DENVER (KDVR) — A new pop-up outdoor concert venue in the River North neighborhood of Denver is debuting with a rock show on Tuesday and an electronic dance music show later this week.
The venue, Project 70, will be a first-of-its-kind for Denver. Situated underneath the Interstate 25 overpass near the Denver Coliseum, the venue maintains an open-air feel while also being sheltered from weather with a high ceiling that also brings unique visual elements to the concert experience.
Don Strasburg, president of AEG Presents Rocky Mountains, told FOX31 in an interview that the two shows this week will be the only events for 2025, but the event agency is already working on plans for more shows next year.
Strasburg said the team at AEG had seen similar venues start to pop up in Europe and it caught their eye. Then, when some friends in New York launched a similar concept with Under the K Bridge and saw good success, they were inspired to try something like it in Denver
“We’re always looking for unique and different ways to present music to our community,” Strasburg said. “We thought it was kind of neat that you could do a show outside but have some neat indoor components.”
The venue can hold 10,000 people. The space is as wide as a six-to-eight lane highway and is behind the parking lots of the Denver Coliseum.
The unusual venue will offer a unique concert experience for fans, but will include the normal fare that one might expect at a concert, such as concessions, food trucks, alcohol sales and restroom facilities.
Strasburg said the industrial setting also allows for unique visuals as artists can display lighting over the surrounding concrete highway structures.
“That’s the super cool thing about having a roof. You’re able to, you know, have really neat lighting elements that should create more of a venue feel than just an outdoor feel. But you get the outdoor feel because, you know, there’s no sides,” he said. “It should be a really neat experience.”
The bars, stage, and sound and lighting equipment will provide a different setting for each show as the venue will be custom-built to accommodate individual events. Strasburg explained that crews start to build the stage and event infrastructure two to three days in advance of the show.
“We build a city and then we take it down right after it’s over,” Strasburg said. “You pop it up and you pop it down.”
He added that the location is conveniently near major interstates and large parking lots, but is still in the city where people can get a ride there easily. The area is fenced off and people will enter near the back side of the coliseum. The stage will sit facing from west to east.
Multi-genre venue debuts with two concerts
AEG said events at the venue will “bring fresh, genre-spanning experiences” to the Mile High City.
The Baltimore rock band Turnstile will headline the first event at Project 70 on Tuesday night, followed by a show with Chase and Status, a drum and bass act from the United Kingdom.
“It’s more hardcore alternative rock type sound. You know, full band, obviously. Chase and Status is an electronic act. So, you know, you’re kind of hitting two different sides of music and genres here,” Strasburg said.
- Turnstile with Mannequin Pussy, Speed and Jane Remover
- Tuesday, Sept. 30
- Chase & Status with PEEKABOO, EPROM, Mozey, CESCO and Flava D.
- Saturday, Oct. 4
Tickets to the shows can be purchased online through AEG. Fans can park at the Denver Coliseum or the National Western Complex for $20. More information can be found on the venue website.
Strasburg said future events will also showcase a diverse range of genres. He expects the shows this week to go well and said more will be planned for next year accordingly.
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