This past Saturday was a long day.   Not only did I head up to Vail for a day of snowboarding with the same guys as the past couple of times, we stuck around to see O.A.R. play as part of the Vail Snow Daze  event.   Knowing that it was going to be a long day, I decided to drive up later in the morning than the usual 6:30 or 7 departure.   I was hoping to avoid traffic by leaving at 9:30, but that didn’t go as planned.   There was a little snow on the roads at higher elevations, but there were also a ton of cars on the road.   The drive would normally take an hour and a half in perfect conditions, but it took three hours on Saturday.

Since we didn’t arrive out on the slopes until after 1pm, I tried to speed through as many runs as I could.   I made it out to Blue Sky Basin just before closing time, but on my first good run out there a strap on one of my bindings broke.   Since I was as far away from the car as possible, I decided to just do as best I could for the rest of the day.   Despite my heel  lifting up on my back foot during hard turns, I was able to enjoy some of the great snow that had fallen overnight.   Vail reported nine inches that morning, so there was definitely some powder to be found.   I just wish I could have found more of it.

As far as the concert goes, it was a rather cold event.   Normally I would have expected the show to start shortly after the lifts start running, say 5pm or so.   The Snow Daze event starts much later, and O.A.R. didn’t hit the stage until after 7:30.   The crowd was pretty large once they finally got started and I think that helped keep everyone fairly warm.   I decided to keep most of my snowboarding gear on, so I was plenty warm.   I actually watched the first half of the show from fairly deep inside the general admission standing crowd.   Definitely much further  into the crowd that anytime recently.   For the first time in a long while I actually had to deal with crowd surfers.   I thought that was a thing of the past, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem so.

O.A.R. at Vail Snow Daze

The setlist was a mix of old and new popular songs for the most part, which easily appeased the vast crowd.   I was hoping to hear some of the new tracks that the band has been working  on for their next album, but I should have guessed that this would not be the place for any debuts.   I was really happy to hear “Revisited” which I haven’t heard in a long time.   Also “Anyway” was another highlight of the show for me.   I taped the show but haven’t listed to it at all.   It should be  a fairly good recording based on the sound mix I heard while at the show.   Once the show was over and it was nearing 10pm, we made the drive back to Denver.   Though it was late, I was happy to be driving on clear roads with no traffic at all.

Last night Kim and I went to the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert up in Broomfield at the 1STBANK Center.   The show was the fortieth time that I’ve seen Dave Matthews perform, but this was only the second time seeing him perform  with just Tim Reynolds, the first time being over seven years ago.   Knowing that the venue was relatively small, I decided to bring my taping gear along to the show.   Typically there are so many other people recording DMB shows that I rarely bother to bring along my own gear.   I’m really glad I did bring it as I’m pretty sure I was the only taper there.

We had great seats on the floor just a few rows in front of the soundboard.   Not only is this a great spot to tape from, but the view was pretty good as well.   The crowd on the floor stood the entire show, so it was a little more difficult for Kim to see.   Now that Tim Reynolds is playing with the band full time, most people are already aware of his guitar prowess.   However seeing just the two of them play allows for Tim to stand out much more.   Dave is no slouch on guitar either and it’s amazing how much sound the two of them can put out.

We were treated  to a pretty sweet setlist that had songs from all spans of Dave’s career.   Highlights for the night included  Grace is Gone, #41, Kundalini  Bonfire  (Tim Reynolds solo), and the set ending Spoon, Tripping Billies, Dancing Nancies combination.   The full setlist was:

1. Still Water
2. Don’t Drink The Water
3. Stay Or Leave
4. Squirm
5. Old Dirt Hill
6. Save Me
7. One Sweet World
   

   Blurry iPhone photo.

8. Grace Is Gone
9. Funny The Way It Is
10. Help Myself
11. Crush
12. Unknown *
13. Alligator Pie
14. Eh Hee
15. #41
16. Dive In
17. Lie In Our Graves
18. Oh
19. So Damn Lucky
20. Kundalini Bonfire  *
21. Out Of My Hands ^
22. You and Me
23. Spoon
24. Tripping Billies
25. Dancing Nancies
    Encore:
26. Some Devil !
27. Baby Blue
28. All Along The Watchtower

^ Dave on piano.
! Dave solo.
* Tim solo.

Saturday was Michael Franti’s semiannual Harvest Ball.   We attended back to back Harvest Ball  shows a couple of years ago at the Fillmore, and this time the single night show was held at the larger 1STBANK Center in Broomfield.   This was my first time not only seeing a show at the 1STBANK Center, but also the first time I had ever been inside the arena.   It was actually smaller than I was expecting it to be, with only one bowl of small seating sections.   Fortunately there was lots of space with the open and standing general admission floor.    

