When Nine Inch Nails play it’s always a visceral experience and the band’s two night run at Red Rocks last weekend was no different. With two largely different setlists to satisfy the hardcore fans, Trent and company went at it hard. Our photographer Jim Mimna was on hand to fulfill a longtime dream that started way back in 1994.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band at Red Rocks has become a show of the summer for many in Colorado and beyond. This melting pot of a band is nothing short of a love letter to big bands of yesteryear and there is no doubt they are the torch bearers of R&B’s legacy of groove, best seasoned by the South. The maturity and poise they bring to the stage creates a safe place to feel the music, express that feeling, and dance like no one is watching.
This year’s Voodoo Threauxdown tour featured The Soul Rebels, Tank and the Bangas w/ Big Freedia, Dumpstaphunk featuring George Porter Jr. & Cyril Neville performing the music of The Meters, alongside Trombone Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue. The tour is a reflection of NOLA’s music scene and it’s a family affair with everyone supporting each other. This tour is a family bonded by Funk.
Widespread Panic played their 65th consecutive sold-out show at Red Rocks last Saturday and set a new record for the venue – a record they smash every time they play the joint – they may well be the kings of Red Rocks! Many surprises were in store for the audience this night, it started with a dry show despite the ominous forecast of heavy rain, then we were treated to a sit-in from tour manager Steve Lopez, a pair of Talking Heads tunes late in the second set, and finally a three song encore. No one left disappointed.
Last Thursday found Red Rocks hosting a night of nostalgia with mixed results. After set from a disturbingly detached Brian Wilson and his all-star band, Chicago came out with a commanding takeover of the vibe, and gave fans what they wanted – a set of classics that were delivered in surprisingly good form!
The Red Rocks faithful were treated to a NOLA take-over of sorts Friday night. After a limited capacity show last summer, The Revivalists made their triumphant return to live music’s greatest playground, and they brought Preservation Hall Jazz Band with them! The big easy was in full representation! Rounding out the bill was The Ghosts of Paul Revere who got to make their Red Rocks debut as they crisscross the county on what appears to be their final tour as a band.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit have become an institution at the greatest venue on earth, even requiring two nights this year at Red Rocks to satisfy the ticket demand. This year’s Wednesday night show was a spectacle from start to finish with hail that blended into rain before yielding to a double rainbow and finally perfect weather during the show. It was meant to be!
In what was one of the most anticipated engagements of the summer, Nathaniel Rateliff finally performed his postponed run of three shows for enthusiastic fans at Red Rocks earlier this week. The fervor for these shows to finally come to fruition was shared by band and audience alike and the outpouring of joy was evident long before anyone took the stage.
The most obvious observation I pulled from last Thursday’s concert at Red Rocks was that people are jubilant to be free of quarantine and the isolation that we all just lived through. Folks are so glad to be back to regular life! All night long you could watch people stop dancing to turn around and absorb the massive audience they were a part of and realize they made it to the other side, Red Rocks was our collective reward.
Marcus King and his dynamite band brought the El Dorado Tour to Boulder Theater last weekend for the first time since they graced the stage last summer after Dead & Co. played Folsom Field. The theater was packed to the gills for the Valentine’s Day show, and the lovebirds (and everyone else in the house) were not disappointed.