My Chemical Romance Makes Its Triumphant Return To Denver

After a two year wait due to Covid, My Chemical Romance finally made their way to Ball Arena for their rescheduled date. Entering the arena you could easily feel the buzz, clad in all black and enough eyeliner to cause shortages fans lined up for merchandise (by the way, of all shows we have covered at Ball Arena, we have never seen the merch lines so long).

Openers included long-time emo punk legends Taking Back Sunday. A perfect primer for the evening as Adam Lazzara and company ripped through their short set setting the mood. Playing a handful of favorites, the band at times thanked the headliners for their chance to open up the show in Denver, one of their favorite cities.

As the lights dimmed and the band appeared it was evident who the fans were here to see. Gerard Way and company opened up the show with “The Foundations of Decay”, they came out fast, they came out strong, and pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night. They played classics “I’m not okay (I Promise)”, “Welcome to the Black Parade”, and arena sing-along “Helena”. They managed to spread out their setlist from all four of their albums, giving fans a variety of songs that made them one of the most influential bands of the 2000’s. It’s hard to label a performance perfect, but if anything comes close to it, it was this night.

Photos and Words: Robert Castro

Gorillaz Solidify Their Mark As The Best Visual Band In The World

Damon Albarn of Gorillaz (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

On the heels of a new album on the horizon, Damon Albarn and friends made a stop in Denver last week to a sold-out Ball Arena. The virtual band known as Gorillaz spanned their catalog of albums to play many familiar songs and a slew of newer material to keep everybody happy. From their initial debut in 1998 Albarn has mastered the art of collaboration often having guests perform on the albums. From the early days of “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc.” to newer material featuring guests like Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and Thudercat, the albums always fill the spectrum of innovation and visual appeal. Flanked by a live band and an array of complimenting visuals the band gave fans an audible and visual experience that synced both elements in perfect unity. Albarn and company continue to be innovative musicians with a unique approach to blend genres across multiple levels. Hard to think that this band started off as virtual interpretations of themselves are now selling out arenas across the world with no end to stop anytime soon. Check out our photo gallery below.

Dua Lipa Shines On Her Future Nostalgia Tour In Denver

Dua Lipa performing during her sold out show at Ball Arena. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The last time we saw Dua Lipa she was playing a sold out show at The Fillmore in 2018. Since then Lipa has exploded onto the scene holding the throne as the queen of pop (a title that can be argued for many other artist). What makes Lipa unique is the way she carries herself on and off the stage. A performer who engages with fans and is thoroughly invested with them. On stage it’s her no hold barred approach and relentless work ethic that made for one of the most memorable shows we have ever got to witness. In support of her current album Future Nostalgia she brought along some friends to open for her on tour. First up was a well received set by former indie-outfit Chairlift Caroline Polachek. It was a sort of homecoming for Polachek who attended nearby University of Colorado back in the day. Her pop-friendly set was a perfect warm up for this tour.

Lipa gets Physical during her opening number on the Future Nostalgia Tour. Photo Credit: Robert Castro

The crowd began to feel electric as the next opener could have easily sold out the arena herself. Although we are at the tail end of winter, it was “hot girl summer” on stage as none other than Megan Thee Stallion took command and did not let up during her short stint. From beginning to end it was an all out twerkfest as Megan played all her dance inducing hits with no remorse. It won’t be long before Megan is heading her own arena tour soon.

It was time for the main event, adorned by a large LED monitor reflecting images to compliment her tour aesthetic Lipa introduced her dancers on the screen with a superhero intro. As she appeared with opening number “Physical” the deafening screams began for the night (they did not stop). Adorned in a yellow one-piece jumpsuit, Lipa made each song come to life with carefully orchestrated choreography that we have not seen in a long time. Each song told a story and made everybody dance non-stop as she ripped through her catalog of hits. The production on this tour is a visual delight with costume changes, dancers, images and more. Most people take short breaks during songs as the altitude in Denver is notorious for making you catch your breath, it did not seem to effect Lipa at all. Notable hits included “Levitating”, “One Kiss”, “Don’t Start Now”.

It was a great night for music and celebration, a small dose of what we all have been yearning for the last two years during a pandemic.

Words and Images: Robert Castro

Kacey Musgraves Brings Her Star-Crossed: Unveiled Tour To Ball Arena

Kacey Musgraves performs in front of a burning heart. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

It’s always amazing when you see an artist visit your city and the progression they make year after year. It feels like only yesterday we were seeing Kacey Musgraves play a rather intimate show at The Bluebird. She followed that up with another performance on her Oh What a World: Tour at The Paramount in 2019. She later graced us agin later that year at the Mecca of live music Red Rocks with a sold out performance. Last week she was back, this time in support of her Star-Crossed: Unveiled Tour at Ball Arena.

Musgraves has always been a fan of the Mile High City often raving about our legal marijuana perks. Often initiating crowd banter about the recreational drug. In fact she had an off-day during her visit in which she told us about visiting mentor Willie Nelson’s dispensary. According to her Instagram she also stopped at Adrift for Tiki cocktails as well as her rave review of Lo-Hi’s El Five restaurant.

This years tour production consisted of a heart shaped main stage flanked by retro theater curtains giving off a rather cozy-warm vibe. In fact during her opening number a flaming her adorned the stage as she belted away the lyrics to title track star crossed. The multi Grammy award winner tore through her catalog with conviction and a sense of vulnerability that brought each song to life and tugged at the heartstrings. Fans adorned in customary cowboy attire graced the arena belting away and singing each song word for word. Fan favorites included “Golden Hour”, “Butterflies”, and “breadwinner”. She played a game of Kacey-oke in which she has the fans vote for a cover song, in this case it was “Scrubs” by TLC that Brough the fans to their feet.

Musgraves even showed her range in singing Spanish ballad “Gracias A La Vida” the Chilean folk song by Violetta Parra. She wrapped up the evening with a two song encore that included “Slow Burn” and “Rainbows”. One thing is for certain Musgraves has established herself a nice fanbase here in Colorado and we are all hoping she makes it a staple of stops on her future tours.

Words and Images: Robert Castro