My history with Telluride goes back to 2001; the summer after I moved to Colorado. That June a bunch of friends and I jumped in our cars and made our way across the state via 285 (I distinctly remember Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way” playing at some point during that drive) to majesty of the famous Box Canyon. It took my breath away then, and 18 years later it still takes my breath away when Ingram Falls comes into view.
This year I made the pilgrimage for The Ride Festival. It was my first time at Ride, but it’s likely not going to be my last. With a decidedly more Rock and Roll focus than many of the festivals that call Telluride Town Park home, Ride Fest was a welcome change of pace and I got to see several bands that I’d never heard of before the line-up was announced.
Things got started on Friday night about seven o’clock when JB, Schools, Herring, and the rest of Widespread Panic took the stage under clear early evening skies. They kicked off the evening with a jam that led into a “Bust It Big” sandwich that featured “Genesis” as the meat and we were off on an hour long journey that took us through “This Part of Town” and “The Old Neighborhood” before things wrapped up with “Sell Sell” and “Tail Dragger.” While the set had it’s moments, I kinda felt like the band was getting their bearings before dropping the hammer on us with their next two sets of the weekend.
Saturday dawned early and found me waiting in line for a number before 7am so we could secure some front row tarp space (mission accomplished) so a little relaxation and breakfast was in order before making my way to Town Park as the last notes of Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown were bouncing off the canyon walls. As they changed the stage over, the buzz started to build and what happened next was one of the most talked about sets of the weekend, Thunderpussy! While their sound wasn’t necessarily 100% my thing as it leaned a little in the generic rock direction, their stage presence was something else. Frontwoman and vocalist Molly Sides owned the stage with a brazenly confident presence that instantly mesmerized the crowd. While the men in the front weren’t complaining when her tight-fitting dress deliberately rode up to reveal white panties, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of women who were pressing up toward the rail as well. The band ran through several tracks from their eponymous 2018 album, but Sides really shined when they dropped in the Jefferson Airplane classic “Somebody To Love” and she got to do her best Grace Slick.
For the rest of the weekend Thunderpussy was all anyone was talking about, they were doing photo ops with fans, women were walking around with Thunderpussy panties on over their jeans, and I’m pretty sure a lot of their merch sold-out. Unfortunately, Los Colognes, who had the unenviable job of following them, fell a little flat as they relied on a sound that was a little too derivative of acts like Tom Petty and Dire Straits. They shared a very mellow cover of “Jumping Jack Flash” that had a few people singing along, but the standout moment of this set for me was their jammed out take on Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue.”
The Temperance Movement took on the late-afternoon slot and they brought the energy in the valley up several notches as their frontman
Phil Campbell strutted around the stage like a Mick Jagger protege and the band drove ahead with an aggressive rock sound. Following them up was the much lauded North Carolina jam act Big Something who tore up the mainstage with their eclectic sound that fused elements of Funk, Hip-Hop and Americana into a very danceable soundtrack. Their set opened with “Wildfire” before a non-stop run from “Waves” into “The Curse of Julia Brown” into “Timebomb” into “Tumbleweed.” These guys definitely impressed and had the crowd right there with them, but it when the busted out a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Alive” that they turned a few more heads. As the 90’s anthem faded away, lead singer Nick MacDaniels dedicated “Amanda Lynn” to the late Jeff Austin who sadly passed away in late June. The band cruised to the end of their nearly two hour set with “Saturday Night Zombie,” “Plug” and finally the monster “Megalodon” to close things out and set the stage for the mighty Widespread Panic.
At about 8:45, as the valley was darkening for the day, Panic took the stage for the second time in as many days and got after it from the get-go with a blistering “Ribs & Whiskey.” It was clear that the boys were all warmed up as the early part of the set featured “Holden Oversoul,” “Party At Your Mama’s House” and Billy Joe Shaver’s “Chunk of Coal” before things got really dirty and “Second Skin” went deep. As the madness intensified the band let loose a cover of “Jesus Just Left Chicago” that set the table for the intense one-two-three punch of “Little Kin,” “Action Man,” and “Thought Sausage” – stir it in the sauce they did!!! After a little breather, a well placed “Diner” yielded to a supremely funky take on Bill Withers’ “Use Me” that had the crowd getting down in ways I didn’t think were possible. At some point during this insanity JB stepped to the mic and said what we were all thinking: “To put it into words, we’re pretty happy to be here!” As the clock approached 11, the band dropped an electric take on “I’m So Glad,” and just like that the show was over with no encore – as if one could have followed that monster set!
For late night festivities, we made our way to the venerable Sheridan Opera House where Black Pistol Fire was just starting a firey set that blended Blues, Punk, and Southern Rock and presented it with raucous energy. Guitarist Kevin McKeown and drummer Eric Owen have known each other since kindergarten and the chemistry is palpable and the energy they put out into the room is electric. McKeown throws himself around the stage, and even into the crowd, as Owen does his best Animal (you know, from The Muppets) behind the kit! It was a high energy way to wrap up a long day in Telluride.
Sunday dawned with the realization that it was our last day at Ride but we made sure we were on the grounds when Clinton Clegg and The Commonheart took the stage to deliver the Sunday sermon. Let me tell you, there is something special about this band. The sound of this 9 piece blends, Funk, Soul, and Gospel into a unique stew that I took to calling Rusty Soul on Sunday. Their cover of Joe Cocker’s cover of “Little Help From My Friends” really put things over the top as Clegg nailed the rasp and the band nailed the build up. Check these guys out!
After the obligatory trip up and over on the gondola to Mountain Village, I got back to Town Park just in time to see Kevin McKeown and Black Pistol Fire own the massive Town Park the same way they had manhandled the Sheridan the night before. As the buzz was dying down, Boulder’s own Rose Hill Drive took the stage and announced that they were going to “pay tribute to Led Zeppelin tonight” and the crowd went nuts as they opened with “Immigrant Song” and proceeded to nail versions of “Heartbreaker” and “Black Dog” before inviting Sadler Vaden from Jason Isbell’s band up for “Ramble On.” These guys can play and I was thrilled to finally catch one of their Zeppelin sets after hearing friends rave about their 2008 New Year’s Eve show for years.
While Rose Hill Drive’s set was a nostalgia trip for some, Big Head Todd & The Monsters took me back to my college days when the band’s breakthrough Sister Sweetly album hit the airwaves and the band played our gym. While I admit I haven’t really kept up with Todd Park Mohr and company over the years, they served up a healthy dose of those old tunes with performances of “Bittersweet,” “It’s All Right,” “Broken Hearted Savior,” and a well jammed “Circles” that had me singing along like it was 1993 again.
As the valley began to take on a golden hue, the mighty Jason Isbell and his band The 400 Unit took the stage to close out an amazing weekend. I love Isbell, I’ve seen him live 10 or 12 times, own every album, and typically hang on his every word, but I felt there was something missing on Sunday night. Maybe it was the placement at the end of the weekend when my energy was a little sapped, maybe it was the fact that he played a very similar setlist to the last few times I’ve seen him, but whatever it was this just doesn’t rank up there in my top Isbell shows. He opened with “Anxiety,” dropped some of my favorites like “Alabama Pines,” “Last of My Kind,” and “Stockholm” and closed the set with a raging version of “Never Gonna Change” that featured a guitar battle with Sadler Vaden but I found myself feeling like this was just a “festival set.” Hell, maybe I shouldn’t complain as this was a festival after all and when all was said and done I had a hell of a good time!
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