Bruce Springsteen. Pepsi Center. 03.31.16 The River opens with “The Ties That Bind”, a song that uses a long dark highway to measure the distance between two hearts. The River ends with “Wreck on the Highway”, a song that uses a fatal car crash as a metaphor for one’s own mortality. The story comes to a close with the protagonist… Read more →
AC/DC. Pepsi Center. 02.08.16 Attending a concert in a giant corporate arena is a necessary evil when it comes to seeing high-profile bands with a large stage presence, but when done right, those arena-ready bands can make you forget the hell you’re living in. AC/DC flipped that script right on its head last night when they brought their Rock or… Read more →
Patti Smith. Fillmore. 12.29.15 “horses groping for a sign for a breath … charms. sweet angels – you have made me no longer afraid of death.” Patti Smith, the poet, read prose from the back cover of a forty-year-old album, before Patti Smith, the punk rocker, threw her fists in the air and denied complicity in the sins that led… Read more →
Nikki Lane. Bluebird Theater. 12.06.15 My wife and I got married on a cold December night in Denver, Colorado. We went down to the courthouse, said our vows, and then found our way to the Grizzly Rose to meet some friends. A young country artist named Miranda Lambert performed that night. The honky-tonk off I-25 was pretty packed, but nowhere… Read more →
Dead & Company. 1stBank Center. 11.25.15 Part I: My Personal Thoughts Before The Show Let me start out by saying I’ve never really liked the Grateful Dead. As a fan of music in general, I’ve always respected the legacy the band built over the thirty years they existed, but I’ve never understood the draw. I consider myself a live music connoisseur… Read more →
Beth Hart. Gothic Theatre. 09.16.15 “You got places to go, you got people to know, you got plans to get your shit together.” As Beth Hart offered her soul to the audience on Thursday night, I couldn’t help but wonder if she used those lyrics as a mantra during her recovery. The 43-year-old singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, California has written… Read more →
Faith No More. Red Rocks. 09.08.15 “Sorry it took us so long to get back here, we had to go get old.” The Faith No More reunion was nothing new by the time the band from San Francisco graced Colorado with its presence at Red Rocks. The Second Coming Tour kicked off in London over six years ago. Mike Patton… Read more →
Riot Fest Denver 2015 My Festival Experience: 3 Days / 2 Nights 16 Hours 26 Bands Top 10 Moments: Iggy Pop – agelessly following “The Passenger” with “Lust for Life”. Ice Cube – performing N.W.A material with MC Ren and DJ Yella. System of a Down – dropping “Aerials” and “B.Y.O.B.” on a massive crowd. The Dead Milkmen – performing “Punk Rock… Read more →
Incubus. Deftones. Red Rocks. 08.24.15 Life is full of choices and opportunities. Sometimes the path forward is clear, while other times you just have to trust your gut. There was a time when I was on the road to a career in journalism. My dream was to write for Rolling Stone Magazine. If I couldn’t achieve that lofty goal, I… Read more →
Drive-By Truckers. Alabama Shakes. Red Rocks. 08.16.15 Let’s start this out with some statistics. Drive-By Truckers have been a band for 19 years. Patterson Hood turned 50 last year and Mike Cooley has 13 months until he hits that milestone. Before last night, they had performed at Red Rocks 0 times. (edit – DBT actually opened for The Black Crowes… Read more →
Florence + the Machine. Red Rocks. 08.03.15 Only a few hours after I wrote about Hozier performing one of the most intimate sets I had ever experienced at Red Rocks, Florence Welsh completely redefined the word ‘intimacy’. The 28-year-old vocalist of Florence + the Machine had been photographed in meltdown mode at the Montreal airport just days prior, so it… Read more →
