Live at Red Rocks

Had my first Red Rocks concert experience last night with a big group of co-workers and friends, and it was a good one: Drive-By Truckers, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and the Black Crowes. We arrived early enough for all three bands, but chose to tailgate through Drive-By's set. I could hear them from the car, and despite being a fan of their recorded stuff, I can't say I was too upset that we weren't in our seats. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever listened to any of Robert Randolph's albums, but his reputation for outstanding live shows preceded him, so we made sure to be in our seats by the time he started, and were rewarded with a blistering set highlighted by a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". Very impressive. Despite playing for less than an hour, I felt like Randolph was worth the price of admission alone, and made for a tough act to follow for the Crowes. They played a pretty decent set, although short on hits. I only recognized 3 or 4 songs, but I'm not all that familiar with much of their stuff either, at least beyond their first 2 albums, so I wasn't surprised to hear songs I didn't know. They were still an enjoyable live show.

By far, though, the highlight of the night for me was the venue. Red Rocks has great acoustics and it's simply a spectacular setting for a concert, which helped to create a good crowd vibe. There had been a little bit of rain earlier in the afternoon, so the night was nice and cool, and a refreshing breeze was blowing through by the time the Crowes hit the stage. I'll definitely be back. My only complaint is from where we were sitting, it was a pretty long walk to a bathroom. After tailgating for 2 hours, that gets to be important. On the other hand, by the time the show ended, I got plenty of exercise.

WORDS
Mr. Timothy, Louis Bayard