Disco Biscuits – April 17th – Red Rocks

Estimated read time 10 min read

04-17-15_DPV_4059_Bisco_Inferno_Red_Rocks_by_Dave_VannPhotos by Dave Vann

The Scene: After two rowdy nights of Bisco madness at The Ogden Theatre the thoughts for many shifted from setlists to weather reports. With cold temperatures, rain, and even snow threatening things at Red Rocks for a collaboration between The Disco Biscuits, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart  of The Grateful Dead, fans of both bands wondered exactly what the hell was going to happen up there?  Despite the weather not cooperating, fans bundled up and brought the energy level through the roof as they were treated to a night of music nobody will soon forget.

The Show: With three sets of music coming our way and the cold weather making things interesting, The Disco Biscuits wasted no time bringing the heat as they opened the show with fan favorite “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.”  While Making Easy Money Pimpin’ Hoes In Style may be tougher in the cold, you couldn’t tell it from the band’s performance as they smoothly segued into one of their biggest and baddest numbers, “Basis For A Day.”  “Basis” is a song that will always gets the crowd going and the flawless transition from “M.E.M.P.H.I.S” drew a huge response from those ready to get the dance party going.  As the weaving guitar and keyboard melodies playfully danced around each other you could feel the energy build in anticipation of what is one of the better jam platforms in the Biscuits catalog.  Despite not getting as deep and dirty as some of the more historically renowned “Basis” jams, this version certainly got everyone in the crowd moving and with the temperature dropping by the minute, that movement was critical.  As the dance party vibe shifted into the shredding guitar that caps off the tune, one thing was very obvious, guitarist Jon “Barber” Gutwillig was on point and would not be letting the cold weather effect his game.  Barber ripped the end of “Basis” a new one and truly set the tone for the rest of the night’s festivities.

From “Basis” things shifted drastically into “Caves of The East;” an eerie sounding instrumental that conjures a mysterious and almost Egyptian vibe.  With darkness now completely engulfing the crowd, this spooky sound coming from the stage was a perfect shift in dynamics and a pleasure to hear.  As the tempo and energy of the jam coming out of “Caves” picked up, the crowd responded and, seemingly out of nowhere, the band segued into “Spraypaint Victory.”  It never ceases to amaze me how smooth and flawlessly the Biscuits can move in and out of their songs and this was a prime example of how they truly are the best in the business at this skill.  Smiles flashed between fans in the crowd as they sang along to the chorus, shouting about freedom being a gun and giant bags of money.  My friends and I have often joked about the fantasy world that Gutwillig writes about, often evoking images of giant stacks of cash, being armed to the teeth, and surrounded by “pools full of bitches.”  “Spraypaint” is a prime example of this world and, after a very dancey jam, the band ended “Spraypaint,” and the set, on a high note.

By this point in the night the venue had filled and anticipation reached a boiling point as fans of both The Disco Biscuits and The Grateful Dead clamored to find out how these two bands would merge.  After some mixed reviews for the first collaboration between Mickey, Billy, and TDB at Gathering of The Vibes last summer, just about everyone I spoke with was eager to see if the band would play it safe and stick to songs they’ve already played together or go out on a limb and try something different.  With Tom Hamilton [Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, American Babies] joining the fold, it was obvious from the start of the set that we were in for something new. Hamilton has been a long time friend and collaborator with the Biscuits and it was a smart move to bring him on board for this set.  While it would have been easy for him to dominate things, given his recent foray into The Grateful Dead universe playing with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Phil and Friends, Hamilton acted as a facilitator setting up the rest of the band beautifully and allowing them, especially Barber, to shine.

The set opened with a short but punchy “Jack Straw,” a well played “Crazy Fingers” (one of Gutwillig’s admitted favorites), and a ripping “New Speedway Boogie.”  Then came something I don’t think any of us expected.  From the first notes of “Terrapin Station” the crowd was in awe both of the music coming from the stage and the balls it took to attempt such a complicated and highly regarded piece of music.  “Terrapin” encapsulates what the Dead, and honestly every other band of that ilk is about, weaving intricate composed sections into free flowing improv.  The Biscuits take on the classic anthem was nearly flawless and showed what the band is capable of when they are well prepared and excited to show off something new to their fans.  Up to that point the weather had mostly cooperated and, despite being cold, at least we were not soaking wet, up to that point.

