbibers that don't sport tie-dyed underwear and don Birks in the middle of a freezing Denver winter.

One of the best small Denver live music clubs, the Climax Lounge has a supreme commitment to bringing locals up and coming indie rockers playing the Denver club circuit or making their first step from garage to stage. The booking agent at Climax Lounge always seems to snag awesome Denver local talent, often presenting many teeth cutters on one night's bill, so the music to money ratio is always disproportionate. Oh yeah, the drinks at this Denver club are cheaper than a dime store hooker and you'll probably feel better about yourself in the morning too.

Cricket on the Hill is the anchorman of the Denver live music club scene and this legendary bar has been home to Denver local bands and the hard drinkers that love 'em for over 30 years. Cricket on the Hill's musical spectrum is comprised of straight ahead rock with a good mix of alt-country, blues and some fringe elements, but one things for certain: this is the best bar in Denver to see up and comers often making their first foray from the garage to the stage. Oh yeah, almost forgot, there's a few more things that you can bank on at Denver's Cricket on the Hill: the drinks are gonna be cheap and stiffer than your granddaddy on his fifth Viagra, the scene is gonna be a kickin', attitude free party and the music will be loud, really loud.

Consistently voted by the Country Music Association as the best live country music club in the nation, the Grizzly Rose in Denver packs in everybody from weekend cowpokes to the real thing to hear some two-steppin', kick up your heels honky tonk. It's simply amazing that a Denver live music club as large as the Grizzly Rose can bring in the top billers of the country music scene and still keep prices—even for its slate of national tourers—well under the ticket costs of other venues.

An authentic dive bar in Denver's trendy club mecca of LoDo, Herb's Hideout is aptly named because it's a bar where you can escape the nightclub masses with their high nightclub prices, belly up to the bar and partake in the seemingly bygone activity for which bars were created: getting sauced. Herb's Hideout does get some of the club set who're tired of standing in line mixing with their booze hound regulars and that fact alone is what makes this a great Denver bar institution. Well, that and the pricing scheme that hasn't changed since the bar opened. Also, Herb's Hideout has brought back Denver grown jazz and blues live music for their eclectically heterogeneous crowds.

With a good mix of local Denver bands fresh out of the basement and nationally recognized names, Herman's Hideaway bar and live music club features one huge room and a bar with plenty of seats to park your weary butt in after a round or two on the dance floor. The crowds that pack Herman's Hideaway nightly range from well heeled twenty and thirty-somethings to punks, rockers and hipsters depending on who's taking the stage and the drinks at this Denver bar go a long way in greasing the social wheels.

The hi-dive rocks with local Denver punk and indie action offering both live music and DJ nights in a great setting that recalls the heydays of Denver's grittily rocking live music scene. The drinks—like the halcyon days of old—are cheap and strong, the food is traditional bar fare and actually really good, the bands blow the freakin' roof off the joint and the hi-dive attracts a good mix of young artsy minded imbibers that rub elbows with aurally minded Denver bar sots.

Kokopelli's is an intimate live music club in Denver that hosts phenomenal bands in the jazz, blues and reggae veins every night with some of the hottest national tourers mixed in with its penchant for digging up the best local Denver talents. Kokopelli's is dark and crowded, exactly as it should be, the drinks are good and the food is decent, but you should frequent this relaxed Denver club for the music.

Hosting a stellar lineup of local Denver bands and indie, alt and punk nationals, the Larimer Lounge still maintains that low-key vibe that attracts Denver bar hipsters who're into the indie scene. As with most dive bars come live music venues, the Larimer Lounge keeps the booze prices low and the pours heavy and this Denver club very rarely sees cover charges shoot past the single digits.

Rowdy rock and roll is the signature draw at Lincoln's Roadhouse in Denver that never charges you a cover to pop in grab a beer and listen to some of Denver's best straight ahead rockers and blues bands. The band members often wander into the crowds at this Denver live music club to kick it with the partying drinkers and Lincoln's Roadhouse brings you its particular brand of live music seven nights a week.

Local punks, indies, alts and general slackers call the Lion's Lair dive bar in Denver home for rowdy PBR and whiskey fueled live music from its small stage from local Denver garage denizen bands and national touring names heavily steeped in the aforementioned ilk. The Lion's Lair is a Denver bar institution and the often gruff daytime regulars pass the gritty torch off to their gruffer progeny once the sun sets and the amps get cranked up.

