Beyond AXS Opens Doors to Music and Live Entertainment for Denver Youth

For young people interested in music and live entertainment, understanding where their creativity can take them often begins with access: to artists, industry professionals, creative tools and the spaces where live experiences come to life. AEG's, AXS, a trusted leader in advanced ticketing and live event technology, is helping create those connections in Denver through Beyond AXS, a new community initiative.

Launched in partnership with Denver Arts & Venues, Beyond AXS is designed to expand access to live events and connect more members of the Denver community with the city’s arts, culture and entertainment ecosystem. The program creates hands-on experiences that give participants opportunities to explore music, production, and the many creative pathways behind live entertainment.

The initiative launched with a two-day experience for 15 to 20 students from RiseUp Community School, an alternative school in Denver, Colorado, focused on internship and career preparation, connecting students with music production and Denver-native electronic duo, Big Gigantic.

On Friday, September 25, students participated in a DJ and music-production workshop led by Mobile Studio at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Through hands-on instruction, students were introduced to beat-making, mixing, performance and creative careers within music.

Big Gigantic’s Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken joined the experience ahead of the duo’s annual Rowdytown performance at Red Rocks, sharing their perspective as artists and helping students explore the creative process behind making music and producing a major live show.

“Red Rocks has played such an important role in our story,” Big Gigantic said. “So being able to help young people experience the creative process behind a show, and see where their own ideas could take them, is incredibly meaningful to us.”

The experience continued the following day at Red Rocks, where students attended the soundcheck before Big Gigantic’s Rowdytown performance. The behind-the-scenes opportunity offered students a firsthand look at how artists, crews and venues work together to prepare for a major live event.

Together, these experiences reflect the purpose behind Beyond AXS: using the reach of live entertainment to connect young people, artists and their communities.

By pairing hands-on learning with access to working artists and iconic cultural spaces, the program lets students see the industry from a new perspective, not only as fans in the audience, but as people who could one day be part of it.