It was 1988 when my dad brought home the I’m Your Man CD. I was used to him listening to classic rock, contemporary country, and (don’t judge him) Michael Bolton, so my 11-year-old ears were not prepared for the sounds of L. Cohen. That booming voice, the angelic backup singers, the horns and the poetry. My friends and I would play… Read more →
Lampedusa: Concert for Refugees. Boulder Theater. 10.06.16 When I purchased tickets to Lampedusa, I didn’t even know what the word meant. I was sold on the names Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, and Buddy Miller. That line-up was reason I entered my credit card number and selected a pair of tickets. What caused the artists to come together for… Read more →
Ryan Adams. Red Rocks. 08.17.16 “This actually fucking happened! Mike, look at that! There are a bunch of people right there, look! They are right there!!!” Ryan Adams was speaking to Mike Viola, the guitarist for his latest band, The Shining. The thing which had just happened (and was still happening) was the last performance of their short summer tour.… Read more →
Dolly Parton. Red Rocks. 07.27.16 Many living legends have found their way onto the stage at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, but very few have been able to compete with the natural spectacle of the venue. Dolly Parton proved to be an exception to the rule on Wednesday night. At 70 years old, the woman best known for… Read more →
Sufjan Stevens. Red Rocks. 07.18.16 As his voice rose to the heavens above Red Rocks, “because he is the Lord, cause he is the Lord,” massive feathered wings grew from the back of Sufjan Stevens. Reaching for the full moon above, they spread open to receive the night, while Stevens’ angelic voice mesmerized the congregation. And then the dancers grew… Read more →
case/lang/veirs. Denver Botanic Gardens. 07.10.16 July 10th, 2016 was a hot day in Denver, Colorado. Brutally hot. The blazing sun scorched the asphalt on York Street, while the informed ‘friends’ of the Botanic Gardens lounged in regulation folding chairs. Sipping cold drinks under the relative comfort of large umbrellas, the faithful formed the majority of a line that stretched from the… Read more →
James McMurtry. Bluebird Theater. 06.24.16 Before moving to Colorado I didn’t have any friends who were into jam bands. I also didn’t have any friends who were into EDM. Sure, most of us had hung out in the parking lot at a Dead show, seen Phish once or twice, and attended our fair share of warehouse and desert raves, but… Read more →
Bob Dylan / Mavis Staples. Red Rocks. 06.19.16 “You think I’m over the hill You think I’m past my prime Let me see what you got We can have a whoppin’ good time” Robert Allen Zimmerman was born on May 24th, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, which just happened to be a month before the Red Rocks Amphitheatre was opened to… Read more →
Shakey Graves. Red Rocks. 05.27.16 The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado has stood as one of the most beautiful places to see live music for over seventy-five years now. The venue is iconic in every way imaginable, but it is also surprisingly intimate for a space that accommodates over nine thousand people. There is frequently a sense of rapport… Read more →
Lucinda Williams. Bluebird Theater. 04.12.16 Seeing Lucinda Williams’ name lit up on the marquee at the Bluebird Theater was something special, but being in such close proximity to the living legend while she performed one of my all-time favorite songs was something else altogether. Quoted as saying she’d rather “play a few nights at the Fillmore than play one night… Read more →
Father John Misty. Ellie Caulkins Opera House. 04.09.16 In the closing song on Father John Misty’s first album, Fear Fun, Joshua Michael Tillman comes close to explaining why he chose to use a pseudonym. “Joseph Campbell and The Rolling Stones couldn’t give me a myth, so I had to write my own,” he complains, before admitting to never liking the… Read more →