We walked in to hear the sounds of The Motet already warming up the stage.   I saw this band for the first time over the summer at the Mile High Music Festival and was fairly impressed by them.   Despite their lack of vocals and sometimes long jams, I find their sound to be tight and groovy.   Their three-piece horn section definitely adds to my overall enjoyment of their music.    

After a rather long break, Michael Franti and Spearhead finally took the stage after 9pm.   As I expected, the majority of the setlist featured songs from the last couple of albums.   I really enjoy these albums, but I also like hearing some of the older tunes as well.   As always the energy from Michael and the band were unparalleled.   We stood at the back of the floor near the soundboard for the first half of the show and were surprised at how well we could see.   I guess no matter where you stand it’s hard to miss a 6’6″ frontman.    

At one point we took a break for a drink and decided to lounge in some chairs at the back of the arena for a while.   Shortly thereafter Michael and some of his band mates appeared on a platform just in front of the soundboard, very close to where we had been standing before.   They played a couple of songs from this position, before returning to the stage.   It has become a custom to find Michael suddenly appearing in a section full of people, which also happened later in the show, as well as another stop at the platform near the soundboard.   It’s very evident that they strive to entertain everyone in the crowd equally.    

Michael and other band members in a sea of fans.

It is hard for me to believe that I’ve only seen Michael Franti play nine times since 2003. It seems like that number should be higher, especially since how much I love seeing him and the band perform. I always leave each show feeling so good and ready to take on the world.   Be sure to catch this super fun live show if you get the chance.

To kick off the weekend Kim and I went out on Friday night to catch Ozomatli at the Ogden Theatre.   I was first introduced to this band back in college by one of my roommates.   He took me to my first show in 2002, and though I have only seen them a couple of times since them, they put on one of the best live shows I have seen.   The show on Friday night was no exception.   It was a solid mix of old songs that I can remember hearing back in ’02 and new songs.   The band was formed in 1995 and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The band currently  features seven members: Asdru Sierra (lead vocals, trumpet), Raul Pacheco (lead vocals, guitar, tres, jarana), Justin Poree (rap vocals, percussion), Wil-dog Abers (bass, backing vocals), Jiro Yamaguchi (tabla, percussion, backing vocals),  Ulises Bella (sax, clarinet, requinto jarocho, keyboards, backing vocals), and Mario Calire  (drums).   Their mix of music includes everything from hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga, all sung in a mix of spanish and english.   It is very hard to explain other than to say it is a very worldly sound  and a ton of fun.

At times on Friday the number of players on stage nearly doubled as guests on all sorts of instruments came and went, including sousaphone and an entire horn section.   The sound was great, the crowd was large but not overly packed.   We were able to find a great spot downstairs, off to the side but with a great view of the stage.   Part of the show is watching the band members and their dances and theatrics.   The crowd knew nearly all the songs and fully participated at all the right times.   It was a wonderful show and I hope to see them play again soon.    

Image taken from heyreverb.com

Saturday evening Kim and I drove up to Louisville, Colorado, a town that neither of us had ever been to before.   SoundRabbit  was playing a little gig at the Art Underground for the Louisville Arts Hub event.   We hadn’t seen the band play in awhile, so it was nice to hear their familiar sound again.   The show itself was a bit odd being in a small room that usually serves as a church but for the day was a studio for various artists and their works.   The band tried to quiet down their sound for the intimate performance, but maybe it would have been better as an acoustic duo show.   Regardless, I enjoyed hearing them play, as did the dozen or so children in attendance.   I hope our son enjoys music as much as these kids did.

Afterward, Kim and I met up with one of the band members at a local restaurant and bar called Waterloo.   The band had takeout from here earlier in the day, which they enjoyed thoroughly, so we thought we would give it a try.   Kim went with the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and ranchero  beans, while I ordered the grilled chicken with pepper jack, bacon, and avocado along with a side of fries.   The chicken sandwich was standard, but very delicious thanks to my selections of toppings.   The fries were perfectly  hand-cut and flash fried, delicious!   The pulled pork was also very good along with the beans.   The band raved about the hamburgers, so those must be good as well.   If I were to ever make it back, I’d definitely want to try the gorgonzola cream sauce for fry dipping, which I am reading great things about now.   We had a great meal and would definitely go back if we ever find ourselves in Louisville again.

