The Liner Notes

Last week my brother called and said he had won two tickets to the Arctic Monkeys show Monday at the Ogden Theatre in Denver.

He won the tickets by calling in and naming the frontman for the group – Alex Turner. He asked if I wanted to go and having been anticipating their new album coming out Tuesday called “Suck it and See,” I was stoked.

I’ve been a fan of the Arctic Monkeys since the release of their 2006 debut “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What ‘m Not.” With recent releases and the influence of Josh Homme of Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and Them Crooked Vultures producing and even playing on their new release, the group has received a lot of criticism, but I have really enjoyed their new darker direction.

The Vaccines, which released their debut album “What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?” today, opened. The band out of London has made a splash in England.

They sound like a mix of The Clash and Morrissey with a little Kings of Leon mixed in. They were a little stiff regarding their stage presence, but were pretty good.

For a new band they have a lot of potential. Their single “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” and “If You Wanna” were the highlights.

After about a 45 minute set it was time for the main event.

After a pretty quick intermission, The Arctic Monkeys took the stage ironically enough to “American Woman” playing on the sound system, before jumping right into a ridiculously loud set.

From the first powerchord, Turner unleashed a blistering set that included such highlights as “I bet you look good on the Dance Floor,” “Teddy Picker,” “When the Sun Goes Down” and new songs such as “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair.”

The show was airtight with a natural flow mixing older classics and new songs. There was one encore and perhaps the only flaw is the fact that the group has their routine down almost too well. Bassist Nick O’Malley appeared to just be going through the motions.

All in all though, the Arctic Monkeys put on a solid show. It was well worth the money.

Phish will return to Denver this fall to play three shows at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The official announcement was made this morning on 97.3 FM KBCO by the “Sage.” The famous jam band will perform Sept. 2, 3 and 4^th at the stadium at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

Tickets go on sale Saturday June 4^th at 10 a.m. and run $60 for general admission or $47.50 for general admission stands. There will be camping available for $70 on the grounds, which covers three days and parking.

For more information visit: http://www.kbco.com or http://phish.com/#/tours/dates/sun-2011-09-04-dicks-sporting-goods-park