Five shows, one night: what to do?

March 25, 7:59 PMIndie Music ExaminerNeal Rogers

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One might imagine the music scene along Colorado’s Front Range to be lacking — at least compared to music hotbeds such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle or Austin.

You might think that, but you’d be wrong.

Thankfully, on top of a respectable local scene that has produced Devotchka, The Fray and Rose Hill Drive in recent years, the 30-minute commute between Denver and Boulder, where I live, is virtually a guaranteed stop for nationally touring bands, often en route between other heartland college towns such as Salt Lake City, Omaha and Boise.

Case in point: the upcoming Friday, April 10. With the date quickly approaching, there are five very different acts I’m contemplating seeing live: Conor Oberst, The Presets, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King and The Hold Steady.

Below I’ve listed the pros and cons for each. Decisions, decisions…

The Presets

Opening Acts: The Golden Filter, DJ Hot To Death

Venue: Bluebird Theater (Denver)

Capacity: 500

Cost: $26

Artist synopsis: Australian electro-punk duo that has toured with Daft Punk and Cut Copy

Pros: High-energy dance band on the way up

Cons: What will the laptop-to-human onstage ratio be like? No, I’m not that familiar, and even in the face of all the hype, I’m still not sure I actually like them.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

Opening Act: Capgun Coup

Venue: Ogden Theatre (Denver)

Capacity: 1300

Cost: $30

Artist synopsis: Omaha’s folky singer-songwriter, hailed by some as the “next Bob Dylan”, drops established Bright Eyes moniker and matures with new band

Pros: Easy — there are few artists alive today with an equivalent talent to the prolific Oberst, who, at 29, has already produced a career's worth of amazing music

Cons: Could be a little sleepy

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Opening Act: none

Venue: Pepsi Center (Denver)

Capacity: 19,000

Cost: Ranging from $45 to $110

Artist synopsis: Backed by one of the tightest rock bands in the business, New Jersey’s most famous son has been writing critically acclaimed songs for the everyman since before I was born — back when he was being called the new Bob Dylan

Pros: Rock and roll icon’s three-hour live shows are legendary, or so I hear, having never been. And he’s not getting any younger.

Cons: On top of the ticket price, arena shows are in direct violation of my “whites of the eyes” rule — as in, I need to be close enough to see the whites of the performers’ eyes

B.B. King

Opening Act: Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real

Venue: Boulder Theater (Boulder)

Capacity: 975

Cost: Ranging from $80 to $110

Artist synopsis: The King of Blues. ‘Nuff said.

Pros: He’s a legend.

Cons:  Expensive and sold out (likely to a crowd older than I’m used to), but where there’s a will, there’s a way…

The Hold Steady

Opening Act: The War On Drugs

Venue: Fox Theatre (Boulder)

Capacity: 700

Cost: $20

Artist synopsis: Minneapolis rockers, fronted by drunk-sounding vocalist Craig Finn, who favors rich, storytelling lyrics that sound a bit like, well, Springsteen

Pros: Buzz band in small venue with amazing acoustics

Cons: Hmmmm… could end with a hangover

The decision hasn’t been made yet. There’s a comments section below. You know what to do.