Something happened last night that hasn’t happened in over sixteen years.   My dad took me to see the band Rush, who has always been one of his favorite bands.   I grew up listening to their albums, and when I was eleven years old he took me to my first ever concert, which happened to be  Rush.   We went again the day after my fourteenth birthday.   Both times were at the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati, now known as US Bank Arena.   I don’t really remember much of those concerts, and prior to  last night I hadn’t seen Rush in concert again.   So I don’t really have much to compare last night’s performance with, but I thought it was pretty awesome.   While they are definitely getting older, and the lead singer, Geddy Lee, can’t quite hit the same notes he once could, they are still very talented musicians.

It’s well-known that Rush doesn’t very their setlist throughout a tour, so we already knew what they were going to play.   This obviously takes away some of the excitement and anticipation out of the show, but I’m sure it helps the band to really play these twenty-four songs very well.   And one bonus that I hadn’t thought of before is that you can play your bathroom and concession trips around the setlist, which I did take advantage of last night.   One noticeable thing about last night’s setlist was that they played their entire Moving Pictures  album in order from start to finish, thirty years after it was recorded.   Other highlights of the night included nearly all of their top 100 hits along with other favorites of mine “Freewill,” “Marathon,” and the first two parts of “2112.”

As I already mentioned, their musical ability is amazing.   For just a three-piece act, they sure can put out of ton of different sounds.   Neil Peart on drums is always an amazing site to see.   Many consider him to be  one of the best around, and he definitely put on a show last night.   His drums solos create an entire song on their own.   Contrary to another great drummer, Carter Beauford  from the Dave Matthews Band who is always smiling, Neil rarely cracks a smirk and appears to be  very serious and dedicated to his craft.   Lead vocalist, Geddy  Lee, is also the bassist and is quite accomplished in his own right.   And when he gets the chance, Alex Lifeson on guitar can really play a mean lead solo.

The stage was set  with all sorts of props covering the speakers as the band often seems to do.   Their lighting equipment was really good, and they had amazingly high quality video screen taking up the entire back of the stage.   Both sets of music started with a comedic video starring the band members if various costumes, and there was even a video at the end of the show with the band members playing themselves  in normal attire with cameos from Jason Segel  and Paul Rudd who pose as Rush fans.   I was amazed at how many people not only stayed through the last note, but stuck around to watch the video at the end which must have went on for ten minutes.   Needless to say the show was excellent and I know that my dad had a great time seeing them at Red Rocks for the first time.

After three years, I feel that the Mile High Music Festival  has finally worked out most of their kinks.   The layout of the stages was by far the best yet, with very little  sound bleeding.   We never encountered any lines at the concessions, parking was easy, and the traffic after the shows was light.   We took advantage of the new reentry policy to grab jackets and extra chairs when needed.   Everything seemed to go very smoothly.   The only thing I would change now would be the lineup.   There were definitely some good shows, but also some disappointing ones.

Dave Matthews Band was obviously one of my favorites of the weekend.   The set wasn’t full of rare songs, but was a good variety of the hits and a couple of surprises as well.   Other good acts from Sunday included Weezer, Jimmy Cliff, Ozomatli, and Danielle Ate the Sandwich.   I was excited  to see My Morning Jacket, however I didn’t feel their live show is as good as their studio recordings.   Train was also fairly good, and thanks to Doni’s  obsession with them, I was able to get very close for a few songs at the end.   The Drive By Truckers also provided a decent set.

Saturday wasn’t as good of a day for me.   Things started off very strongly with The Motet.   However, I was not impressed with One EskimO  or Nas & Damian Marley.   ALO  and Amos Lee put on good sets, and after a rough start the Steve Miller Band put on quite  the show.   Phoenix was another that I didnt’ particularly care for.   And Jack Johnson was as to be  expected, good for a while but playing a bit too long.   Rusted Root didn’t sound very good either, or maybe it was just a bad spot for us in the back of the tent.

Overall it was a good weekend.   I’m sure I will return again next year, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed for an even better lineup.

The Mile High Music Festival  is back for its third year.   This time our friends Doni and Phil are coming back to Denver for the festival, after taking last year off.   Just like last year, I have put together a spreadsheet  guide for myself, which breaks the entire day into 15 minute increments.   This definitely helped last year, and I’m hoping the same is true for this year.   Though I can’t tell for sure, it looks like they have expanded the festival back to its original  size the first year.   This should definitely help eliminate  some of the sound bleed from last year.   The lineup is also spaced really well so that neighboring stages aren’t playing at the same time, except for the Wolf Stage and Bison Tent.   I hope this doesn’t become a problem like it was last year, but at least there appears to be a street between them packed with booths.   I’m really looking forward to this years lineup.   Obviously I enjoy the headliners, and there is a lot of midsize talent to entertain the days.