Catering to a vast array of Denver nightlife seekers, the Mercury Café restaurant and nightclub hosts everything from dance nights to poetry readings and political rallies to live music while providing excellent food and drinks. This Denver restaurant and nightclub's eclecticism is its bread and butter and such diversity works surprisingly well. Nearly everything at the Mercury Café, from their fresh cuisine to their premium wine and cocktail menu to the avant-garde nature of their of the Merc's performances is first rate, so if you want top delve into the diversity that inhabits this Denver nightclub, you just need to show up on any given night.

One of Denver's prime live music venues, the Ogden Theatre is an old movie house turned live music club that hosts a staggering slate of local Denver bands and also snags some of the best national touring acts. The Ogden Theatre has two bars on the downstairs level to get your booze requirements in and when there's a particularly rowdy show pounding it out on the stage, those not into moshing should stay away from the front of the stage. Also, this Denver live music club puts on some all-ages shows, but the Ogden Theatre houses the kiddies in the balcony area so they thankfully won't have to contend with your drunken butt.

The Denver hippie crowd, dancing freaks and local Dead Heads make their mellow drinking and music nest at Quixote's True Blue live music venue where the sights and sounds wholly appeal to their addled sensibilities. The impressive daily lineup of local Denver bands and DJs—from reggae to jazz to ska—throw down some serious grooves on the cheap and the drink prices won't harm your wallet either. Some nights Quixote's True Blue completely embraces the traveling music fest mentality by merely suggesting donations for that evening's entertainment and they don't even jack up the prices for the booze...hey, that's one love, man.

An award-winning gourmet menu, fine wines, premium cocktails and eclectic live music are the hallmarks of Sambuca restaurant in Denver. The live music calendar is filled nightly with local and national acts ranging from more traditional jazz and swing styles to contemporary Latin and salsa. Sambuca's menu is new American cuisine with distinct European influences and the wine list—serving a long by the glass list and boasting extensive high-end selections—is nearly unsurpassed in the Denver restaurant scene.

If you thought that karaoke had reached it's apex with video displays and other electronic gizmos to make that cursed entertainment alternative hip, then you've never been to Sing Sing in Denver that really doesn't do karaoke in the traditional boozy Japanese businessman sense. Rather, Sing Sing is a dueling piano bar where audience members drink their fill and are flat out encouraged to sing along with the often bawdy pianist's renditions of your favorite classics. The crowds of revelers at this Denver bar get more rowdy and participatory in direct correlation to the amount of booze that's been ingested—hey, just like karaoke! We suppose the form of interactive live musical entertainment at Sing Sing gives karaoke the old kung fu slap if only for the fact that you won't ever have to endure addled crooners belting out "Friends in Low Places" 15 freakin' times and making your ears bleed.

Hep cats, cool chick and rockabilly rebels can be seen boozing it up nightly at Denver's Skylark Lounge that is a living testament to '50s pop culture, music and dancing. The drinks at this Denver bar and live music club are poured heavier than a lead foot trampin' down on a flat head Ford and they'll whip your head back just the same while you take in the phenomenal Skylark Lounge lineup of Denver local bands and national touring rockabilly, swing and alt-country acts that set fire to the stage. Guys, slap some grease in your hair and cuff up those jeans, ladies don your pin-up girl best, crank up your hot rod and cruise over to one of Denver's best frickin' bars; the Skylark Lounge.

Located in the Adams Mark Hotel, the Supreme Court is an upscale, but wholly casual Denver hotel bar and lounge that hosts live music every weekend. From the swank surroundings you might expect a classical pianist flitting over the keyboard, but you'd be wrong. The Supreme Court gets some of Denver's premier funk and R&B bands to aurally enhance its chic space. The biz pro set congregates at Supreme Court directly from the office and suburbanites crowd into this Denver bar for the weekend jam sessions.

The Walnut Room in Denver by virtue of really being an extension of a recording facility gets a fresh weekly slate of Denver local bands cutting their teeth on this bar's stage. There isn't any specific genre at The Walnut Room, just like there really isn't any specific crowd at this Denver live music club, but you're more likely to find college students rather than industry execs. Also, The Walnut Room serves up some cheap and tasty grub for both their patrons and musicians, but those under the age of 21 have to vacate before the real partying begins at 10pm.