Colorado State Fair & Rodeo
Through Monday. The state’s biggest cross-cultural gathering wraps up this weekend as Colorado State Fair & Rodeo launches its final concerts and rodeos. The agricultural-focused, family-friendly fest has daily programming such as the kids carnival, food and drink vendors, a sprawling art show, livestock displays and competitions, plus the Toughest Monster Truck Tour shows (Aug. 30-31); Demo Derby (Aug. 31); concerts from Trace Adkins (Aug. 30), Ludacris (Aug. 31) and Goo Goo Dolls (Sept. 2);
Concerts are $40-$65; other event prices vary. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for kids aged 5-12, free for 4 and under. Colorado State Fairgrounds, 1001 Beulah Ave. in Pueblo. Call 800-876-4567 or visit coloradostatefair.com for more.
World Art Drop Day
Tuesday. Take a few minutes — before school or work, or even on lunch break — to search for hidden original artworks on Tuesday, Sept. 3, during the return of World Art Drop Day. Sponsored by Denver Arts & Venues and other culture-boosters, the scavenger hunt drops clues on social media (search #artdropday in your city) to discovering free, handcrafted artworks — paintings, sculptures, enamel pins and more — hidden in public places as part of this quirky arts-engagement experiment.
For more specific clues on where to look (hint: parks and libraries are especially popular spots), search #ArtDropDenver2024, join facebook.com/groups/artdropdenver, or visit artsandvenuesdenver.com/programs/art-drop-day. Happy hunting!
Shiny art-rock bliss
Friday-Sunday. Colorado band Shiny Around the Edges doesn’t advertise its members, but there’s a chance you’d recognize them: singer/bassist Jennifer Seman and guitarist/singer Michael Seman are Ph.D. instructors and lecturers with Metropolitan State University and Colorado State University, respectively. That may not sound super punk-rock, but it does help explain their strange and compelling mix of ethereal vocals, precision drumming (courtesy Brandon Young) and thunderous, lacerating guitar, which creates an art-rock sound so lush it sounds hemispheres away from their Denton, Texas, beginnings two decades ago.
The experimental trio is celebrating the release of excellent new EP, “Activate the Rainbow,” with shows on Friday, Aug. 30, at 830 North in Fort Collins (chipperslanes.com); Saturday, Aug. 31, at Bar 404 in Denver (bar404broadway.com); and Sunday, Sept. 1, at What’s Left Records in Colorado Springs (whatsleftrec.com) — all with opener Moon Pussy (and, on Aug. 31, Church Fire). Prices vary. Visit facebook.com/shinyaroundtheedges for more.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer at RedLine
Friday. Speaking of experimental music: Pulitzer Prize winner Raven Chacon and Guillermo Galindo — both visual artists and composers — will play their new piece “Caesura” live at Redline Contemporary Art Center on Friday, Aug. 30, as part of the ongoing exhibition “The Other Side of the Tracks” (running through Oct. 6).
“Caesura” is a piece for percussion “created from detritus sourced from old pieces of railroad infrastructure,” organizers wrote, and features percussion by Shawn King of Denver’s DeVotchKa. The show is free to members with a $5 suggested donation for everyone else. 6-8 p.m. at 2350 Arapahoe St. in Denver. All ages. redlineart.org
