Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Before I even begin to describe the Disco Biscuit madness that has been transpiring lately, I would like to qualify the title of this article. The word renaissance means rebirth.

From a dready skater busking on the streets of Australia, to a world-touring artist selling out one of America’s most premiere venues, John Butler proves authenticity in music truly prevails.

Friday night’s Red Rocks gig was simulcast live over cyber waves to ensure that the whole globe could relish in the spunky, feel-good beats the Aussie chaps threw down on this, their largest headlining show.

Summer is officially over.  According to the calendar, it happened several weeks ago, but in my mind it happened last weekend - the day Red Rocks Amphitheater finished their concert season.  At this point in the year, the weather becomes too unpredictable, and more importantly too cold, to continue sitting outside late in to the night, even for the noble cause of seeing live music.  This year, Flogging Molly closed out the concert season, bringing So Cal acts Hepcat, and Fitz and the Tantrums along for the ride.

I saw my first Phish show at the Hampton Coliseum in 1995 when I was 16 years old.  I had such a great time that I lied to my parents in order to go see them again at Hershey Park a few days later.  At the time, I knew nothing about Phish; I didn’t know any of its songs, any of its members names, or that the drummer wore a dress and played a vacuum.  I just knew that when I saw that first show at the Spaceship in ‘95 it was filled with so much positive energy, I wanted to co

Festival season started early this year.  Well, early for Colorado.  Last Saturday The Disco Biscuits and a cavalcade of friends and like-minded musicians brought the ruckus to Red Rocks Amphitheater for an all-night non-stop mini-festival of epic proportions.  If that sounds like an overstatement, perhaps it is.  Although technically not a festival – the word is honestly a little big for what went down – being outside and seeing no fe

Spring is in the air, and its time to get outside.  The outdoor music scene is just starting to kick in to high gear. If you’re anything like me, your calendar is filling up fast with festival dates, bar-b-ques, and all manner of fun-in-the-sun distractions. You’ve already called in sick to about half the summer work hours, and now you’re praying you don’t run into the boss down at the park this afternoon.

Fans that did not score tickets to Phish at Red Rocks Amphitheatre should worry not; there just happens to be a four-day camping and music festival a few short miles away on a private ranch. For those that did score tickets, The Phamily Reunion Festival offers what Red Rocks cannot: camping and a safe ride to and from the festival to each Phish show.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, it was raining.  I was bummed.  Rain at Red Rocks is only fun if the band is playing a song like Red Rain, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Looks Like Rain, the Rain Song, Rain Fall Down, or Louisiana Rain.  It also seems to work for Under a Blood Red Sky (aka New Years Day), but for different reasons.  When I got to Red Rocks, however, the rain had ceased, the clouds had thinned, and the sun was poking through in places.

As long as festival season is still going strong, summer isn't over. In the final calendar weeks of the hot season, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado hosted the Monolith Music Festival, an Indie Rock extravaganza so epic that only a legendary venue like Red Rocks could hold it. Over seventy bands played in a mere two days, spread out over five stages and about ten thousand stairs.

The Chicago progressive jam outfit Umphrey's McGee brought their explosive live show back to Colorado over Labor Day weekend, and rained down a handful of stunning performances to the Rocky Mountain faithful.