I finally got back into the concert scene over the weekend. On Friday night we headed down to Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom to see Tea Leaf Green. Prior to this show, I had only seen them at Wakarusa just over a year ago. The band definitely falls into the jam band genre, but from my experience they actually sing a little more than the typical jam band. They definitely still have their solos (some of which were a little long for my tastes on Friday) but their vocal harmonies and melodies are what draws me into this band. Their show on Friday was just an opening spot but we still got to see them play nearly 20 songs during their set. The show was well worth the $15 it cost to get in.

The show on the following day at Red Rocks was one of my favorites in a long time. This show was put on by the etown group and featured a headline performance from Michael Franti & Spearhead, an hour and fifteen minute set from the John Butler Trio, and an opening set from Mavis Staples. I knew very little about Ms. Stamples going into this show, but she actually delivered a nice performance full of classic songs from around the 60s. She also brought Michael Franti out for a nice version of The Band’s song “The Weight.”

The John Butler Trio played next and put on an excellent show as they always seem to do. Their performance further proved to me that this Australian trio are all amazing musicians. I saw them at a small stripped down show in March and it was nice to see them back with the full setup, although it wasn’t much different than before. If you ever get the chance to see them play live in concert, you should definitely go with no hesitation. If you go and don’t like the show, I will personally reimburse your ticket.

And finally, the show closers, Michael Franti & Spearhead. Out of all of the bands, they are the one that I have listened to the longest. I haven’t seen them too many times over the past three and half years, but each time that I do I always ask myself why I don’t go more often. The amount of energy they leave on the stage is pretty hard to beat, and I’m not sure how Franti does it. He jumps around the entire show, dances around the entire stage, and at the end of the show he still has enough energy to do a headstand and then drop down into various gravity defying yoga poses. His energy is infectious, as the crowd was very much into the performance on Saturday night. In one of the coolest moments in the concert, the entire band ends up on top of the soundboard covering and plays a mini acoustic set, playing in the middle of the crowd. This is another band that you just have to see to appreciate. It was another amazing performance.