This rockin’ Denver music hall outclasses most venues, new or old
The longtime music destination, which opened in 1915 as a movie house, has seen its share of hard times.
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Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we give our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)
Denver’s most historic music venues are also some of its most impressive, ranging from the city-owned Red Rocks Amphitheatre to the gilded prosceniums of the Ogden and Paramount theaters.
The Bluebird Theater may not immediately spring to mind. It’s not that fancy, nor that big. But its history says reams about the Mile High City. The gorgeous, blue-neon sign jumps out from its perch at 3317 E. Colfax Ave., topping a marquee that’s always popping with headliners — a sign of mega-promoter AEG Presents’ nonstop bookings at the 500-capacity theater.
It’s a wonderful place to see a show, intimate yet big enough to feel like a much bigger venue when it’s packed with screaming fans. And yet, the Bluebird is an example of the scrappy, not-always-pretty evolution of Denver at a street level. It opened in 1915 as a movie house called The Thompson, according to History Colorado, and immediately made for a handsome addition to East Colfax, the city’s longest east-west corridor. Its multihued brick accents and spires are still intact, however weathered, and one gets the sense standing in line for a show that countless thousands have done the exact thing on that exact spot.
It’s fulfilled many uses, of course, and the 1970s downturn saw the venue transform into a porn theater, which lasted until its temporary closing in 1987. Seven years later, Chris Swank and Evan Dechtman bought it and fixed it up — just in time for location scouts to nab it for 1995’s “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,” where Andy Garcia and Fairuza Balk shot scenes on the sidewalk out front.
Before the Hi-Dive, Larimer Lounge or any of Denver’s other top indie clubs replaced the 15th Street Tavern, Climax Lounge and much-missed gems, the Bluebird acted as a reliable mid-sized spot to catch local and touring acts before they got big (hint: it still is). Certainly, it’s good to get there early to stake out spots against the railing, or press against the wooden stage as you cram earplugs into your head.
Illenium and the Lumineers — both multiplatinum-selling, Denver-based acts — have namechecked it among their favorites to both play (when starting out) and see shows. The layers of stickers and bathroom graffiti, groaning wood structures, relatively narrow sides, and eclectic design touches give it an underdog feel despite frequently having some of the most chest-rattling sound in town.
Fans will likely never forget seeing huge names there before they were big — Adele, Vampire Weekend, Billie Eilish, The White Stripes, Ed Sheeran. I won’t forget seeing my own favorite artists there (Guided by Voices, Tortoise, Beth Gibbons, Spoon, Low) not long after moving to Denver in 2000. I loved showing up after a few beers on the town and getting turned onto locals such as Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, DeVotchKa and Maraca 5-0, and their lacerating live shows. I met lifelong friends there after a freak-accident discussion made us realize we were all from Ohio. I interviewed bands such as the Shins and Pinback backstage when I ran an indie rock fanzine. And once or twice I’ve even climbed on stage there myself.
I can’t imagine a Colfax without the Bluebird, just as I’d rather not look in the mirror and see any missing teeth. The venue has watched over a particularly colorful stretch of the city through cultural up- and downturns, demolitions and new construction, and it’s found ways to come out on top every time. It’s a neon beacon, a sticky-floored altar of rock, and one of the best arguments for the decades-long continuity of Denver’s music scene I’ve yet heard.