As Terrapin shifted into a dark and haunting “Space” jam, the clouds finally opened up and as sleet and snow fell from the skies I don’t think anyone, band or crowd, was ready for what happened next.  Once the snow fell LD Johnny R Goode reached into his bag of tricks and triggered the lasers that have now become synonymous with Disco Biscuit shows.  Lasers beams from the bottom to the top of Red Rocks would have been impressive on their own, but as the flakes of snow and sleet hit the lasers the crowd was treated to something that will live on forever in both Red Rocks and Disco Biscuit lore.  Some called it Laser Snow, others Disco or Glitter Snow but regardless of what you want to call it, the reaction of snow falling into the lasers caused easily the most psychedelic thing I have ever seen in my life.  It was as if someone lit off a digital glitter bomb that fell from the sky and covered the whole venue, from the stage all the way up to the last row of seats.  Words are almost pointless trying to describe this phenomenon so I highly recommend checking out this Youtube video which still doesn’t really do it justice:

From there the band chilled out and brought things back to earth with a beautiful “Wharf Rat” before taking it home with what Barber later called “an obvious choice:” “Help on the Way>Slipknot>Franklin’s Tower.”  This classic Dead segment is what really turned me on to the band (especially the version from One From The Vault) and was all I really wanted to hear when I heard about this collaboration.  A rolling and rollicking composition, I was ecstatic to hear the band attack the “Help>Slipknot” with reckless abandon and confidence.  There was even a “Let It Grow” tease thrown in by Barber just because “I was feeling it.”  As “Slipknot” wound into the euphoric chord progression of “Franklin’s Tower” it was impossible not to smile and sing along.  In my opinion this was the perfect way to close out what was a beautifully executed tribute to, and collaboration with, some of TDB’s musical heroes.

After what was easily the shortest set break in the history of The Disco Biscuits, the band opened their final set of the night with “A Fifth of Beethoven,” the Disco classic by Walter Murphy which has recently been brought into rotation after a nearly 15 year gap from its debut.  “Beethoven” laid the groundwork for a funky jam which segued into the deep dance grooves of “Orch Theme,” a thumping instrumental that delivered its usually nasty techno dance party highlighted by some great interplay between Barber and keyboardist Aron Magner.  As the band shifted out of “Orch Theme,” drummer Allen Aucoin brought some rolling thunder to the mix and it almost sounded as if the band was heading back into Dead territory, specifically “The Other One.”  Before the now soaked and saturated audience could even begin to wonder what was coming next, Barber ripped into more familiar territory leading things into “Magellan,” a song played but not finished earlier in the weekend.  As the band soared to the “highest highs” the crowd rejoiced, and despite being cold, wet, and tired from three sets they reveled in what would be the last Disco Biscuit song of the night.

As the band, joined once again by Tom Hamilton, segued out of “Magellan” another familiar theme emerged and, given the setting and weather, it should not have surprised anyone.   From the first forecasts of rain thoughts of an epic eruption to the lyrics “I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain” danced through the minds of many and once the band slammed into “I Know You Rider” lots of smiles and head nods made their way through the crowd.   At this point the energy overflowed from the stage through the crowd and back again and things reached a fever pitch.  It would have been very easy for the band to bow and cut things short given the situation but as Barber put it “We’ve been waiting four hours to play this song right here.”  That song was the iconic “Casey Jones” and after the crowd joined the band for one more classic sing-along, the band took their bows.

“Going Down The Road Feeling Bad” served as a perfect encore and as the band exited the stage you could feel the sense of accomplishment both from them and the crowd, who braved the cold rain and snow for over six hours on the rocks.  It was hard not to feel happy and proud for the band as it was obvious that they put a lot of time, energy, and thought into curating this special show.  While some may have been a bit disappointed by the lack of Biscuit songs to close out the night, it’s not really hard to understand why the band did what they did.  This was a celebration of 50 years of The Grateful Dead, a band that despite stylistically being on the opposite end of the spectrum from The Disco Biscuits, are at the heart and soul of of what the Biscuits are all about.  The band realizes this and looks up to The Dead with the highest regard. To be able to play on stage at one of the most legendary venues in the world, and play the songs that have meant so much to them their whole lives, was an honor and a fitting tribute to their musical heroes.  Anyone that doesn’t get that should probably just stop seeing live music and stick to trolling the internet.  Those of us who do get it were treated to a night of music that will go down in history both for fans of The Disco Biscuits and anyone who thought Laser Snow was something only found in a Sci Fi movie.

Energy: A+
Musicianship: A
Sound: B+
Stage Presence: B+
Set/Lights: A+

Overall: A

Gary Mellini

Gary is a lifelong music fan raised in Chicago. He is the "G" of J2G Live, a Denver based music production company that brings you "Dance Party Time Machine," "Revenge of the 90's" among other great events.

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