The Killers, Arcade Fire and The Lumineers all played this 250-capacity room before the arenas called - which is exactly the business model. Larimer Lounge, at 2721 Larimer Street in Denver's River North Art District, has been the city's essential proving-ground venue since Scott Campbell opened it in December 2002, back when RiNo was still empty warehouses. The location was a bet that paid off slowly: for its first decade the Lounge was a destination venue in an industrial no-man's-land north of downtown - you only came for the band. Then RiNo happened around it: breweries, the Denver Central Market a block away, murals on every alley wall, and the Lounge found itself at the centre of one of America's trendiest neighbourhoods without moving an inch. The booking philosophy never changed: quality local acts and national bands on the brink - Portugal. The Man played to 100 people here before selling out the Bluebird, then the Ogden, then headlining Red Rocks; Japanese Breakfast and Khruangbin worked the room on the way up, and the venue's talent buyers treat the small stage as the first rung of a ladder Denver's bigger rooms complete. The operation grew into a small empire: Campbell acquired Lost Lake Lounge on Colfax and Globe Hall in Globeville, giving the group three of Denver's best small stages, while the Larimer itself took upgrades to sound, lights and a pair of garage-door windows opening onto the patio - home of the venue's Sunday summer barbecue shows. The modern calendar leans eclectic: indie rock remains the backbone, but the room has embraced electronic music and DJ nights hard enough to win local-press honours as the city's best venue for both rock bands and DJs, with live music seven nights a week and craft cocktails alongside the cheap beer. Practical notes: most shows are 16-plus (under-16s admitted with a ticketed guardian on select nights); street parking fills fast - the 38th and Blake commuter-rail station is a ten-minute walk, and the smart evening pairs a Central Market dinner with doors, since the room's size means openers start early and sell-outs are routine.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: 2721 Larimer Street, Denver, CO, United States, 80205

Website: https://larimerlounge.com

Minimum Age: 16

Cover Charge: 1

DJ: 1

Capacity: 250

Opening Date: 01/12/2002

Serves Food

Outdoor Area