Red Rocks Ampitheatre: Ron Ruhoff/ Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
When you live in Los Angeles, you don’t really think about music scenes anywhere else. Why would you? L.A. has it all. Sure, you might occasionally give a passing nod to cool shit going on in other places. Kudos to Seattle for that grunge run way back when. And, yeah, the scenes are supposed to be solid in spots like Nashville, New Orleans and New York. But you can get all of that and more in L.A.; moving to another city would only limit your options when it comes to music.
At least that’s what I thought when I moved to Denver. Now I’m not so sure.
Having covered music as a reporter for both LA Weekly and Westword, I can tell you that it’s actually a close call when determining which city boasts the better music scene — so close that the scenes warrant a point-by-point comparison.
Angelenos, just hear me out; I know this is coming out of left field for you, but you may learn a thing or two. Denverites, I’m sure there’s nothing you’d enjoy more than to be compared to Los Angeles — by a transplant, no less (gasp!). So buckle up for a friendly competition as I take you through the scientific facts. And just for fun, at the end there will be a point tally to show which music scene comes out on top.
May the best city win.
Best Touring Acts
Angelenos are entitled when it comes to concerts. There, I said it.
You can expect any artist worth his or her salt to play L.A. on a tour. Hell, it seems like half of the industry’s full-time musicians already live in L.A., so it’s a natural place to catch a show, whether it’s at a DIY venue or an amphitheater like the Hollywood Bowl.
As for Denver, staked out on the high plains? Nearly every major tour stops here as well.
For one thing, it helps to have a plethora of festivals and an amazing venue like Red Rocks Amphitheatre to draw recognized artists here. But beyond that, Denver ends up hosting most nationally touring acts for a simple reason: geography.
Just look at a map. Denver is the only major metropolis for hundreds of miles, making it the cultural capital for a huge swath of North American territory. It’s the same reason that Broncos fans come from six different states: Denver has an expansive cultural footprint. There’s little competition, and you’d have to travel long distances in every direction before finding another significant music market.
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By Chris Walker
To read the whole article, go to:
http://www.westword.com/music/could-denver-have-a-better-music-scene-than-la-8184055