At this point in my concert going career, it’s fairly rare for me to go to Red Rocks to see a band for the first time. A few years ago I saw my first Stevie Wonder show at Red Rocks, my one and only Van Halen show was at Red Rocks and so was my only Lionel Richie experience. I’m sure there have been others but the list is short. So, when The War on Drugs, a band I’ve been chasing since at least 2016, announced their Red Rocks debut I didn’t care that it was a Monday night. I made it my business to get there.
The evening opened up with with a set from jangly Indie Rockers Alvvays and, while I can’t saw that their set did much for me, there were loyal fans sprinkled through the already packed venue.
When Adam Granduciel and The War on Drugs took the stage I was up front, on the rail, taking photos and the crowd’s energy cascaded down the hill and washed over me as the band slipped into “Victim” from their majestic recent release I Don’t Live Here Anymore. From the get-go I knew we were in for something special and as the piano line from “Holding On” crept into the soundscape, that feeling was cemented.
The War on Drugs is not an explosive band persay, but there is no doubt they are powerful. When they broke into “An Ocean In Between The Waves” it struck me that their power is similar to that of the ocean itself, washing over you, pushing you slowly to new heights before sucking you back down into the depths. Songs like “I Don’t Wanna Wait” and “Pain” bought brooding calmness that built into frenzied, fuzzed out guitar solos.
“Red Eyes” pushed the pace a little bit and got many in the crowd dancing as the Baritone Sax droned beautifully behind the throbbing beat. During the 10 minute “Harmonia’s Dream” – another highlight from the new record – the band put their impressive stage setup on full display as they seemed to perform from inside a cage of light. (Listen Here!) While, as I said, I hadn’t seen The War on Drugs before, it was clear to me that this was a group that was trying to make an impression on this tour. Their light rig was innovative and different from much of what you see these days and it made a statement that complimented the band’s sound beautifully.
The show started to build with “Buenos Aires Beach” – the only offering from 2008’s Wagonwheel Blues – and it seemed fitting when they served up their cover of Bob Dylan’s “Born In Time” as an obvious nod to a major influence. The show climaxed, and the energy reached a fever pitch, with the pairing of “Under The Pressure” (Listen Here!) and “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” the latter calling back to The Bard himself with the line “Like when we went to see Bob Dylan / We danced to ‘Desolation Row.'” As the music swirled around me, I closed my eyes and let myself ride the sonic swells in a moment of pure bliss.
The masterfully structured set wound to a close with “Occasional Rain” (Listen Here!) and the Lost In A Dream gem “Burning.” As the band faded into the wings of the stage I basked in the afterglow and tried to process what I had just witnessed. This is no ordinary band, The War on Drugs is an experience and they had saved a few songs to round out the evening and complete the arc that they had begun more than two hours ago.
The encore began with “Old Skin” before they dove back into A Deeper Understanding with a take on “Thinking of a Place” that featured Granduciel on the harmonica before they finally put a period on the evening with the ethereal “In Chains.” While many bands choose to close shows with their most energetic material to leave the audience on a high, this band let us down slowly and it was perfect. I was a fan before, but seeing The War on Drugs live solidified their place in my heart. Did I mentioned it was a Monday?
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