Ogden Theatre, Colorado Bands, Newborn Baby

As I held my newborn daughter, this 28-year-old boy was overcome with joy. It was June of 2005 on a bright & sunny morning. The weather was sweet. My second healthy daughter had just been born. My girls were born five years apart. I was filled with wonderful feelings of happiness, euphoria, and success. I was excited about bringing a new child into this world. My future was looking bright. I had a big concert that I had been promoting for over a month at the Ogden Theatre, located at 935 E Colfax Ave in Denver, Colorado, later in the afternoon.
I kissed my daughters and their Momma, Jlo as I bittersweetly left the hospital. Saint Joseph’s Hospital on 18th & Downing in Denver, was just half a mile from this evening’s event at the Ogden Theatre. This is how you throw a concert. I booked a late-afternoon/evening event featuring about eight Colorado bands. I was on a local band diet. The bands each got paid three bucks for every ten-dollar ticket they sold. I would also hand-pick one band to record a song at a recording studio. I believe I paid the studio 100 bucks and put them on my promotion. I promoted, through my website, a massive Facebook friend list, printed posters, flyers, and listed the show on some local websites, papers, and zines. AEG Live ran a nice ad for the Ogdens shows in a few printed publications like the Westword Magazine and Marquee Magazine, plus a few more.
Ear to ear, I smiled, as I entered the front doors of the legendary venue where I saw my first ever concert Weezer in 1995, I was 18. The Sweat Box was host to other bands I had seen here before like Reverend Horton Heat, KRS-1, System of a Down, Guttermouth, L7, Sweet 75, Snuff, Frenzal Rhomb, Mike Ness, Pepper, P-Nuckle, Chris Cornell, Timbaland, Face To Face, Goldfinger, Veruca Salt, Cake, Bad Religion, Rise Against, and more. For the first time today, it was all mine at the legendary Ogden Theatre.
The bands unloaded their gear in the alley behind the venue. Because there were so many bands on the bill, only a few could set up in the nearly 100-year-old theatre right away. Bands played and the show was lightly attended with only a couple of hundred attendees. I was feeling so good and was still on a major high from the birth of my daughter hours before. I met with the band Motor Mouth a few blocks down from the venue on Colfax Ave. They introduced me to the new singer. It had been less than a year since I received the call early one grief-stricken morning from Jason, telling me there was an accident and his twin brother Justin had hung himself in the backyard from a tree and was dead. I was glad to see the new guy but it was really weird. I had been doing shows with Motor Mouth since March 3rd 2003, my first concert production, and I felt a strong connection with the band from the beginning, especially with the three brothers in the band. I was introduced to Motor Mouth from Littleton by Jlo’s brother. I felt this band was my brothers’ also. These boys played a rhythmic punk rock sound, with good lyrics, good musicianship, which was excellent to rock out to. They reminded me of Good Riddance and Rise Against. After a couple of dozen shows together, this would be my last show with Motor Mouth
The show had sponsors like Module Overpaid, Happi Scratch Records, Independent Records Store, and Graphix Designs. The band Hissi Fit from Colorado Springs won the studio time. I told Hissi Fit they should consider a name change to something deeper. Unfortunately, they took my advice, later regretting the name change to Wasting Yesterday.
I went inside to pay the venue. We actually never agreed on a price which was a first for me in my first 2 years of hosting shows. I ended up getting super emotional and crying in the office while I was counting money and tickets. I paid $5,000 for the Ogden Theatre rental. This is not the best way to make money. The most I ever paid to rent a venue in my 7 years of producing/promoting concerts and shows.
The high fives and handshakes letting me know my event was a good success left me overwhelmed with emotion. The hugs and congratulations on my newborn daughter felt even better.

NoRulezChris