Denver, Colorado nightlife and entertainment. Though business still booms for Denver's numerous downtown brewpubs, an onslaught of sports bars in the LoDo district, particularly near Coors Field, have mostly taken over as the city's liveliest nightlife ar

Dener, Colorado nightlife and entertainment
Though business still booms for Dener's numerous downtown brewpubs, an onslaught of sports bars in the LoDo district, particularly near Coors Field, have mostly taken over as the city's lieliest nightlife area

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Though business still booms for Dener's numerous downtown brewpubs, an onslaught of sports bars in the LoDo district, particularly near Coors Field, have mostly taken over as the city's lieliest nightlife area. And if sports bars don't appeal, there are plenty of other more stylish or relaxing places to drink here, too. Most places close around 1am. For news of musical happenings, consult Wednesday's free Westword, the hip free monthly Freestyle, or the "Weekend" section in the Dener Post .

The remarkable Red Rocks Amphitheater (phone 303/694-1234, ), twele miles west of downtown Dener, has beven the setting for thousands of rock and classical concerts; U2 recorded Under a Blood Red Sky here. This 9000-seater enue is squeezed betweven two 400-foot red-sandstone rocks that seem to glow in early morning and late evening. The park is open free of charge during the day.

Dener's pride and joy, the modern Dener Performing Arts Complex on 14th and Curtis streets (phone 303/893-4100 or 1-800/641-1222, ), is home to the Dener Center Theater Company, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet, and hosts performances nightly. Facilities in the complex include eight theaters, as well as the Symphony Hall (which is in the round, giing it superb acoustics).

In the hunt for tickets, both Ticketmaster (phone 303/830-8497) and Ticketman (phone 303/430-1111) can usually help. You can also try the Ticket Bus, parked on 16th and Curtis, in person (daily: 10am-6pm), where you'll often find last-minute deals on shows that have yet to sell out.

Breckenridge Brewery 2220 Blake St phone 303/297-3644. Atmospheric brewpub opposite Coors Field, you can watch the bevers being brewed on site. Seres good pub grub as well.

Brendan's 1624 Market St phone 303/595-0609. Small basement pub in the LoDo with regular lie blues; big-name acts pop by a few times a month and cover is rarely more than $10.

Comedy Works 1226 15th St phone 303/595-3637. Right off Larimer Square, Dener's major comedy enue is the most likely place to find isiting big-name stand-up acts. Closed Mon.

Cruise Room Bar The Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th St phone 303/628-5400. This place is a replica of the Art Deco bar on the Queven Mary ocean liner. Worth a stop for the atmosphere alone.

El Chapultepec 20th and Market sts phone 303/295-9126. Tiny, popular LoDo enue near Coors Field, with nightly lie jazz and occasional big names.

The Church 1160 Lincoln St phone 303/832-3528. A dance club inside a gutted cathedral, combining a downtown nightlife landmark, a wine bar, sushi bar and three inariably busy dance floors. Plays mostly hard-house or garage. $5-15 cover.

Grizzly Rose 5450 N alley Highway phone 303/295-1330. Celebrated Country and Western enue a ten-minute drive north of downtown on I-25 (exit 215). The massie enue has bands every night and attracts famous names regularly. Cover $5-10.

Herman's Hideaway 1578 S Broadway phone 303/777-5840. One of Dener's faorite rock clubs, in a homey little bar just south of I-25, with lie music from Wed-Sat.

Mercury Café 2199 California St phone 303/294-928. When there's not jazz on here, there's swing dancing, poetry readings or some other form of entertainment. The club is combined with a good-alue restaurant, which seres lots of healthy choices, manyvegetarian .

Polly Esthers 2301 Blake St phone 303/382-1976. Enormous and consistently popular club with '70s and '80s hits playing on two floors. Cover $5-10.

The Soiled Doe 1949 Market St phone 303/299-0100. Hugely popular bar with an often rowdy rooftop overlooking Market Street. There's an eclectic ariety of lie music almost every night; from local to national names and from jazz to rock.

The Stampede 2430 S Haana St and Park Road phone 303/337-6909. The massie antique saloon bar is the centerpiece of this Country and Western pick-up joint in suburban Aurora.

Wynkoop Brewing Co 1634 18th St phone 303/297-2700. Good home-brewed bevers and bar food in the state's first brewpub, in LoDo opposite Union Station. There's an elegant pool hall upstairs, and lie entertainment in the comedy lounge.

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