High Ground Music & Art Festival Taking Place October 2nd

September 23, 2021

With festival season in full swing, one that we are looking forward to is taking residence on the grounds of Levitt Pavilion on October 2nd. This will be our first time covering this one and judging by the lineup it should be pretty amazing.

Levitate Events presents High Ground Music & Arts Experience, Denver’s first one-day festival that centers on melodic, live-performed electronic music and the natural beauty of the Colorado outdoors. The inaugural 18+ event takes place on October 2nd, 2021 in the grass amphitheater of Levitt Pavilion at Ruby Hill Park, minutes away from the heart of Denver. Attendees (referred to as “Revelers”) will enjoy two stages with local and international musical performers, as well as installations and activations to highlight Colorado’s culture, food, cannabis, and art.

On the High Ground Stage, headliners Snakehips and Kasbo will join acts like Louis Futon, Haywyre, Chet Porter, and Pluko alongside Colorado favorites Bass Physics, JackLNDN, Lucy Daydream, Shae District, and Who’s Calling. The Levitate Stage will feature 12 additional entertainers including Kid Astronaut, Laszewo, w/out, and more, with the majority of performances to be live. With 23 acts playing, High Ground Music & Arts Experience is set to be Colorado’s largest single-day independent music festival this year.

Created by Noah Levinson of Levitate Events, High Ground Music & Arts Experience is a culmination of his extensive and varied background as a music industry entrepreneur. A recent graduate of NYU’s Clive Davis Institute, Levinson honed his skills as a promoter and event producer at Insomniac Events. Together with his business partner (and mother) Jobi Halper, he developed the idea for an outdoor music festival that celebrates his love for the environment and chill electronic music.

Tickets are available here, starting at $85 USD for General Admission, and $175 for VIP Access. For more information please go to the festival’s website at highgroundfest.com.

Gods of Summer Tour ft. Ra Ra Riot, Jimmy Eat World and Third Eye Blind

June 24, 2019

Third Eye Blind (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

On a cold rainy Saturday, Denver witnessed the Gods of Summer Tour featuring Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World. Anybody growing up in the mid to late nineties got to witness two of music post grunge pioneers. The tour stopped at Levitt Pavilion this past Saturday, with rain forecasted throughout the night concert fans got lucky as the stormed only played havoc for about 20 minutes before the skies cleared and the bands belted out all the classics we have come to love. Ra Ra Riot opened up the festivities to get things started. Followed shortly by the band from Tempe, Arizona. Jim Adkins and company rallied in the rain to give us a dose of nostalgia from albums such as Bleed America, Static Prevails and Futures. Fan favorites included “The Middle”, “Sweetness” and “Pain”. The band has maintained its cult following for years now and luckily for us we have had the chance to follow them throughout their fabled careers.

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World slaying in front of a packed Levitt house. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

As the rain stopped it was time for bay area rockers Third Eye Blind to hit the stage. Adorned in a bright yellow hoodie with matching sneakers frontman Stephan Jenkins and company opened with “Screamer”, which happens to be the name of their forthcoming album set to drop in July. Playing out like the soundtrack to any 90’s teen movie the band ripped through classics such as “Never Let You Go”, “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Jumper”. The band managed to show its relevance with Jenkins commanding the stage, some brief audience banter about the show feeling like a basement show due to its intimate setting and lack of production lighting (weather uncertainties caused them to stay in their trailers). For some it was a show that featured two bands that had a major impact in their teenage adolescent years, while others basked in the comfort knowing that good music still exists even if they achieved popularity in the 90’s.

Ra Ra Riot (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Levitt Pavilion Announces Their 2019 Concert Schedule With 50 free Concerts in Ruby Hill

April 15, 2019

The beautiful Levitt Pavilion (Photo courtesy: Joel Rekiel)

One of our favorite venues has just announced it’s 2019 lineup and we are pretty stoked. This year is sure to be a blast as Ruby Hill plays host to an amazing lineup of national and local acts.

Levitt Pavilion Denver is proud to announce their 2019 Concert Schedule with 50 Free Concerts in Ruby Hill Park this summer. The Levitt Pavilion Denver mission of building community through music is more prevalent than ever with their continued support for local musicians, community programs, and increasing access to the arts through their free concert series. The non-profit music venue is funded by donations, sponsorships, and onsite concession sales. While the concerts are free to attend, donations and VIP upgrades are available to help keep the music going for years to come.

2019 will mark Levitts third year of providing free, family-friendly concerts for all to enjoy. Recently named as Denver’s Best Outdoor Venue by Denver Westword, the outdoor amphitheater can accommodate up to 18,000 people in its open lawn seating for their free concerts and 7,500 for ticketed concerts produced by Emporium Presents. Patrons can expect a diverse lineup of local Colorado based artists, national, and international talent in a wide array of music genres.

