The National. Red Rocks. 07.31.16 As we get older, it gets harder and harder to get the band back together. Not a literal band, of course. We were never a band. But there was a time when we partied like rock stars. Going out on a Tuesday night was the norm; weekends were for amateurs. Then the years came and… Read more →
Modest Mouse / Brand New. Red Rocks. 06.29.16 I have to admit I went into last night’s dual-headlining show with a healthy amount of skepticism. There was a time when Modest Mouse was my absolute favorite rock band, but that time had long since passed. The group from the Pacific Northwest was one of the first truly ‘indie’ bands to… Read more →
The Flaming Lips. Red Rocks. 05.26.16 The Flaming Lips are never one to skimp on production. In 2002, “The Unlimited Sunshine Tour” contained foam guns, giant bubble screens, and Yoshimi battling those pesky pink robots. In 2009, it was hard for the natural beauty of Red Rocks to compete with the barrage of technological eye candy thrown at an unsuspecting… Read more →
2015 was an interesting year in music. I spent time with many releases, across a spectrum of sounds, and I enjoyed every minute of the adventure. That being said, when I tried to define my favorite albums, I found myself in a difficult position. How does someone rank Jason Isbell in association to Grimes? How does Chris Stapleton’s obliteration of the pop country… Read more →
Faith No More. Red Rocks. 09.08.15 “Sorry it took us so long to get back here, we had to go get old.” The Faith No More reunion was nothing new by the time the band from San Francisco graced Colorado with its presence at Red Rocks. The Second Coming Tour kicked off in London over six years ago. Mike Patton… Read more →
Wilco. Red Rocks. 07.14.15 The Black Crowes and Blues Traveler co-headlined H.O.R.D.E. when the festival made a stop at Cal State Dominquez Hills in the summer of ’95. Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers also made an appearance on the larger stage, but it was earlier in day, as the sun shone bright above the Southern California Velodrome, that a… Read more →
The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson. Red Rocks. 07.13.15 There is an image in my head of Billy Corgan standing on the stage at San Diego State’s Open Air Theatre in a dress. It’s Lollapolooza ’94 and Corgan looks like an angry vampire as he changes the words to “Disarm”. “I used to be a little girl!” he spits at… Read more →
4th of July. Red Rocks. 07.04.15 The decision to spend Independence Day at Red Rocks has never been about the music, at least not for our family. It has always been more about spending the day at one of the most beautiful places in the country. The Rocks are only a ten minute drive from our house, so the park… Read more →
Showing up to Red Rocks almost 3 hours early usually guarantees a parking spot in the Upper North Lot and a great seat in the front 24 rows of the GA section. There have been no such guarantees this season. Parking attendants try to direct even the earliest of birds to the lower lots, hours before Upper North is full,… Read more →
When the end of the world is upon us, in those last days when only a few survivors hold on to humanity’s last hopes and dreams, I see Nick Cave walking through the streets of a decimated city in a dusty black suit and crisp white shirt. He’s swinging a timepiece on a gold chain, and in defiance of the… Read more →
Discovering and obtaining music in the 80’s was a process that most kids would not understand today. They live in an age where songs are nothing more than disposable streams of 1’s and 0’s and there are no obstacles between the artist and the listener. That was not the case when Morrissey and Marr were recording music in England three… Read more →
