This Memorial Day weekend was packed full of events in Denver. Saturday was Denver Day of Rock, a full afternoon lasting until 9:30pm of live music, vendors, food and drinks. The event is presented by Amp the Cause, formerly Concerts For Kids, to raise funds for and awareness of non-profits in our community, and backed by a long list of local and national sponsors.

There were five stages setup along the 16th Street Mall and the 25 bands were staggered in timing. I read up on all of the artists to have an idea of who I wanted to see most at each time. I was impressed by the great reviews and all of the accolades these bands had earned. Nearly all of them were out of state, some had Grammy nominations, others top songs on the Billboard charts, and as a whole offered a spectrum of sound to please the crowds.

16th Street was bustling with people, buses, bikes and vendor tents. The music was the main objective so I missed out on most of the vendors. However, I can tell you about the bars’ offerings. There was beer and wine from Barefoot, Budweiser, Great Divide, Ska, Oskar Blues, Avery Brewery, Odell, and Left Hand Brewing Co. There was every type of liquor from Deep Eddy Vodka, Black Magic Rum, Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, Tequila Exotico, and Broker’s Gin. You could also pack a bag and bring whatever food and drinks you would need as they did not check bags *wink wink*

The clouds and rain came back and forth throughout the event, but there were plenty of places lining 16th Street to duck into. There were also a couple covered beer garden tents and catered VIP tents at every stage. We had a nice hour of sun around 4pm, which was perfect timing to accompany the beach-y pop music of Bestie at the 17th and Arapahoe stage. At 5:30 we went to the Welton Street stage to see the much talked about “kid” play guitar. He is a local 19-year-old boy named Austin Young who draws a crowd with his talent and passion he displays. His show was a fun mix of classic covers and original songs.

Colorado favorite Mat Kearney was delayed almost a half hour as a brief monsoon took residence during the late evening headlining stage. Once the sky cleared the audience rushed the stage to get the best view of the rather pleasing sing along set. Kearney has an infectious pop sound that even finds me singing in the shower to myself at times. He often sells out every show he plays in Denver so seeing him for free in a more intimate setting made for a wonderful experience.

The day flew by for my friends and I. There were so many good bands and many distractions that I felt like I was continually weaving through crowds and tents to get to the next stage. I definitely didn’t get to see everyone on the list I had crafted, but those I did see sounded great and put on a good show. None of the stages were crowded, so you could get any viewing spot you wanted with a little effort. We all had a great time, I just wish the time didn’t fly by!

-Tiffany Candelaria

I’ve been thinking about how to write this review for a few days now. I don’t want this to come off biased, as I try to be honest and accurate with how I review shows, but I just can’t help it with this one: Mat Kearney’s concert on Thursday night at The Black Sheep was easily, hands down, one of the best shows I’ve seen in the past two years (and I’ve seen a lot of shows)! Playing to a sold out crowd this past Thursday night, Mat Kearney and Robert Francis wowed the audience with a night full of beautiful music, front to end.

Thursday night began with Robert Francis taking stage as the long line down the street was still filing into the building. His singer-songwriter style was beautifully complimented by his rich, layered voice and alluring range. The three-man group fronted by Francis had an upbeat, pop/rock sound that is something anyone can listen to. Francis played tracks off of his last record, “Before Nightfall”, as well as some tracks off of his new record called “Strangers In The First Place”, due out May 22nd. I was pleased with their set and enjoyed the song “Junebug”, with it’s catchy chorus that got stuck in my head for a good point of the night.

As soon as Mat took stage, and began to hammer out the begging to “Fire and Rain”, I immediately knew I wouldn’t be disappointed, and was proven right as the second song of the set began to play: “Young and Dumb in Love”, my personal favorite from his new record. Playing a seemingly perfect mix of old favorites like “All I Need”, “Breathe In Breathe Out”, and of course “Undeniable” (which he sung/spoke that night in an interesting way), as well as a slew of new songs off of his “Young Love” record released last summer, there was something for everyone on his setlist that evening. Mat has had two different songs, “All I Need” and “Breathe In Breathe Out”, featured on ABC’s hit television show “Grey’s Anatomy” which helped his rise to fame in 2007. His new, highly anticipated album “Young Love” was released in August 2011, and this current tour in support of it seems to be nothing short of a success. He’s already topping the charts with the first two singles that have been released, and I hope this is only the beginning.

Thursday night’s show left me smiling from ear to ear. Mr. Kearney’s unique ability to warm up a room and immediately connect with the audience is a rare quality to find in performers these days. He kept the set fun with ease, even through the slower, more touching songs. His incredible songwriting skills shine through even more during a live set, as he showed off his talent with freestyle rapping a verse all about “Colorado Springs” in the middle of one of his songs. He somehow also managed to squeeze the refrains from Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” and “Super Bass” into the middle of “All I Have”. Ending his show with a three-song encore, and a beautiful explanation of the story behind the song “Rochester”, the whole crowd was dancing, clapping and moving through both “Ships in The Night”, and “Hey Mama”.

Robert and I got a chance to meet up with Mat before his show and chat with him backstage for a bit. Be sure to check out our pictures with him, and the great poster he gave Ultra5280!

Maddie