Photo by Dave Vann
The Disco Biscuits have a long, rich history of turning in amazing performances and special moments in the state of Colorado. In anticipation of the band’s upcoming 4 night run (June 1st-3rd at The Ogden and the 4th at Red Rocks) here are my top 10 Bisco moments in Colorado. We’ve included some links and videos so you can re-live some of the magic.
Honorable Mention:
- 7/24/03 at Cervantes – Jam><Above The Waves
- 7/26/03 at The Mishawaka Amphitheater (Especially the Encore)
- 1/23/14 at The Ogden Theater – Disco I Man
- 4/27/13 at Red Rocks – Once The Fiddler Paid (Happy Endings for Everybody!!!!)
10. 02/04/06 at The Filmore Auditorium, Nughuffer>Great Abyss>Nughuffer:
Kicking off the list we have a choice segment from drummer Allen Aucoin’s first CO show as a member of The Disco Biscuits (Only his 6th show as a full time band member). Winter of 2006 was an interesting time to be a Disco Biscuits fan. With the band coming off the heels of original drummer Sammy Altman’s departure and Aucoin’s robot status yet to be solidified, most fans had no idea what the future would hold. This one off show in Colorado brought a glimpse of what was to come. Sandwiched in between an especially dark and dirty rendition of “Nughuffer” came the debut of “The Great Abyss.” We didn’t know it in the moment but the beep boops we were hearing would become an instant fan favorite and emblematic of the early Aucoin Era.
9. 1/28-1/31/10 at Fox Theater, 4 Nights of Madness:
Fresh off of what was almost unanimously hailed as their best year in recent memory, the band wasted no time kicking off 2010 with an insane 4 night run at Boulder’s Fox Theater. There are too many great moments in this 4 night run to sum up here but I especially loved the 4th night’s 2nd set. The band had been teasing with the theme from “Basis for A Day” all weekend and finally dropped it in the last set of the run. In addition to their normal set list wizardry that featured “Basis” being segued in and out multiple times, this version is especially noteworthy to those in attendance for some “payoff” after an unreal jam and peak. In a clever role reversal, bassist Marc Brownstein declared “Give You All Our Fucking Money” and $500 in singles rained down from the rafters.
8. 9/13/14 at The Ogden Theater, Bas-eeto for A Bee Day?!?!
Following a few off years that saw the band searching to find rhythm with their new found touring schedule, fans found themselves wondering if we were on the back 9 of the band’s career. From what looked like both personal and professional reasons, inconsistency seemed to plague the band but the 3 Nights at The Ogden Theater (the shows were moved there as part of the Bisco On The Green shows failed to secure a venue at 2 different parks) marked the beginning of the current renaissance the band and fans are currently enjoying. For me the highlight of this run was the band showing off their ability to play 2 songs at the same time. I can’t even try to describe this segment again but here is what I wrote in my review of that show:
“As the drop hit and the crowd anticipated the iconic “Oooooohhhhhs” that accompany the first section of the song, the band instead dropped into the groovy intro of “Aceetobee” as fans turned to their friends with looks of “what the fuck was that?” on their faces. This kind of fake out is another bit of setlist shenanigans the band likes to throw at their crowds but they weren’t done there. As the “Aceetobee” jam built it was obvious that the “Basis” we all expected to hear was still coming. This time there was no fake out and, as the “Basis” progressed into its more funky section, the band once again had the crowd in “WTF?!?!” mode. Instead of delivering the playful melodies of “Basis,” Barber instead inserted the melody lines from “Aceetobee” and as this kind of interplay went back and forth it truly showed what this band is capable of when they are on. From there things shifted back into “Basis” and the seething, Techno dance party that followed capped what was easily the highlight of the weekend. I’ve never heard any other band play 2 very different songs at the same time for almost 20 minutes and have it sound as seamless as The Disco Biscuits can.“
7. 2/13 and 2/14/09 at The Ogden Theater, 3 Set Love:
To celebrate the love in the air that Valentine’s Day Weekend, the Biscuits announced each night at The Ogden would be a special three set performance. The love birds in attendance were not disappointed as the band turned in two of their best performances of the year. In what seemed like a trend in ‘09, many in the crowd were witnessing their first Bisco shows and were easily converted into die hard followers. This is another run with way too many highlights to mention them all but the inverted “Above The Waves” with Magner bringing a playful, almost Steely Dan vibe to the song’s middle section, the entire 2nd set from Valentine’s Day, and “The Very Moon>Astronaut>Gangster>Hot Air Balloon” from the same night’s 3rd set are certainly worth checking out. Barber’s work on “The Very Moon” is especially tasty and just thinking of him rapping on Flo-rida’s “Low” to close out the weekend still brings a smile to my face.