After including the Kings of Leon song “Sex on Fire” on NOW That’s What Ed Calls Music 2008, I finally made it out to see them play live last night.   Much has changed since late 2008, including the massive popularity of the band, along with a couple of other top singles.   I missed their performance at Red Rocks last summer due to Pig-Fest, though I’ve heard from multiple sources that it was a great show.   The Red Rocks show was sold  out, so this summer they decided to move to the newly renamed Comfort Dental Amphitheatre (formerly Fiddler’s Green), which is around twice the capacity of Red Rocks.   Again, I’m told it was a sellout show, but there was plenty of room in the lawn where we stood.   I’m sure the nonstop rain yesterday helped to deter people from coming out for the show.

I met a group of friends at a nearby restaurant before the show started.   We had planned to get in early to watch the opening bands, but the rain forced us to stay inside and have another round of drinks.   We thought the five and six-dollar  drinks were expensive there, but once we finally made it to the venue we quickly realized we’d be paying nearly ten bucks for beer for the rest of the night.   We did arrive while it was still drizzling, just before the  Kings of Leon took the stage.   We were able to easily find a good spot on the lawn and patiently waited the start of the show.

The band took the stage with dueling canons erupting red fog throughout the stage.   The opening song was a familiar one for myself titled “Crawl” from their most recent release Only by the Night.   From there the band detoured into lesser known material from their earlier albums.   “Sex on Fire” came near the middle of the set, which was a little surprising, but it could be fitting as most people are likely growing tired of the song by now.   The sound mix heavily favored the bass notes, which normally isn’t a bad thing, but it left the lead guitar nearly inaudible at times.   I wish I could have heard the limited solos a little better.   Caleb Followill, the lead singer of the band, sounded great and his commanding voice is definitely what leads the band.   I also thought that the drummer, Nathan Followill,  was especially good last night.

The stage production was pretty good.   Though really simple, their massive light structure was effective and interesting.   It consisted off many randomly placed stage lights pointed in every direction, all in white.   I definitely  could have used more color in the mix, but the cool part was that pieces of the structure would move up and down at various points throughout the night.   Going along with the lighting scheme, the screens showing the band were in full black and white.   It was done  rather interestingly though, with what appeared to be rather cheap cameras constantly switching from one to the next, along with interesting angles and shots.   It sort of reminded us of an old video from a recording studio.   To cap off the night, the light structure collapsed on itself, accompanied by a series of firework explosions.   Overall it was a good night out watching a good performance.

Last night we headed up to Red Rocks to see O.A.R. with opener Citizen Cope.   This was O.A.R.’s third time playing at Red Rocks, and of course it was my third time seeing them play there, taking my grand total up to ninety-one.   I’m inching closer to one hundred, but I don’t see them anywhere near as much as I did while in college.   This was my third time seeing Citizen Cope, the other two times were in 2004 and 2005.   I’ve always enjoyed their music, but found their live show to be  a little bit of a downer.   Last night was better than I remembered them sounding, with most upbeat songs, besides a slower stretch in the middle.

O.A.R.’s set was great!   I wouldn’t say that it was the best setlist  ever, but the band sounded really good and were very energetic.   I’d image playing Red Rocks at any point in your career would be an amazing experience, and Marc definitely stopped at various points in the night to let the crowd know how wonderful it was and to take it all in.   Some new songs were played  last night, one of which is titled “Light Switch Sky.”

Last June, O.A.R. asked [their fans] to help them write a song by submitting lyrics via twitter. After collecting submissions for 10 days on the @ofarevolution  twitter page and much deliberation, the band chose 6 overall winners – 5 lyrical contributions, and one song title, “Light Switch Sky”. The band created the music for “Light Switch Sky” using the lyrics as their driving inspiration…”Light Switch Sky” [is] available for purchase at liveoar.com  for just $0.99. All proceeds from the tracks purchased through July, 22nd 2010 will be donated to Paralyzed Veterans of America, an organization that works to maximize the quality of life for Veterans suffering from Spinal Cord Injury or Dysfunction (SCI/D). Paralyzed Veterans of America is a leading advocate for SCI/D research and education and veterans’ benefits and disability rights.

The weather was perfect, with very little wind and comfortable temperatures.   Often times the wind at Red Rocks can be bad, as it was for O.A.R.’s first ever performance there.   Last night it seemed that everything connected perfectly.   After the show Jerry mentioned that he didn’t think they could have played a better show.   That’s what I love to hear, leaving it all on the stage.