Photos by Jim Mimna
The Scene: A beautiful, temperate Sunday evening at Red Rocks brought us some “Colorado traffic” as winding roads filled with cars of music lovers. Families, loving couples, and groups of friends sauntered their way through lines that moved swiftly and into a full house in the amphitheater. A mostly modest crowd chattered with anticipation for the opener and for Tennessee’s down-home boys. The stage was set for Brandi Carlile and her backing band. As the house lights went down, the sun quickly followed.
Brandi Carlile: A spunky Brandi Carlile took the stage with her band and, as most musicians do, stood in awe of the scene before her. Her raspy voice borders something between Rock and Country and she sings with deep and thoughtful lyrics. Hailing from Seattle, Carlile took a moment to acknowledge gay rights and activism in Colorado and tell us how playing in our state meant the world to her. She brought out three of seven members of Old Crow Medicine Show to cover John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High,” played a beautiful acoustic “The Eye” and closed her set with her hit “The Story.” Carlile’s voice was made for a venue like Red Rocks. It is always powerful to see how moved musicians are when they play that stage, and this lady had no qualms in showing it.
Old Crow Medicine Show: Welcomed to the stage by Colorado Governor and proud OCMS fan, John Hickenlooper, the Bluegrass band opened with “Cocaine Habit” from their first album Eutaw. With the addition of drums and keys, the song went from sounding like a traditional Bluegrass tune to being borderline country music. The drug ditty was followed by “Alabama High Test” from the 2008 album Tennessee Pusher, “Take Em Away” from their 2004 self-titled album, and the band kept the energy high with “Bootlegger’s Son” from their 2012 album Carry Me Back. The members of the Grand Ol’ Opry paid a tribute to the man who discovered them busking on the streets of the East coast with a Doc Watson and Earl Scruggs cover. Along with more than 9,000 others, the southern gentleman got to wish The Opry a happy 90th birthday. After their Bluegrass cover of American classic “CC Rider,” the Tennesee boys welcomed Brandi Carlile back to the stage to play a beautiful rendition of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” To my great happiness, four of the original members of OCMS took the stage with their condenser microphone and sang a classic Opry style ballad before picking the tempo up again with their new country-twang “Sweet Amarillo,” “I Hear Them All,” and early hit “Raise A Ruckus.” The show would not end before their staple “Wagon Wheel” brought everyone to their feet and their voices to the tops of their lungs. Carlile joined them on stage again for the encore and closed out the show with a cover of “Jolene” that was slightly reminiscent of Ali Krall from Yonder Mountain String Band.
While I wouldn’t say that I’ve fallen in love with OCMS, but the band played a wide variety from their catalog which allowed them to apply their new sound to old hits. The new light design also helped keep the energy high by giving the audience more of a “show” than just four guys in overalls and cowboy hats singing about cocaine and life in Tennessee. OCMS is comprised of some insanely multi-talented musicians. Over the course of the show, every musician played at least two instruments and sang a song, which was refreshing and unique. Known for its acoustic beauty, Red Rocks has a way of making everything sound great. However, I find the Country genre doesn’t sound as great at this venue. With the addition of percussion and keys, I felt the sound was a bit much and wasn’t really accentuated by the amphitheater “walls”. Where the sound lacked, the stage presence of the musicians made up for it with their dancing, foot stomping, hooting and hollering. OCMS definitely used their stage to it’s fullest potential.
Since seeing OCMS three years ago, they have transitioned from down home Bluegrass to something dangerously close to mainstream Country. It was clear that the band has had some major successes in the last few years, allowing them to change their sound, add members as they lost some, and undergo a complete wardrobe change. No overalls here, folks. Despite the transitions and changes, the show was fun and upbeat. A lot of ground was covered in the song selection, both in originals titles as well as classic Americana covers.
Energy: A-
Musicianship: A+
Sound: B
Stage Presence: A
Set/Light Show: B
Overall: B+
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