Author: Randall Resch

After breaking attendance records with his massive Trilogy concert in 2023, ILLENIUM brought intimacy to his 2024 shows in Colorado.

ILLENIUM – whose real name is Nicholas Daniel Miller – played one night at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in May. Recently, Dillon Amphitheater put on a pair of performances to close out summer. Held on September 20th and 21st, the ILLENIUM shows were the last musical events the venue will host this year. Miller will be back in Colorado to close out 2024, however. He recently announced that he’ll headline Decadence as part of a mind-blowing B2B set with SLANDER.

Making room for a diverse selection of artists in Dillon’s limited summer season has been a newsworthy undertaking. With its first show in mid-June, there are only a few months to pack in as many performances as possible. In 2024, one notable omission from Dillon’s lineup was The String Cheese Incident. While no official statement was made by either party, the city stressed a desire for variety in the acts it presents.

After an epic three-night run by Pretty Lights in 2023, the arena expanded its EDM lineup in 2024. Before the closing weekend with ILLENIUM, an early season show by Big Gigantic and two nights of Lane 8 filled prime weekend slots in Dillon.

Two Unique ILLENIUM Sets!

In addition to bringing two distinctive sets to Dillon, Miller also brought along talented stage mates. Playing alongside him both nights were violinist Bonthoven (real name Bonnie Brooksbank) and guitarist Taylor Dearman. The pair have been adding live strings to ILLENIUM concerts throughout the summer.

Friday night vibes were immaculate as the crowd settled into the picturesque amphitheater. Fall foliage set the mountains alight with color. The pair in line behind me was seeing Miller for their seventh time! The couple next to me had just gotten engaged that day — their first date had been the first (of four) times seeing ILLENIUM. They’d traveled from Iowa just for the occasion and gifted me an amazing kandi necklace with Miller’s signature blue phoenix logo.

The night consisted of constant gifting and trading of duckies, kandi, trolls, and other swag that’s become standard at EDM shows. Musically, fans loved the mix of new songs and classics with no repeats, complemented by blazing pyro and lasers.

And Two Different Nights of Music!

Each night featured two unique openers. I attended the Friday night show, which kicked off with an upbeat opening set by Cinema Kid. The sun dipped as the crowd settled in, illuminating the picturesque Dillon Reservoir area in a golden glow. As the last light of dusk faded and temps cooled, Ray Volpe turned up the heat onstage.

I was happy to have an upper rail to hold on to as the headbanging ensued! His robot-themed visuals were fantastic, with various characters appearing in each tune. Volpe also teased a few tracks from his upcoming Volpeverse shows. Denver is fortunate to get a December 6th date — one of only nine on the hard-hitting mini-tour.

After Volpe tore things up, my seat neighbors and I were sure that Friday would be the heavier of the two nights for ILLENIUM, too. Friends who caught the Saturday show disproved that theory, touting the second set as going equally hard — if not more. Saturday featured opener Paws (real name Austin Pawelka) who’s also the official DJ of the Denver Nuggets! After the slam dunk introduction, Elephante was on next. Elephante (real name Tim Heng Wu) will release his new album COPE in November.

What’s Next for Dillon Amphitheater?!

With dance music gaining mainstream popularity and Dillon seeking to bring diverse programming, perhaps a reprise of ILLENIUM is in the cards for 2025. Or maybe we’ll see a new series of performers on their calendar. Who’s on your dream Dillon bill? As the city works to establish itself as a world-class music destination, who knows what surprises are in store?! Whether your fave artists play there or not, I recommend checking out a show (or a few) there next year. I know I’ll be back!