Summer Music Roundup 2017
02 Jun 2017
This summer's line-up features something for everyone
By Dave Kirby Under glowering skies, we had secured our seats and made ourselves that special kind of Red Rocks comfortable—perched precisely over our seat numbers, careful not to side-knee our neighbors, finding level spots to balance our drinks.

Performances to Watch For
The folks at Planet Bluegrass, in Lyons, know a little about staring down the weather. The 500-year flood that roared down the Big Thompson and St. Vrain rivers in September 2013 had all but wiped the ranch off the map, but the 45th Annual RockyGrass Festival, scheduled for July 28-30, continues the enduring legacy of Colorado’s string-music eminence. Watch for Hot Rize alum Tim O’Brien and his band on Friday, Jerry Douglas and Edgar Meyer teaming up with Nashville singer/spoken word artist Odessa Settles on Saturday, and Del McCoury closing the festivities on Sunday. Planet Bluegrass also hosts the Folks Festival Aug. 18-20, featuring renowned songwriter Peter Himmelman, the roots franchise Revivalists, and outstanding locally based songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov. As always, there will also be more intimate performances at the Pavilion, which was rebuilt after the flood. NedFest returns Aug. 25-27—that funky, low-impact block party of an arts, gastro and musical festival staged yearly up in Nederland. String Cheese keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth is a semi-regular at NedFest, and he’s coming with his band this year. Oteil Burbridge, the utility-infielder bassist to innumerable jam and jazz bands, celebrates his birthday as well on the Friday bill. Expect the unexpected, and watch for more acts to be named soon. Don’t forget to leave your dog at home.




Dave Kirby has been writing about music for various publications since 1978. He and his wife live in Boulder with their two dogs.