6. 1/19/08 at Dobson Ice Arena, 49 Minute “I Man”:
The January ‘08 run was an ambitious one with the band hitting 4 different venues, in 4 different cities, in 4 nights. While there were certainly plenty of amazing moments from that run (the 3 song 1st set in Boulder and one of the all time best “Cyclones” in Ft. Collins seem to stand out) what is revered to this day by most fans who saw those shows was the 49 minute “I Man” from the Vail show at Dobson Ice Arena. If checking your friends into the boards of a hockey rink or sending your buddy to the penalty box wasn’t going to be enough fun, the band opened the 2nd set with a monster jam that turned into an “I Man” for the ages. After what seemed like a lifetime the band finally broke into “Nughuffer” and during the narrative segment Brownstein pointed out the giant clock on the rear wall of the venue and exclaimed that “Instead of fucking around…We just played 49 minute ‘I Man’” to the delight of the crowd. The almost 30 minute “Basis for A Day” to close the set wasn’t bad either.
5. 1/27/13 at Fox Theater, Surprise Surprise:
After a ridiculous 3 night run capped off by the band’s first performance at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, a lightning bolt of inspiration struck the band and they decided 3 nights just wasn’t enough. Before the crew could finish celebrating with friends, text messages started coming in that the run was not over yet. The band would perform a special “Tractorbeam” show at the Fox the following night. While the next year’s “Tractorbeam” show might be more heralded by fans, this show encapsulates the spirit behind any great Disco Biscuit performance. With this band, even the most die hard fans will never truly know what to expect.
4. 7/26 and 7/27/2002 at The Mishawaka Amphitheater: Burn Baby Burn:
Before Bisco Inferno found a home at Red Rocks, The Biscuits brought the heat of the inferno to The Mish and in the summer of 2002 turned in two legendary performances. From the first drop in the “Nughuffer>Helicopters” (to this day I can’t remember a hotter start to a show), to the final notes of the “Helicopters>Nughuffer” to close out the weekend, the band was locked in on a level only the Biscuits can get to. All 3 sets from each night are certainly worth a listen, but the monster “Spacebird” from night 2 is something I still regret missing to this day.
3. 9/22/01 at The Fox Theater, At Their Peak:
No top 10 list for anything Disco Biscuits would be complete without an entry from September of 2001. Hailed by many as the best month in the history of the band, the creativity and energy coming off the stage every is the stuff of legend. While I love Allen it’s tough to recreate the excitement and raw force the band played with when Sammy was behind the kit. Set 2 is a prime example of the patient playing the band was mastering while at the same time bringing some very dark and downright scary themes to their jams. Just look at the set list. I don’t think I need to say more than that:
Reactor (1) -> And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night (2) -> Crickets (2,3) -> I-Man (1,4,5) -> Crickets (2) -> Run Like Hell (4,6) -> Reactor
(1) With ‘Crickets’ teases
(2) Inverted version
(3) Middle
(4) Unfinished
(5) With ‘And the Ladies Were the Rest of the Night’ teases
(6) With ‘Little Shimmy In a Conga Line’ teases and ‘Jah! Lobsterfari’ and ‘Sex Machine'(James Brown) vocal teases
2. 11/19/06 at The Fox Theater, Suspended In The Air:
Like so many other of the favorites on this list, the Fox Theater was the scene of the crime for what is regarded by many as the best performance the band has ever played in CO. Opening with a grimey version of Chemical Warfare Brigade, the band wasted no time letting those in attendance know they were not taking any prisoners that night. M.E.M.P.H.I.S gave way to another candidate for “best Cyclone ever” before heading into a HUGE inverted Above The Waves. Set 2 somehow topped all that and after a flawless, 28 minute Spaga,, Astronaut><And The Ladies Were The Rest of The Night>Astronaut truly shows what this band is capable when firing on all cylinders. Look no further than this for what some refer to as full, Maximum Biscosity. The Magellan>O Fortuna>Magellan is to this day one of my favorite Encores. In a year that started off with a lot of question marks, this show ended any doubt as to the future of the band with Allen in the mix. .
1. 4/17/15 at Red Rocks Amphitheater: The Laser Snow:
While purely musically speaking this show may not rank towards the top of the list but there was something special in the air that night. That feeling might be prevalent any time you walk up the iconic stairs into Red Rocks but between how well the band had been playing, the threat of crazy weather that only The Disco Biscuits seem to conjure up, and the fact that Bill Kreutzman and Mickey Hart would be joining in the fun that night, it was not a question of if but when the magic would happen. After the previous night’s snowstorm almost forced the show to be moved to the 1st Bank Center, the weather was certainly on everyone’s mind but after a beautiful afternoon it seemed as if we would be spared the sloppiness of snow on the rocks. That was until about halfway through the 2nd set. During haunting Space Jam that came from a flawlessly executed Terrapin Station the skies opened up with a heavy, wet snow. Instinctively, and for the first time that night, Johnny R. Goode, the band’s long time LD, hit the lasers and lit up Red Rocks with a dazzling display fans have come to call The Laser Snow. Words can’t really do it justice so here are two of my favorite shots from the night.
Seeing my favorite band up there with two of their musical heroes at my favorite venue surrounded by my favorite people in some sort psychedelic, Seussian dreamscape was as an amazing experience as I can remember at a concert. With their return to Red Rocks just days away. I can’t wait to see them add a few memories to this list.
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