Well, well, well, String Cheese Incident pulled it off again. In the 23 years since I first saw this band, they tend to save some of their best stuff for Red Rocks. The sky-divers, the tower drum jam, and the giant octopus that made it’s way through the crowd, are just of the mind blowing spectacles the band has put together over the years at the famed amphitheater. Admittedly, I’ve taken a bit of a break from seeing Cheese in recent years, but when they announced the Phil Lesh Incident, I was all in. Unfortunately, as many are aware, Phil came down with COVID and wasn’t able to make the show at the last minute. While the band promised to make good on the old “never miss a Sunday show” adage, I was a bit skeptical as to who would be able to Phil the legendary bassists shoes, until I started to hear rumblings that the one and only Billy Strings was spotted in town. Now, if there is anyone that could make this a “never miss” show, it’s Billy so I rolled up to Red Rocks cautiously optimistic.
From the first notes of the moldy gem “Lester Had a Coconut,” I knew I’d made the right choice but when Billy Nershi introduced Billy Strings after the first tune, it cemented things. The energy that poured down from The Rocks onto the stage was nothing short of monumental and those of lucky enough to be in the house settled back for one hell of a ride.
The acoustic first set featured some tunes that helped me fall in love with this band all those years ago like “Lonesome Fiddle Blues,” “Remington Ride,” “Missin’ Me,” “Panama Red,” and “How Mountain Girls Can Love.” Yes, I know that most of those are’t SCI originals, but they were in early 2000’s setlists. What made them all that much more special on this night was of course the addition of Strings rippin’ guitar and also Mr. Andy Hall’s Dobro. This was a string band of epic proportions and they did these tunes proud. Listen Here!
As the lights went down for the second set, everyone buckled up for a set of Cheesy Grateful Dead tunes. The band kicked it off with Keith and Kang trading verses (ala Bob and Jerry) on a rippin’ “Jack Straw” that really showcased the fact that they had been woodshedding these tunes for a while to impress Phil. After a well played “Cold Rain and Snow,” Strings joined the band again for “Brown-Eyed Women” and then the ensemble swelled again when Hall joined the band again on “Peggy-O.”
The opening notes of “Estimated Prophet” laid the groundwork for a seamless hour long run into “Eyes of the World” then “The Other One” and finally into “Shakedown Street” to close out the set. The place was going absolutely wild as friends hugged and smiles abounded. This was, after all, what many were waiting for when they bought their tickets for Phil Lesh Incident months ago.
Set break was buzzing and everyone was reeling from what just went down. How could they top it? We were about to find out.
After a run through “Can’t Wait Another Day” (which was pretty the only ‘take-it-or-leave-it” song of the night for me) Strings was back to strut his stuff on a song that he regularly features in his own sets, “Black Clouds.” The 12 minute “Clouds” gave way to a monster “Rivertrance” that nearly reached the 20 minute mark before Strings took center stage and blew the roof off Red Rocks as he reached back to his metal roots and fronted the band on a firey take on Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” This one left many jaws on the floor but Nershi and company had another big arrow left in the quiver and The Rocks exploded when the percussive intro to “Texas” filled the air. What followed was a 20 plus minute excursion deep into a mushroom enhanced journey south that delighted new and old fans alike. What a set!
Bringing everyone back to the stage after a brief break, the band nodded to The Dead again with the rousing sing-along “Bertha” and they sent everyone out into the Sunday night smiling.
Was this the best String Cheese Show ever? Well that’s up to you but it was up there, that’s for sure! This was another of my favorites String Cheese Incident Live at Calvin Theatre on 2000-10-29
07/17/2022 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
SET 1: Lester Had a Coconut, Those Memories of You1, Lonesome Fiddle Blues1, Have a Feast Here Tonight1, Dust In a Baggie12, The Remington Ride12, Missin’ Me12 > Panama Red12, How Mountain Girls Can Love12
SET 2: Jack Straw, Cold Rain and Snow, Brown-Eyed Women1, Pretty Peggy-O12, Estimated Prophet1 > Eyes of the World1 > The Other One1 > Shakedown Street1
SET 3: Can’t Wait Another Day, Black Clouds1, Rivertrance1 > Paranoid1 > Texas1
ENCORE: Bertha12
NOTES: 1 with Billy Strings, 2 with Andy Hall (The Infamous Stringdusters)
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