Executive Director, Chris Zacher adds “Levitt is still in growth mode as an organization and as a venue. In 2017 nobody knew what Levitt was, that is now changing but there’s still a lot of work to do. This offseason we spent a tremendous amount of time working on our artistic bookings and improving the venue for the concert goers experience. We want everyone to come out to a show and grow with us, learn about artists you haven’t yet heard of, bring the family and spread out on our vast lawn, and be a part of this unique experience. Without the support of the community Levitt is not possible.”

Esme Patterson performing at Levitt Pavilion. (Photo courtesy: Joel Rekiel)

Levitt Pavilion prides themselves in discovering emerging artists, especially the local Colorado artists. In 2018, eighty Colorado based bands played the Levitt stage over the course of sixty concerts in both free and ticketed events. Talent Buyer and Production Manager, Chase Wessel asserts, “At Levitt, we pride ourselves on presenting all genres of music for our growing communities. Having success in past seasons has allowed us to increase artist budgets, which in turn has allowed us to bring in higher caliber artists. I'm extremely excited to announce our third summer season at Levitt and continue to put on high level productions, free of charge!”

Levitt Pavilion Denver’s 2019 free concert season will begin on May 24th and run through September.

* Local support to be added. Lineup subject to change.

Levitt Pavilion Denver's 2019 Free Concert Schedule

5/24 - Dragondeer with A.J. Fullerton

5/25 - TBA *

5/26 - Tea Leaf Green with The Jive Tribe

6/1 - Esmé Patterson with Carsie Blanton

6/2 - Jenny and the Mexicats with Bang Data

6/6 - Phamaly 30th Anniversary Concert

6/7 - Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra with The Dendrites

6/14 - Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers *

6/15 - The Slackers *

6/16 - Queen City Country & Western Showcase

6/21 - Who’s Bad | The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience with Float Like A Buffalo

6/23 - School of Rock Showcase

6/28 - Greyhounds *

7/5 - The Bright Light Social Hour with Walker Lukens

7/6 - The Dustbowl Revival *

7/7 - Villalobos Brothers with El Javi

7/11 - Denver Concert Band with Carol Jantsch of the Philadelphia Orchestra

7/12 - Brubeck Brothers Quartet *

7/13 - Inspector with Vic N’ The Narwhals

7/14 - Orgone with Cosmic Joe

7/18 - Rainbow Militia with Chimney Choir and DéCollage

7/19 - Gasoline Lollipops with Chella & The Charm

7/20 - Reggae on the Grass

7/21 - Aterciopelados with Pink Hawks

7/25 - Dale Watson with Halden Wofford & The Hi-Beams

7/26 - Kinky with iZCALLi

7/27 - Lyrics Born with Boss Eagle

7/28 - TBA *

8/1 - Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with Ryan Chrys & The Rough Cuts and Tracksuit Wedding

8/2 - Levitt National Tour Presents: Flor de Toloache with Flamenco Denver

8/4 - Reverend Horton Heat with The Delta Bombers and Lincoln Durham

8/8 - Slim Cessna’s Auto Club with Lost Walks

8/9 - Passafire with Of Good Nature

8/10 - The Mother Hips *

8/15 - Eilen Jewell *

8/16 - Celso Pińa with Pato Machete

8/17 - Backyard Party with Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Slim Wednesday

8/18 - The Brothers Comatose with Jalan Crossland

8/22 - Special Guests with CITRA

8/23 - Fiesta Colorado Dance Company with Mariachi Sol de mi Tierra

8/24 - Zion I *

8/29 - Wild Rivers with The Copper Children

8/30 - Dessa with MONAKR

8/31 - Authority Zero with No Bueno!

9/1 - Grupo Fantasma

9/7 - Native American Arts Celebration with special guests Redbone

9/8 - Face Vocal Band *

9/13 - TBA *

9/14 - Low Cut Connie *

9/15 - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears with Robbie Peoples

Through a partnership with Emporium Presents, Levitt Pavilion Denver will also host a handful of ticketed concerts, featuring artists like Rob Thomas, Third Eye Blind, Jimmy Eat World, and Tower of Power. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or levittdenver.org.

Levitt Pavilion Denver's 2019 Ticketed Concert Schedule

5/19 - Spread The Word - A Colorado Music Festival

5/31 - The Samples with special guests Vertical Horizon

6/8 - The Fab Four with Special Guest: Rocks Off - A Tribute to The Rolling Stones

6/10 - Rob Thomas: Chip Tooth Tour with special guest Abby Anderson

6/22 - Third Eye Blind / Jimmy Eat World: Summer Gods Tour 2019 with special guest Ra Ra Riot

8/3 - Tower of Power with special guests Average White Band

9/27 - Three Dog Night

For more information about tickets, parking, venue information, VIP upgrades, and donations please visit www.levittdenver.org.

Ultra5280’s Best of 2018: Top Albums

December 21, 2018

We have nailed down our lists of Best Albums for 2018. We also asked some of our best friends for their selections as well. Without further adieu we give you the 2018 edition of The Best Albums of 2018 presented by Ultra5280. Cheers to an amazing year in music and hopefully 2019 brings in the same.