Where can a Princess Peach dance with a dapper Captain America? Where can Lego people beat Batman at a Mario Kart Grand Prix? In what universe do Deadpool and the X-Men actually get along? Nerds of all shapes, sizes, pixels and universes will find themselves right at home at the 5th annual Denver Nerd Prom, happening this Saturday night at The Summit Music Hall.

What began as a fun themed Valentine’s Day concert for now-defunct Denver band Bop Skizzum has quickly transformed into one of Colorado’s largest geeky events of the year. Nerd Prom returns to The Summit Music Hall this Saturday for it’s fifth year of dorky dancing, delicious drinks, and the annual Nerd Prom King and Queen competition. Sponsored by companies like Twist & Shout, Denver Comic Con, Alamo Drafthouse, Pop Culture Classroom and more, this event is a great way to support the geekiest businesses in Denver while wearing your Comic Con best. Drink sponsors Red Bull, Serpent’s Bite, and New Belgium Brewery will help spice the night up with scrumptious, hilariously named custom brews on Nerd Prom’s event-specific drink menu.

Vexed by video games? The team from Bits & Brews are supplying a variety of classic and modern machines for you to play on all night long, including a few tournaments throughout the night. Summit’s upper level will be converted to an exclusive VIP section and will host two gaming set-ups accessible only to the VIPs, guaranteeing shorter lines for gameplay all night long. The VIP section also boasts a private bar, meet-and-greet opportunities with all the bands, assorted “noms” from the Snack Attack Bar, and automatic entry into a raffle to win one weekend pass to this year’s Denver Comic Con. VIP tickets are $50, but with a limited number available, we recommend you grab one quick before it’s too late.

Consumed by Cosplay? Nerd Prom hosts a top-notch cosplay competition each year. Judged for craftsmanship, presentation, and overall epic-ness, the winner of the cosplay contest will walk away from the night with an extra $250 in their pocket (cash, not bitcoin). Contestants must register no later than 8pm at a table in the Summit’s merchandise area, and will be judged after One Flew West’s set later in the evening.

Down to dance? We hope so! Nerd Prom will feature sets from DJ Hollow (best known as the house DJ for Lipgloss) between performances by One Flew West, SkyLaw, the horn section from ContraBand (can someone say Cantina band?!?), and Andy Rok & The Real Deal performing a special Nerd Prom set - guaranteed to satisfy your inner nerd with a variety of comic classics.

Keen for a crown? Nerd Prom’s “creme de la creme” is it’s royalty competition. Contestants were required to submit an online profile proving their “nerdiness” for fans to vote on. The three who received the highest number of votes on the event’s Facebook page will duke it out at the show to earn their titles. After a few rounds of mini-competitions throughout the night, the Nerd King & Queen will be crowned with unique, custom-built Lego crowns.

High school Prom might have not been your thing at the time - it wasn’t for a lot of us. Young or old, DC or Marvel, Nerd Prom is the place of all of us to have the kind of night *we* always dreamed of - one without chaperones, shitty limos, or a poorly spiked punch bowl. A place where anyone who is slightly different can feel right at home, Nerd Prom is the musical celebration of the counter-culture and all it’s variety. There are dozens of different “nerd universes” out there, but from Alderaan to Gallifrey, from The Moon Kingdom all the way to The Grid, they can all party together in the universe that is Nerd Prom.

GA and VIP tickets for Nerd Prom 2016 are available here.

Third Eye Blind could easily be considered one of the penultimate hits of the 90’s. Their self-titled record (released in 1997) produced five different singles, two of which are generally revered as anthems of the era that bred them. Although the band released a new record this past spring titled Dopamine, Thursday’s show at the Fillmore made it apparent that their fans have still clung to the band’s original work more than anything else from their discography, past or present.

Opening the show was another group from the early 2000’s - Dashboard Confessional. After a rare appearance at Riot Fest Chicago last fall, the band has made a full return to touring for the first time in years. Opening with tracks like “The Good Fight”, “Again I Go Unnoticed” and “Saints and Sailors”, lead singer Chris Carrabba and his bandmates made it clear that they understood what the audience wanted from their set: old hits, sing alongs, and plenty of energy. The band gave the room just that - with Carrabba jumping from one end of stage to the next, and players Scott Schoenbeck and John Lefler giving the crowd equal amounts of energy. The group hit every end of their discography, although they were careful about how much material from their last two records got time in their set - a choice that I personally appreciated because it left room for beloved B-sides like “Remember To Breathe" and funny intermissions with the band covering Nelly’s “Ignition”. Ending the set with fan favorites “Vindicated” and “Hands Down”, Carrabba told the crowd “thanks for bringing us back. I don’t plan for us to ever go away, ever again”.

Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional. photo credit: Matt Smith

Third Eye Blind took to the stage amdist fog and ominous backlighting. Opening with “Graduate”, the crowd was immediately enthralled, singing back every word, head banging along with lead singer Stephan Jenkins through the chorus. Taking a moment at the end of their first three songs, Jenkin’s instructed fans to “be present - right here, right now. It all goes too fast”. Wearing a Kanye/Bieber-esque leather man-skirt with matching harem pants, the rest of the band donned almost all-black outfits, adding to the dimension of the stage. Jenkins was bouncing around stage - almost too animated - with his characteristic funny-man stylings. The band’s newly released record took up a bit more of their set list than I would have preferred, leading the set to feel a bit lagging as only so many of the audience members had heard the new record compared to their back catalog catalog, and it really showed; when the group took time to dig deeper was when the room was most alive. The band also took a few minutes to let drummer Brad Hardgreaves take a unique solo, featuring EDM tracks and out of place covers of “Paper Planes” by MIA, and “With Or Without You” by U2. Ending their set with the radio single “Jumper”, fans were re-energized to the point where they “mouth-guitar” sang the guitar solo of the song so loud that guitarist Kevin Cadogan couldn’t even play it. The stage then went dark, and fans cheered for what felt like a solid 5+ minutes before the band re-entered stage, playing “Never Let You Go”, followed by the obvious closer, “Semi-Charmed Life”.

Stephen Jenkins of Third Eye Blind. photo credit: Matt Smith

A great tour for all the 20 and 30-somethings now trapped in the American working world, this show is a great night out to reminisce with friends about our younger years. While I feel that Third Eye Blind’s choice to tour during with a brand new record during this "era" of ten-year anniversary tours (if you will) was maybe not the best choice, it was certainly a fun time for all involved nonetheless.

Third Eye Blind and Dashboard Confessional will be continuing this tour through the end of the summer, hopefully stopping in a city near you.