Last weekend in July 2025, Denver’s music community gathered on South Broadway for one final, jubilant-yet-bittersweet Underground Music Showcase (UMS). After 25 years, the festival is bowing out “in its current form,” leaving locals with memories and mixed emotions. For a quarter-century, UMS has been more than just a music festival; it’s been a summer tradition, a launchpad for homegrown talent, and at times a lightning rod for debate about what “underground” really means.